Samurai Discovery – 8 days land only

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- Return airport/hotel transfers at selected times
- Internal flights from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
- 7 nights hotel accommodation
- Breakfast daily, 3 lunches (including Be My Guest) & 3 dinners 
- Touring by by luxury air-conditioned coach
- Assistance of a professional Travel Director & local guides
- Sightseeing & VIP entry, including Insider Experiences
- All hotel service charges & tips, baggage handling fees & local taxes.
- VISITS: Tokyo, Mt Fuji & Kyoto

You'll enjoy Insider moments like...learning to make sushi with a skilled private chef, before tasting your own creations. And exploring the Fushimi Inari Shrine; the bright orange torii gates paving your way into the forest as you discover this ancient sight.

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Arrive Tokyo

Welcome to Tokyo. Upon arrival at Tokyo Narita or Haneda International Airport you will be transferred to your hotel. Later join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception with local snacks and appetisers.

Tokyo sightseeing

This morning visit the Imperial Palace Plaza a large park area surrounded by moats and impressive stone walls. View the Imperial Palace built on the former site of Edo Castle. Continue to the famous Ginza district for a stroll around followed by a hands-on cooking class where you will learn how to make sushi with a Local Specialist. Enjoy your sushi creations for lunch before continuing to the ancient Meiji Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. From here enjoy a walking tour of the Harajuku area where on a Sunday, the streets are closed to traffic and sometimes young local people can be seen dressed up in colourful costumes. Continue on to Omotesando, a tree lined avenue often referred to as the Champs Elysees of Tokyo where several leading fashion brand shops are located. This evening dinner is 'Okonomiyaki' a Regional Meal of grilled savoury pancakes containing a variety of tasty ingredients and garnishes.

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Tokyo sightseeing

Start the day with a fun Taiko drumming lesson with a Local Specialist. Taiko is an ancient Japanese form of percussion using large drums and a dynamic playing style. Continue to the Sensoji Temple; one of Tokyo's most colourful and popular temples. It has been rebuilt countless times since it was founded in 628, making it Tokyo's oldest temple site. Visit Nakamise, a shopping street stretching the 200 metres from the outer gate to the temple's interior gate. After some free time for lunch explore the Edo-Tokyo Museum. This fascinating museum displays artifacts and architecture that tell a tale of Tokyo's history and culture during the Edo period. Return to the hotel for a free evening.

Tokyo - mt. Fuji - Hakone - Tokyo

After breakfast, depart on a full day of sightseeing, beginning at the Five Lakes District. The name comes from the five lakes formed by previous eruptions of Mt. Fuji. At 2,300 metres above sea level, the 5th Station offers an impressive view of the Fuji Five Lakes area below. Almost close enough to grab the summit of UNESCO listed Mt. Fuji; it's a great spot for sightseeing (weather permitting). After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, a nature-lover's paradise, blessed by its superb scenery and an abundance of natural hot springs. Travel by cable car to visit Owakudani, the 'Great Boiling Valley'. Enter the volcanic zone with its hot springs, steam vents and bubbling pools. Here you can try black eggs, cooked in the naturally hot water, which are said to prolong your life by seven years. Travel back to Tokyo and transfer to your hotel for an evening at leisure.

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Free time - Tokyo - Kyoto

This morning enjoy some free time to explore Tokyo further or relax. Later take a bullet train to Kyoto and on arrival transfer to your hotel.

Kyoto sightseeing

Start the day with a visit to some of the UNESCO designated historic monuments of ancient Kyoto. First, explore Nijo Castle. Despite being built as a residence and not for defence purposes, special creaky floorboards were installed to warn of anyone approaching and protect the shogun from enemies. Located halfway up Otowa Mountain, visit Kiyomizu Temple with its spectacular views of the city and valley below. The main hall has a large veranda, supported by tall pillars that jut out over the hillside, and was constructed without a single nail used in the entire structure. Later, enjoy a special Be My Guest lunch at a preserved Machiya townhouse and try your hand at the traditional art form of calligraphy with the help of a Local Specialist. After lunch continue to the Gion area and marvel at the unique traditional houses with their unusually narrow facades.

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Kyoto sightseeing

This morning visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine, an important Shinto shrine famous for its thousands of bright orange torii gates that line the walking paths leading into the wooden forest of the sacred Mt. Inari. Enjoy a leisurely walk through the torii gates with your Travel Director before visiting Sanjusangendo Hall, a temple famous for its 1001 statues. Later visit the Kinkakuji Temple and view the structure completely covered in gold leaf, earning its name of the Golden Pavilion. In the afternoon enjoy some free time to explore Nishiki-koji market and its narrow streets lined with tiny storefronts. Tonight gather with your fellow travellers for a Farewell Dinner at the Ninja Kyoto restaurant. Venture into the mysterious labyrinth and secret fortress of the Ninjas, the traditional Japanese heroes and enjoy the creative Ninja-style food, a perfect ending to your holiday in Japan.

Depart Kyoto - Osaka

Transfer by airport shuttle to Kansai International Airport, or to Osaka Itami International Airport for your onward flight home.