Imperial Japan

Meet at Athens airport and fly to Tokyo, the capital of Japan and one of the most populous cities in the world. With a history that merges with the future, Tokyo is a city that offers a unique experience combining tradition with innovation.

Arrival in the gigantic metropolitan colossus that is Tokyo. The traveller’s first impression is that curious sense of absolute order, calm and cleanliness that prevails everywhere. The drive to the hotel impresses with the excellent quality of the roads and the perfect order in the flow of traffic made up of the latest car models. During the transfer to the hotel, our experienced Greek tour leader will give you some initial information about the country. Arrival at our hotel and check-in. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight.

National Museum – Asakusa/Senso-ji – Skytree – Akihabara

Today we begin our day with a visit to the Tokyo National Museum. The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest art museum in Japan, with collections focusing on Japanese and Asian art, including a great many National Treasures and Cultural Properties. Our next stop is the Asakusa district. We visit the magnificent Asakusa Senso-ji temple, where the sacred statuette of the goddess Kannon is kept. Here you will be given time to walk along Nakamise-dori, the most famous shopping street in the Asakusa area. The street stretches for 250 metres from the main gate towards Senso-ji temple and is lined on both sides with shops selling striking kimonos, samurai swords, traditional theatre masks, handicrafts, souvenirs and traditional Japanese delicacies. Our final stop is, of course, the world’s 3rd tallest skyscraper, 634 metres high, the Tokyo Skytree, to enjoy a unique panoramic view of the city. Lunch at a local restaurant. To round off the day we visit the Akihabara district, the hub of Japanese pop culture, with electronics shops, anime and manga stores and gaming arcades. Return to our hotel.

TeamLab borderless – Shibuya cross – Harajuku – Shinjuku Golden Gai

Our first stop today is the impressive TeamLab borderless museum, a museum of contemporary art that will captivate you. We continue to the Shibuya district, a major commercial hub and one of the most famous and busiest neighbourhoods in Tokyo. Here the iconic Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection in the world, will amaze you with the huge crowds of pedestrians crossing from every direction. Free time for shopping. We then visit the bustling Harajuku district, famous for its colourful street art and fashion, with quirky vintage clothing and costume shops along Takeshita Street, and more traditional luxury boutiques lining leafy Omotesando avenue. At this stop, temple lovers will be given time to visit Meiji Jingu, a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken. Of course, we could not leave out the Shinjuku district, where we will see up close the popular Cat billboard with its adorable 3D cat, as well as the neighbourhood of Shinjuku Golden Gai. This neighbourhood is known for offering an authentic experience of Tokyo nightlife as it once was. Dinner at a local restaurant. Return to the hotel and rest.

Optional day trip to Nikko

Our tour begins at the area’s places of worship, which reveal the decorative extravagance of the temples, in complete contrast to the austere appearance of traditional Japanese buildings. It will introduce us to the hidden pages of the history of the country’s most famous dynasty and offer us moments of peace and tranquillity in a landscape of exceptional natural beauty. We start at the red arched Shinkyo bridge over the Daiya river. We then head towards the mountain lake Chuzenji, enjoying the wonderful scenery that surrounds it. Finally, after a photo stop at the rushing Kegon waterfall, whose drop reaches 97 metres, we set off for Tokyo, where we arrive in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight.

(Bullet train – Bamboo forest – Samurai & Ninja Museum – Nishiki market)

After breakfast we leave Tokyo for historic Kyoto aboard the famous bullet train! Arrival, check-in, dinner and overnight. On arrival in Kyoto, our next stop is the popular Arashiyama bamboo forest, located in the village of Sagano on the western side of the city, which offers an enchanting walk among tall bamboo stalks. We continue to Nishiki Market, known as Nishiki Ichiba. It is a historic and lively food market that has been operating for several centuries and is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The market is often referred to as “Kyoto’s Kitchen” because of its wide variety of fresh, local food products. Our next stop, also important to the history of Japan, is the Samurai Museum. There we will hear the story of the samurai and ninja and try our luck at a “game” with shuriken throwing stars. Transfer to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

(Fushimi Inari Shrine – Kiyomizu-dera Temple – Gion)

Today our first stop is the iconic Fushimi Inari Shrine with its thousands of red torii gates, dedicated to the god of rice. Inari shrines are home to the guardian deities of business success, family prosperity, road safety and improvement in the performing arts. Our next stop is the sacred Kiyomizu-dera temple. We walk up to the temple, which was originally founded in 778 AD. The name “Kiyomizu” means “pure water” and comes from a nearby stream, while “dera” means “temple”. The temple’s distinctive feature is its wooden platform, known as “Kiyomizu no Butai” (the stage of Kiyomizu), which juts out from the main hall and offers stunning panoramic views over Kyoto. After our tour of the temple we walk down to the traditional Sannenzaka neighbourhood, known for its elegant paving and the traditional shops, restaurants and cafés that line it. Our final stop for today is Gion, the geisha district. Gion is one of the areas of Kyoto where, if you are lucky, you may see geisha and maiko. Geishas are entertainers who specialise in various traditional arts such as dance, music and conversation. Traditional sukiyaki dinner in the area and return to our hotel independently. After Gion you can take a stroll through picturesque Pontocho, where you will find traditional restaurants and bars.

This morning we leave for Osaka, stopping on the way for a guided tour of Nara as well as the Uji area. In the Uji area we will visit a matcha tea workshop, where we will try making our own tea in the traditional way and see how it is served. Our next stop will be Nara, and specifically Todai-ji temple, home to the colossal bronze statue of the Daibutsu (Great Buddha), 16 metres tall and weighing 550 tonnes. This temple, whose name loosely translates as “Great Eastern Temple”, was built in 752 by Emperor Shōmu as the administrative centre of all the Buddhist temples of the Nara region. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Todai-ji reflects the richness of Japanese history and culture. We continue deeper into Nara Park, where we will come across hundreds of tame, free-roaming deer, which are considered sacred and a symbol of peace. Shortly before leaving Nara we will find ourselves in the Naramachi neighbourhood. It is known for its well-preserved traditional machiya (merchant townhouse) architecture and narrow winding lanes, offering a glimpse of old Japan. In Naramachi we will come across traditional merchant houses, breweries, tea houses and various shops that have been operating for generations. Many of these buildings date from the Edo period (1603-1868) and the Meiji period (1868-1912). We continue to Osaka Castle and its wonderful gardens. Osaka Castle is considered one of the most famous and best preserved in Japan. Although it is essentially a replica of the original (the original burned down three times in the course of its history), it still impresses today with its sheer size, its exterior decoration with gold leaf and its verdant grounds. Its construction was begun in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and completed in 1597. In the afternoon, arrival in Osaka, check-in at our hotel and dinner at a local restaurant.

Free day until midday. at a local restaurant. Departure for Kansai airport, a leading technological achievement of the country, built entirely on an artificial island!! Dinner at a local restaurant. We depart via a connecting airport for Athens.

Arrival in Athens.