Good evening and welcome to 'the land of the rising sun', we've just landed at the KIX airport, the international airport of the Kansai region, built on an artificial island within Osaka bay.
We'll travel form the airport to Osaka, the 3rd largest city in Japan and the economic and commercial center of Kansai and the west of Japan.
This evening we'll tour the famous Dotonburi Street and its surroundings, brimming with markets, people, merchandise, shops and restaurants of all kind.
We'll have our dinner at one of the better culinary corners the area has to offer.

Today we'll go to the the old capital of Japan - Nara. There we'll visit an ancient temple, which is the largest wood structure in the world that houses the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. 
We'll also walk around the deer park, where deer who are 'the messengers of the gods' roam freely, as they've been doing for more than a thousand years. 
Continuing towards Kyoto, we'll go to the famous Fushimi Inari, a temple known for the thousands of orange tori gates that are placed all along the steep mountain, and climb up one of the most famous trails in Japan. 
 

Today will begin by traveling to the west side of town to Arashiyama, which was once a rural area where the nobility of Kyoto used to go lounge. We'll take a walk along the streets filled with small wooden houses up to a magnificent bamboo grove, and visit the bridge that goes across the river. 
From here we'll continue to one of the most iconic temples in Japan, the golden pavilion, a zen temple surrounded by a large and well-kept garden. 
At lunchtime we'll go to explore the plentiful food market Nishiki Ichiba, visiting the various food stalls, browsing and tasting the unique and colorful wares presented for sale. 
Next we'll go to Nijo castle, where the shogun resided while visiting Kyoto. From there he would have governed the city and entertained guests. 
After coming back to the city center we'll tour around Kyoto station, and eat dinner in the area. 

Today we'll get to know Kyoto, the traditional capital of Japan for upwards of a thousand years. 
We'll visit many interesting and colorful sites and enjoy the spring 'festival' together with the locals. We'll go down to the roots of Japanese culture, while touring the historic Higashiyama district, seeing ancient temples and walking the old streets. There we'll also get to experience a traditional tea ceremony, and hear about the importance of 'the way of the tea' in Japanese culture. 
As evening comes we'll take a stroll in the streets of the traditional Gion district, where the Geisha are active to this very day. 

Departing from Kyoto, we'll continue north to the town of Moriyama for the Sagawa art museum on the shore of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. 
From there we'll continue towards Hikone castle, one of the only 12 castles that survived in their original form to this day. 
Continuing north, we'll make a stop at Echizen, the Japanese paper village, where we'll learn about the process of making the traditional Japanese paper. 
Towards the evening we'll arrive at the historic Kaga prefecture, where we'll stay at a traditional hotel and get our first taste of the traditional Japanese bath, the Onsen. 

We'll start our day with a short stroll in nature, in a creek where the Japanese poet Basho wrote one of his most famous Haikus. 
Up next we'll drive through the 'white' road, a mountain pass that's open only a few months a year that should let us enjoy the autumn in its peak. 
We'll continue to tour a picturesque village in the mountains, and see up close the unique traditional houses with the slanted straw roofs. 
We'll get to visit the home of one of the locals and hear from the owner about the history of the house and the local atmosphere, and finish with a performance of folk dance and music unique to the area. 
Finally, we'll arrive at Kanazawa where we'll stay the night. 

Good morning to Kanazawa, a magical city that was the capital of the second most important prefecture in the Edo period. It has kept its characteristics as an historic center for culture and art to this day. 
We'll visit a neighborhood with typical samurai homes that were preserved, and go into one to learn about the lifestyle of the samurai from the period where they ruled Japan. 
Next we'll visit Yuzen hall, where we'll learn about the beautiful art of kimono dying. 
Then, we'll continue towards the colorful Omicho market, full of plenty of interesting fish, sea food, vegetables, fruits, flowers and more.
Afterwards we'll go to Kenrokuen garden, which was originally the private castle garden of the local lord. This garden is considered to be one of the top 3 most beautiful gardens in Japan, and is especially striking in autumn. 
We'll end our day at Higashi-chaya, the tea house district that kept its historic look. There, we'll also visit a place that specializes in gold leaf art, which is especially typical to the area. 

Leaving Kanazawa behind, we'll go to the town of Obuse we'll visit a museum dedicated to the renowned woodblock printing artists Hokusai, that lived in the town later in life. 'The great wave off Kanagawa' is one of most known Japanese artworks in the world.
Today we'll celebrate the Japanese nature with the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.
This route that crosses the Tateyama mountain range connects Toyama city to Omachi, which is located in Nagano prefecture. We'll make our way across using all kinds of vehicles: a bus, a funicular inside of a cave, electric vehicles and more. Throughout the route we'll enjoy the spectacular views of the Japanese alps, and the astonishing autumn colors of the changing leafs. 
We'll end our day in Omachi and go to the hotel. 

Today we'll go for a stroll in the national park Shiga Kogen, walking between the lakes in the highlands and enjoying the great autumn views.
Going along the valley, we'll pay a visit to the Japanese macaque monkeys that bathe and keep warm at the hot springs of Jigokudani- 'Hell valley'.
After parting from the macaques we'll drive through 'Japan's Romantic Route', climbing the beautiful mountain plateau of Shiga Kogen we'll go through one of the most beautiful routes in Japan. 
Towards the evening we'll arrive to the hot spring town of Kusatsu, one of the most famous resort towns in Japan. There, we'll go see the Yumomi performance, a traditional 'water cooling' ceremony. 
We'll stay the night in a traditional hotel in town and have the chance to bathe in one of the healing hot springs. 

Today we'll start at Oku-Nikko - the high mountainous area of Nikko National Park. In this national park we'll be able to see a beautiful landscape of lakes, swamps, streams and waterfalls, forests, hot springs and many many walking trails. 
In this time of year, when autumn comes, the leaves turn from green to colorful painting-like scenery of reds and yellows. 
We'll go visit Kegon-no-taki, a waterfall of around 100 meters that is considered to be one of the three most beautiful waterfalls in Japan. This waterfall is the only exit point of Lake Chusenji and has a very powerful stream; we'll go around the lake to its other side to see the "head of the dragon" waterfalls, which bring the water from Yukawa River into the lake. 

In the afternoon we'll continue to Nikko, a picturesque town with opulent temples located just outside a mountainous natural reserve. We'll visit Toshogu shrine, a mausoleum for the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate lineage characterized by its unique design and colors. 

Today we'll drive through gorgeous scenery towards Mount Fuji, one of Japan's famous symbols. we'll continue south through the mountain views to the largest of the 5 lakes surrounding Mount Fuji, Kawaguchiko Lake. We'll go down near the water and if visibility allows, we might be able to see Mount Fuji in all its glory. 
Next we'll go into the garden and exhibition hall of kimono coloring artisan Kubota Ichiku, whose works astound people worldwide. We'll learn about his unique coloring method which was forgotten to time and revived by Kubota. 
 

Today we leave the Mount Fuji area for Hakone. The plan for today- breathtaking views, museums, art, history and hot springs. 
First we'll ride the funicular to Owakudani, a young volcano from which we could see a wonderful view of Mount Fuji.
Then we'll visit an amazing open air museum, with statues from renowned artists from all around the globe that integrate into the surrounding garden and the mountainous view. 
Finally, We'll visit a village village where woodwork artist create works in the Yosegi Zaiku technique unique to the area. We'll also be able to see a demonstration from one of the famous artists of the village. 
We'll then end our day driving to Tokyo, the capital of Japan. 

Good morning Tokyo!
Today we'll start to get to know Tokyo, Japan's capital since 1868, a huge metropolitan that combines tradition and innovation, where you can see sky scrapers near traditional wooden houses, gardens and temples near busy highways.
First we'll visit the Tsukiji outer fish market, which was once the largest fish market in the world. Nowadays it's a thriving and lively local market, where you can find plenty of fish, food and houseware.
Next we'll go to enjoy the view in the vast Hama-rikyū Gardens. The garden which is located on the edge of Tokyo bay has a unique sea water pond, its depth is affected by the tides of the ocean, and visitors can enjoy the view and cherry blossoms from a tea house on a small island within.
Up next we'll go to Ginza, the luxurious business and pleasure district, characterized by its interesting buildings and grand stores. While touring the area, we'll go to one of the fanciest department stores in Japan and see the many stalls that offer a rich variety of food of all kinds. 
From there we'll take a driverless train to the artificial island Odaiba. Arriving at Tokyo bay, we could observe the modern Japanese urban architecture. There, we'll experience the interactive Team Planets digital museum, a project of limitless movement and creations. 

We;ll start our day going up to the Tokyo Skytree observation deck, from which we could observe the seemingly endless Tokyo skyline. 
From there we'll continue to the traditional district Asakusa, visiting the colorful Sensoji temple which is the most important Buddhist temple in Tokyo, surrounded by bustling streets. 
We'll tour the colorful Ameyoko market, where we could see fruits and vegetables being sold next to luxurious designer goods in an interesting mix. 
Next we'll continue to Akihabara, which was known for its electrical and collector goods stores but in recent years evolved to be a global center to the anime and manga industry, the Japanese comics and animation. 
From there we'll go to the Yurakucho area, where we'll visit the Tokyo international forum, an architectural masterpiece of the architect Rafael Viñoly. 
We'll end our day at the famous Shinjuku district, which has the largest and busiest train station in its center. Around it you can find Tokyo's famous leisure, commerce and business areas. 

For our last day in Tokyo we'll begin from visit the famous Meiji temple that was destroyed in ww2 and was rebuilt around 50 years ago. 
From there we'll continue to the young and vibrant Harajuku district, and go continue through Takeshita dori, a street which is considered to be the 'Mecca' of street fashion for the Japanese youth. 
 From there we'll go through the designer avenue Omotesando, where we could see many luxurious stores and buildings designed by some of the best architects in the world. 
Afterwards we'll visit the Nezu museum, holding beautiful gardens inside designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. 
In the evening we'll go out to Shibuya, a bright and colorful district dedicated to fashion and leisure, which is popular among Tokyo's youth. It's also known for Shibuya crossing, which is famous for being the busiest crossing in the world! 

Today is our last day in Japan; we'll go home with the many experiences we gathered and with a taste for more.