Revised 07/30/2007

2008

Japan Alpine & Sanyo Shikoku Tour

  Depart:  May 1 1 ,  2008         Return:  May 2 1 , 2008           Tour No:  JAS-511-8

Tour Price (per person):  $3950 Twin, $3925 Triple, $4570 Single

Early Booking Discount available

________________________________________________________________

HONOLULU /  NARITA

Leave Honolulu  via All Nippon Airways for Narita International Airport .  Due to crossing the International Date Line, we lose one day.

Day 2 – Monday, May 12

NARITA / OSAKA                                                              

Arrive at Narita International Airport .  After completion of government formalities, transfer to domestic departure lobby.  Leave Narita for Osaka via All Nippon Airways domestic flight.  Arrive at Osaka Itami Airport and transfer to our hotel in Osaka City .  Our guide and escort will assist you in discovering delicious options at nearby or airport restaurants.  Dinner is on our own.  Accommodations at RAMADA HOTEL OSAKA.

Day 3 – Tuesday, May 13

OSAKA / NAGOYA / SHIRAKAWAGO / TAKAYAMA                                    (B)   (D)

Breakfast at our hotel.  We leave Osaka for Nagoya via Tokai Meishin Expressway.  From Nagoya , we proceed to Shokawa via the Tokai Hokuriku Expressway.  We then proceed to Shirakawa Village driving along the scenic Biboro Dam.  Upon arrival, we will visit Shirakawago, which features “Gassho-zukuri” “praying hands” thatched farmhouses built large enough to accommodate three or more generations under one roof.  The village is a living museum depicting the lifestyle of the people of an earlier period.  After our tour we continue on to Takayama.  Dinner and accommodations at TAKAYAMA G REEN HOTEL (onsen) .

Day 4 – Wednesday, May 14                 

TAKAYAMA / MATSUMOTO / OMACHI                                               (B)  (D)

We make an early morning visit to Miyagawa-cho Morning Market.  We return to our hotel for breakfast followed by a city tour visiting the Yatai Kaikan Hall which houses a display of gorgeously decorated festival floats; Kusakabe Minegeikan Heritage House; a folk art museum and San-machi Suji, the center of the old town of Takayama which exudes an atmosphere of old Japan.  The three main streets are lined with stores selling traditional wares, craftsmen’s workshops, inns and breweries.  We leave for Matsumoto via the Abo Tunnel and upon arrival visit the Matsumoto Castle , a good example of a so called “hirajiro”, a castle built on the plain rather than on a hill or mountain.  We then proceed to Hodaka Town to visit the Daio Wasabi (horse radish) Farm.  We continue on to Omachi where we spend the night.  This is a great place to enjoy the crisp mountain air.  Dinner  and accommodations at KUROYON ROYAL HOTEL (onsen).

Day 5 – Thursday, May 15    

OMACHI / OGISAWA / JAPAN ALPINE ROUTE / KANAZAWA    (B)

Breakfast at our hotel.  After breakfast we transfer to Ogisawa, the gateway to explore the Kurobe Tateyama Japan Alpine Route, an exhilarating experience.  We board a trolley bus from Ogisawa to the Kurobe Dam.  Upon our arrival at the Kurobe Dam Station, we will enjoy a walk on the promenade along Lake Kurobe and the Kurobe Dam, the largest dam in Japan .  Next, we will ride a cable car from Lake Kurobe to Kurobe Daira,  from where we take a ropeway to Daikanbo.  At Daikanbo we take in the breathtaking view of the high peaks of the Northern Japan Alps from the observatory.  After sightseeing Murodo, we take a mountain bus to Bijyodaira via scenic Midagahara.  The bus will run through the mountain road covered with some 20 meter high banks of snow on both sides.  After strolling in the snow at Bijyodaira, we take a cable car to go down to Tateyama, the final destination of the Kurobe Tateyama Alpine route.  From Tateyama, we proceed to Kanazawa .  Your guide and escort will help you find restaurants to enjoy your evening meal or you may opt to eat in one of the hotel’s restaurants.  Acommodations at KANAZAWA SKY HOTEL.

Day 6 – Friday, May 16

KANAZAWA / LAKE BIWA / KYOTO                                  (B)

Breakfast at our hotel.  This morning we take a tour of Kanazawa; visiting Kenrokuen Park, reputed to be one of the 3 most beautiful parks in Japan and Higashi Chaya which still preserves an aspect of the Kanazawa of feudal  times, showing the picturesque atmosphere of the wooden lattice fronts of old geisha houses.  We continue on to Kyoto via Hokuriku and Meishin Expressways.  On the way we will view Lake Biwa , the largest freshwater lake in Japan .  Biwa-ko ( Lake Biwa ) got its name from its shape: a biwa is a four-stringed lute, a musical instrument originally imported to Japan from China .  Upon arrival in Kyoto we visit the Heian Shrine, built in 1895 to commemorate the 1,100^th anniversary of the founding of the capital, and the Nishijin Textile Hall where we are treated to a kimono show.  With a tradition of over a hundred years, the Nishijin weavers are known throughout the world for their beautiful textiles.  For dinner tonight your guide and escort will help you to find some delicious foods in places near our hotel.  Accommodations at NEW MIYAKO HOTEL.

Day 7 – Saturday, May 17

KYOTO / HIMEJI / OKAYAMA / KURASHIKI                       (B)    (D)

Breakfast at our hotel.  We leave Kyoto for Himeji via the Sanyo expressway.  Upon arrival we visit Himeji Castle , also called Shirasagijo ( White Heron Castle ) due to its white outer walls.  It is the best preserved castle in all of Japan .  We then proceed to Bizen City to visit Bizen-yaki pottery kiln.  Bizen-yaki is one of the six ancient potteries in Japan .  Bizen-yaki has a history of over 1,000 years, and is the oldest among the six ancient potteries.  The old name of Kayama.  Bizen, is retained in the name of the pottery.  The town bustles with Bizen-yaki pottery and ceramic shops.  Bizen-yaki employs neither glazing nor painting.  The flames in the kiln change the patterns on this simple pottery, and no two pieces are aloke.  We then proceed to the outskirts of Okayama City where we enjoy the sweet treat of fresh strawberries picked with our own hands.  Our tour continues on to Kurashiki .  Upon arrival, we will visit the Bikan-chiku, an area that has eighty-five storehouses built between the 18^th & 19^th centuries and which preserve traces of those old days.  We can leisurely stroll along the narrow canals lined with willow trees and see the many folk craft of the area being sold in the shops along the way.  A few minutes/ walk from the canal and museums is a complex called Kurashiki Ivy Square .  Built as a cotton mill by a local spinning company in 1888, this handsome redbrick complex shrouded in ivy has been renovated into a hotel, restaurants, museums, and a few boutiques and galleries selling crafts.  Dinner and accommodations at KURASHIKI KOKUSAI HOTEL.

Day 8 – Sunday, May 18         

KURASHIKI / KOTOHIRA / MATSUYAMA / DOGO ONSEN                           (B)  (D)

Breakfast at our hotel.  This morning we visit a factory which produces igusa, the material used for the Japanese Tatami.  Woven Igusa creates countless small breathing holes inside Tatami items, resulting in the ability to absorb humidity and ventilate heat.  We will see them weave the igusa.  Then we proceed to Kojima, the gateway to explore the Seto Ohashi Great Bridge .  We stop about half way at Yoshima, where we can admire the tremendous construction of this bridge and enjoy the superb view of the Seto Inland Sea. We continue on to Sakaide, the end of the Seto Ohashi and continue to Kotohira.  Our next visit will be the Kotohiragu Shrine (widely known as Konpira-san), which is dedicated to a guardian god of the sea and is noted for 785 stone steps leading to the main shrine.  After our tour we proceed to Kawanoe and visit a Paper Museum where we can learn some paper-making skills.  We then go on to Matsuyama to tour the city, visiting Iyo Kasuri Textile Hall.  This is a comprehensive reference library specializing in iyo kasuri (splashed-pattern textiles), a traditional folk art product of Ehime.  It exhibits ancient textile weaving looms and dyeing pots, and also holds demonstrations and sells products.  You will see the entire process of producing iyo kasuri.  The indigo dyeing experience course and souvenir corner are also very popular.  We will visit the hot spring town of Dogo and Matsuyama Castle Park by Arial chair lift.  Dinner and sccommodations at TSUKASA VIEW HOTEL OR SIMILAR (onsen) .

Day 9 – Monday, May 19

MATSUYAMA / SETOUCHI SHIMANAMI KAIDO /  HIROSHIMA               (B)

Breakfast at our hotel.  We leave Matsuyama for Imabari, the gateway to the Setouchi Shimanami Kaido sightseeing route.  The route extends from Imabari on Shikoku Island to Onomichi in Honshu the main island of the Japanese archipelago.  From Onomichi we continue on to Hiroshima .  Here we pay homage to those who perished in the first atomic bomb blast as we visit the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Memorial Museum .  The peace memorials in the park remind us of the terrible price of war and the need to work toward world peace.  Tonight we may want ot try Hiroshima ’s specialty, the okonomiyaki, as we look for dinner on our own with the help of our guide and escort.  Accommodations at RHIGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA.

Day 10 – Tuesday, May 20

HIROSHIMA / IWAKUNI /  MIYAJIMA / HIROSHIMA                                (B)

Breakfast at our hotel.  Our first trip this morning is to Iwakuni to visit the magnificent Iwakuni Kintai Arch Bridge .  For over 300 years, the Kintai Bridge has stood, fallen and been rebuilt again and again.  It is one of the three most famous bridges in Japan .  It was completed in 1673 over the Nishiki River .  After the tour of Iwakuni we proceed to Miyajima where tamed deer roam the grounds and the vermillion-colored Itsukushima shrine and floating Torii Gate present a splendid sight to behold.  We then return to Hiroshima .  The remainder of the day can be spent shopping and having dinner on our own.  Our hotel is adjacent to a huge department store and there are a couple of shopping arcades located within the area.  Accommodations at RHIGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA.

Day 11 – Wednesday, May 21  

HIROSHIMA / HANEDA / NARITA / HONOLULU                                       (B)

Breakfast at our hotel.  This morning is free at our leisure.  Your guide and escort will be able to help you with your morning activities.  In the afternoon we transfer to Hiroshima Airport for our flight to Haneda Airport in Tokyo .  We then take a motorcoach to Narita International Airport where we board our flight to Honolulu .  We arrive in Honolulu in the morning on the same day.  Upon arrival, we will need to complete government formalities for our return home. We gain a day crossing the International Date Line.

  _______________________________

Every effort has been made to produce this itinerary without error.

Should any occur, we reserve the right to correct.