SUBJECT TO CHANGE, DUE TO WEATHER OR OPERATIONAL ISSUES (ALWAYS INCLUDING THE SAME SERVICES).
DAY 01 (TUESDAY) TOKYO.
Arrival at Narita or Haneda International Airport.
NARITA (NRT): After immigration and customs procedures, you will be greeted by a Spanish-speaking assistant who will help you take the Airport Limousine Bus (shared service) to the hotel. The assistant will not board the bus with the passengers and will not escort them to the hotel. Depending on the flight arrival time, there may not be a direct Airport Limousine Bus to the hotel. In such cases, you will take a bus to Tokyo Station and then take a taxi. (The assistant will provide sufficient cash for the taxi.) If the Airport Limousine Bus is not operating, we will provide an alternative transfer (train + taxi, etc.).
HANEDA (HND): After immigration and customs procedures, you will be greeted by a Spanish-speaking assistant. Transfer to the hotel by taxi. The assistant will not board the taxi with the passengers and will not escort them to the hotel. You cannot check into your room until the check-in time (15:00).
On Tuesdays at the New Otani Hotel, a Spanish-speaking guide will be available from 14:00 to 20:00 to provide information to passengers. (This applies to the Friday departure of August 1.)
DAY 02 (WEDNESDAY) TOKYO.
Breakfast at the hotel. At 08:20, meet in the hotel lobby (Main Tower, Floor 1) for a half-day group tour of Tokyo with a Spanish-speaking guide. We will visit:
Meiji Shrine (dedicated to Emperor Meiji),
Imperial Palace Plaza (entrance to the palace is not included),
Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise Street (lined with souvenir shops),
around 13:00, the tour ends in Ginza. The rest of the afternoon is free. Return to the hotel on your own (the guide will explain how to return to the hotel).
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: “TEA CEREMONY” IN ASAKUSA (108 USD PER PERSON)
Notes:
Participants in this optional activity will not go to Ginza with the group by bus.
You must bring socks to participate in the tea ceremony.
At 12:45, after visiting Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Street in Asakusa, meet a Spanish-speaking assistant (the guide will specify the meeting point during the visit to Senso-ji Temple). Walk to the tea ceremony venue with the assistant.
13:00: Begin the tea ceremony – Learn about the tea ceremony, watch a demonstration by a tea master, enjoy a sweet treat, drink matcha tea, and take souvenir photos.
14:00: The activity concludes at the Asakusa Metro Station. (The assistant will explain how to return to the hotel or go to Ginza by metro but will not escort you.)
Lunch is NOT included. If you're hungry, you can have a light meal during your free time at Nakamise Street in Asakusa. This optional activity will not be sold locally. Passengers need to book it 3 weeks prior to traveling to Japan. Depending on availability, we may not be able to confirm it.
Note: The optional “Tea Ceremony” is not available on the August 1st (Departure #24) and from November 18th to February 24th.
DAY 03 (THURSDAY) TOKYO – HAKONE – TOKYO.
Breakfast at the hotel. At 07:50, meet in the lobby for a full-day group tour to Hakone with a Spanish-speaking guide. We will visit:
Lake Ashi (boat ride),
Owakudani Valley (on clear days, we can admire Mt. Fuji from both Lake Ashi and Owakudani),
Hakone Open-Air Museum.
Important Note: If the boat does not operate due to strong rain and wind, we will visit Hakone Sekishoato (a reconstructed checkpoint from medieval times).
Depending on volcanic gas density, we may not be able to visit Owakudani Valley or may have to visit Hakone Shrine instead due to heavy traffic.
Return to the hotel around 17:00 – 18:00. Lunch at a restaurant is included. Accommodation.
DAY 04 (FRIDAY) TOKYO – KYOTO – NARA – KYOTO.
Breakfast at the hotel.
One suitcase per person will be sent separately by truck from the hotel in Tokyo to the hotel in Kyoto.
Note: If there are more than 40 passengers on a departure, we charter a private truck to transport luggage from the New Otani Hotel to Kyoto Tokyu Hotel. In such cases, the luggage will arrive at the hotel in Kyoto on the same day in the afternoon. During low season, when there are fewer passengers, we use a regular delivery service, and in this case, luggage will arrive at the hotel in Kyoto the following day. Passengers will need to bring a small backpack or suitcase with essentials for the overnight stay.
At 08:15, meet in the lobby for transfer to Tokyo Station with a Spanish-speaking assistant.
Around 09:21, take the Nozomi #215 bullet train to Kyoto, arriving at 11:32 at Kyoto Station, where a Spanish-speaking guide will be waiting. The excursion to Nara begins, where we will visit:
Todaiji Temple (featuring the colossal Buddha statue),
Nara Park (with many deer).
In Kyoto, we will visit Gion (the Geisha district).
Arrival at the hotel in Kyoto around 18:30 – 19:00 and check-in. Lunch is NOT included (free time to have lunch).
Note: The order of the visits in Kyoto may change. One of the sites from the next day’s itinerary may be visited today, and Gion may be visited tomorrow instead.
DAY 05 (SATURDAY) KYOTO.
Breakfast at the hotel. At 08:20, meet in the lobby for a full-day group tour of Kyoto with a Spanish-speaking guide. We will visit:
Sanjusangendo Temple (with 1,000 statues of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy),
Fushimi Inari Shrine (with thousands of “torii” gates),
Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji),
Tenryu-ji Temple (with a beautiful Japanese garden),
Sagano Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama.
Return to the hotel around 17:30. Lunch at a restaurant is included. Accommodation.
DAY 06 (SUNDAY) KYOTO.
Breakfast at the hotel. Full day free for personal activities.
Optional Tour to Hiroshima & Miyajima (668 USD per person):
At 07:30, meet the Spanish-speaking guide in the hotel lobby for a transfer to Kyoto Station.
At 08:26, take Nozomi #3 bullet train to Hiroshima, arriving at 10:01, and begin the visit. If there are fewer than 10 passengers, we will use public transport; otherwise, we will use a private bus. The tour includes:
Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island,
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Museum,
Atomic Bomb Dome.
The tour ends with a transfer to Hiroshima Station for a departure at 17:57 on Nozomi #52, arriving in Kyoto at 19:37. Transfer to the hotel is on your own (shuttle bus or taxi). Lunch is NOT included.
This optional tour will not be sold locally. Passengers must reserve it 3 weeks in advance. Depending on availability, we may not be able to confirm it.
The optional Hiroshima tour is not available on August 1st (Departure #24) and December 23rd (Departure #46).
DAY 07 (MONDAY) KYOTO (KANSAI OR ITAMI) – SEOUL.
Breakfast at the hotel. If the hotel departure time is early and passengers cannot have breakfast, the hotel will provide a box breakfast.
If the flight departs after 08:00 a.m., meet the English-speaking assistant in the hotel lobby (the pickup time will be determined by us based on the flight departure time and will be communicated to passengers during the tour). Transfer to Kyoto Station by shuttle bus or taxi. The assistant will help passengers board the Airport Limousine Bus to Kansai or Itami Airport. If there are no available seats on the bus to Kansai Airport, the transfer will be by Haruka Express Train. The assistant will not accompany passengers to the airport.
For flights departing at 08:00 a.m. or earlier, meet the taxi driver at the hotel entrance (the pickup time will be determined by us based on the flight departure time and communicated during the tour). Transfer to Kansai or Itami Airport by taxi without assistance. Passengers will check in independently at the airline counter.
For departures from Kansai (KIX) or Itami (ITM) at 08:00 a.m. or earlier, an additional fee of approximately 200 USD per passenger will apply (for a solo traveler, the fee will be around 400 USD).
Arrival at Incheon International Airport, Seoul, where our driver will meet and transfer you to your hotel (shared transfer with other participants). The rest of the day is free. Accommodation.
DAY 08 (TUESDAY) SEOUL.
Breakfast at the hotel. 09:00: Meet the guide in the hotel lobby for a half-day tour of Seoul:
Gyeongbokgung Palace,
Bukchon Hanok Village,
Ginseng Center (approx. 1 hour).
At 12:30: The group tour concludes at Myeongdong for lunch and free time.
Return to the hotel on your own. You may also opt to take a taxi.
Notes:
Gyeongbokgung Palace is closed on Tuesdays. If your tour falls on a Tuesday, we will visit Changdeokgung Palace instead.
DAY 09 (WEDNESDAY) SEOUL – KOREAN FOLK VILLAGE – DAEGU
Breakfast. Departure to the Korean Folk Village located on the outskirts of Seoul, where people living in the village practice traditional 18th-19th century styles of homes and lifestyle. We continue to Songnisan National Park to visit the Beopjusa Temple (UNESCO), where the tallest Buddha statue in Korea is located. We then drive along the highway to reach Daegu. Check-in at the hotel.
DAY 10 (THURSDAY) DAEGU – GYEONGJU
Breakfast. Visit the Daegu Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Museum, and the popular herbal medicine market that first opened in the 17th century. Visit Seomun Market, full of history, one of the three major markets during the Joseon Dynasty. Departure to Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla Kingdom from 57 BC to 935 AD. The city is known as the “Museum without walls” as there are 52 designated sites within the city. Experience traditional tea tasting. Visit Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory and the Tumuli Park with its royal tombs. You will have the chance to enter one of the excavated tombs to see the construction and process behind the burial chambers of the Royal Kings. Accommodation in Gyeongju.
DAY 11 (FRIDAY) GYEONGJU
Breakfast. Full-day tour of Gyeongju visiting Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto (UNESCO). The 8th-century Seokguram Grotto, located on the slopes of Mount Toham, contains a monumental statue of a seated Buddha looking toward the sea and is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist art in the Far East. In the afternoon, visit the Four-Faced Buddha, a four-faced stone statue located at Gulbulsaji, the Wonseong King’s Tomb, and the Gwaeneung Royal Tomb. Enjoy a scenic drive to Guryongpo Harbor to enjoy beautiful coastal views. Accommodation.
DAY 12 (SATURDAY) GYEONGJU – BUSAN
Breakfast and departure to Unmoonsa Temple, a Buddhist nuns' temple. We continue to Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. Upon arrival, take a city tour including the Jagalchi Fish Market, where street vendors sell various fish, and Nampodong Shopping Street. We continue to the Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park, where the observation deck offers stunning views of the city and beyond. Accommodation.
DAY 13 (SUNDAY) BUSAN – SEOUL
Breakfast. Depart by bus to Seoul. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. If there are fewer than 3 passengers, the return to Seoul will be by KTX train, with a local driver transferring from Seoul Station to the hotel.
DAY 14 (MONDAY) SEOUL
Breakfast. End of services.
End of our services.
14 days I 13 nights
Countries 2
