Local woman & travelers , Nara Arashiyama bamboo forest , Kyoto
DAY 9 • Kanazawa • Optional Gokayama tour Enjoy free time to explore Kanazawa on your own , or join a full-day optional excursion to Gokayama — a UNESCO World Heritage Site . This village in the remote Chubu Mountains is renowned for its distinctive gassho-zukuri-style homes with steeply pitched thatched roofs .
Meals : B | Hotel Kanazawa or similar
ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHT
DAY 10 • Kanazawa • Home-Hosted Visit : Tea with a local family • Train to Kyoto
Enjoy a Home-Hosted Visit with a local family , sitting down for tea and a firsthand glimpse of Japanese life . Some of our hosts are accomplished tea ceremony masters , while others are skilled in Japanese calligraphy , cultivating bonsai trees , or folding origami . After , ride the rails to Kyoto , Japan ’ s ancient imperial capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
Meals : B , L , D | Hotel Vista Premio Kyoto Nagomitei or similar
DAY 11 • Kyoto • Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
• Kinkakuji
Explore the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove before we visit Kinkakuji , the Temple of the Golden Pavilion . Then , enjoy an afternoon of independent discoveries .
Meals : B , L | Hotel Vista Premio Kyoto Nagomitei or similar
DAY 14 • Kyoto • Fushimi Inari Shrine • Meet a sushi chef
Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine this morning , one of Japan ’ s most iconic sites . Comprised of a winding path of 10,000 vermillion torii ( gates ), the shrine snakes its way up a heavily forested mountain . Then , take part in a sushi-making lesson .
Meals : B , L , D | Hotel Vista Premio Kyoto Nagomitei or similar
DAY 15 • Return to U . S . Fly home from Osaka today . Travelers taking our optional Hiroshima : City of Peace post-trip extension will transfer to Hiroshima by bullet train , while travelers taking our optional New ! Osaka to Hiroshima by Bullet Train post-trip extension will drive to Osaka .
Meals : B
On Day 7 , board the legendary shinkansen , or bullet train , and watch Japan ’ s rolling countryside as you travel at speeds of up to 200 mph
DAY 12 • Kyoto • Nara • Matcha tea experience Head to Nara , visiting Todaiji Temple , a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to an awe-inspiring , 52-foot Buddha statue . You may even meet the tame deer that roam here . Then , visit a local tea company for a matcha tea-making demonstration and a hands-on experience of grinding your own green tea .
Meals : B , L , D | Hotel Vista Premio Kyoto Nagomitei or similar
DAY 13 • Kyoto • Zen Temple & tea ceremony • Ikebana ( flower arranging ) lesson
Head to Senkoji Temple where we ’ ll try Zen meditation and participate in a tea ceremony . Then , embark on a boat ride to Togetsu Bridge , followed by Ikebana — the art of flower arrangement .
Meals : B , L | Hotel Vista Premio Kyoto Nagomitei or similar
For departure dates & prices , visit www . oattravel . com / jpn2024pricing
68 Japan ’ s Cultural Treasures