Golden Route

Hakone & Mt. Fuji Highlights:

• Hakone: Part of Shizuoka Prefecture, less than 100 kilometers from Tokyo. Famous for hot springs, outdoor activities, natural beauty, and Mt. Fuji views, making it one of the most popular destinations for a break from Tokyo.
• Mt. Fuji 5th Station: Mount Fuji (Fujisan) stands at 3,776 meters as Japan’s highest mountain, worshipped as a sacred volcano.
• Lake Ashi Cruise: A scenic crater lake along the southwest wall of Mount Hakone, known for stunning views of Mt. Fuji, hot springs, and ferry rides.
• Mt. Komagatake Ropeway: Japan’s first mountain ropeway line offering exquisite panoramic views of Mt. Fuji, the Southern Alps, Mt. Ontake, Mt. Norikura, and rare alpine flowers.

Tokyo City Tour Highlights:

• Tokyo: Capital of Japan, center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Seat of the Japanese government, Imperial Palace, and home to the Imperial Family.
• The Tokyo Tower: 333 meters tall (13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower), the world’s tallest self-supporting steel tower. Completed in 1958 as a symbol for Japan’s rebirth, serving as a broadcast antenna and tourist attraction.
• Happo-en (Tea Ceremony): View nature from every angle at the garden of eight views, preserving Edo ambience, and enjoy a traditional tea ceremony.
• Imperial Palace Plaza: Located on the former site of Edo Castle in the center of Tokyo, residence of Japan’s Imperial Family (Access to East Garden Only).
• Sumida River Cruise: Pass beneath 12 bridges on the historically significant Sumida River, starting at Hinode Pier and ending at Azumabashi on Tokyo Bay.
• Asakusa Sightseeing: Center of Tokyo’s shitamachi (“low city”) where past decades survive. Main attraction is Sensoji, a popular Buddhist temple.
• Nakamise Shopping Street: Stretches over approximately 250 meters from Kaminarimon to Sensoji Temple, lined by 50+ shops offering local specialties and souvenirs.
• Ginza (Drive by): Tokyo’s most uptown, classy, and luxurious shopping district filled with towering department stores and brand-name shops.

Osaka Highlights:

• Osaka Castle: Founded in the 16th century by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a symbol of his power.
• Osaka Aqua Liner (Okawa River Cruise): Enjoy cruising while watching seasonal landscapes and historical sites.
• Umeda Sky Building: Eighteenth-tallest building in Osaka consisting of two 40-story towers connected at the upper stories by bridges and escalators.
• Tempozan Harbor Village: Japan’s first “Festival Market Place” with shops, restaurants, food booths, and entertainment spaces.
• Namba Shopping District (Namba CITY): Vast shopping mall stretching north and south of Nankai Namba Station.

Kyoto & Nara Sightseeing Highlights:

• Kyoto: Formerly known as Meaco, central island of Honshu, Japan. Former imperial capital for over a thousand years, now capital city of Kyoto Prefecture (“City of Ten Thousand Shrines”).
• Nijo Castle: A UNESCO World Heritage Site completed in 1626, built to provide lodging for Tokugawa Shoguns.
• Kinkaku-ji Temple: World Heritage Site also known as the Golden Pavilion, featuring wooden architecture covered in thin layers of pure gold and surrounded by a beautiful lake.
• Kyoto Imperial Palace: Preserves the look and ambiance of ancient dynasties, rebuilt in 1855, featuring structures like Shisinden and Seiryoden.
• Kitano Tenmangu Shrine: Main hall is a designated national treasure famous for housing the God of scholarship, great during plum blossom and autumn leaf seasons.
• Nara Park & Todai-ji Temple: Symbol of the Nara Period and one of the world’s largest wooden structures, featuring a huge main hall and bronze Great Buddha.
• Kasuga Taisha Shrine: Nara Period shrine designated as a World Heritage Site where deer are thought to be shrine messengers.
• Nara Nagomikan: The largest souvenir shop in Nara.