SPIRITUAL JAPAN

Arrival at Narita or Haneda International Airport.

NARITA (NRT): After immigration and customs clearance, you will be met by an English-speaking attendant who will assist you in taking the Airport Limousine Bus (a regular shared service to the hotel) to the hotel.

*The attendant will not board the bus with passengers and will not escort them to the hotel.

*Depending on the flight arrival time, there will not be an Airport Limousine Bus directly to the hotel. In this case, you will take a bus to Tokyo Station, from where you will take a taxi. (The attendant will provide passengers with sufficient cash for taxi fare.)

*In the event that the Airport Limousine Bus is not operating, we will provide an alternative transfer (train + taxi, etc.).

HANEDA (HND): After immigration and customs clearance, you will be met by an English-speaking attendant. Transfer to the hotel by taxi.

*The attendant will not board the taxi with passengers and will not escort them to the hotel.

*You will not be allowed into your room until check-in time (3:00 PM).

*On the first day of the program, an English-speaking guide will be present at the hotel from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM to provide information to passengers.

Note: In the event of a significant flight delay in Japan, we may not be able to re-arrange your arrival transfer. In this case, we will ask that passengers make their own way to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:20 a.m., meeting in the lobby on the ground floor/1st floor of The Main Tower. Half-day group tour of Tokyo with an English-speaking guide.

WE WILL SEE:

• The Meiji Shrine (dedicated to former Emperor Mtsuhito),
• The Imperial Palace Plaza (You will not enter the palace grounds),
• Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise Street with its rows of souvenir shops.

At 1:00 p.m., the tour concludes in Ginza. The rest of the afternoon is free. Return to the hotel on your own.

(The guide will explain how to get back to the hotel.)

OPTIONAL TEA CEREMONY ACTIVITY IN ASAKUSA (NET USD 85 PER PERSON)

At 12:45 p.m. After visiting Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Street in Asakusa, meet with a English-speaking guide. (The guide will indicate the meeting point during the Senso-ji Temple tour.) Transfer to the tea ceremony venue on foot with the assistant.

At 1:00 PM: Tea ceremony begins

• Tea ceremony explanation
• Tea ceremony demonstration by a teacher
• Dessert and matcha tea drink
• Souvenir photos taken

At 2:00 PM: The activity ends at Asakusa Subway Station. (The assistant will explain how to return to the hotel or take the subway to Ginza, but will not escort them.)

*Lunch is NOT included. If you are hungry, you should eat a light meal during free time on Nakamise Street in Asakusa.

Notes: *Participants in this optional activity will not travel to Ginza with the group by bus. *You must bring socks to participate in the tea ceremony. *This optional activity will not be sold at your destination. Passengers must reserve this ticket three weeks before traveling to Japan. Depending on availability, we may not be able to confirm.

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 7:50 a.m. Meeting in the lobby. Full-day group tour of Hakone with an English-speaking guide.

WE WILL SEE:

• Lake Ashi (boat ride). On clear days, we can admire Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashi.
• Hakone-jinja Shrine (a beautiful Shinto shrine famous for its torii gate built on the shores of Lake Ashi).
• Hakone Open-Air Museum.

At 5:00 p.m. Return to the hotel. Lunch at a restaurant is included that day.

Note: *In case the boat is not operating due to heavy rain and wind, we will visit Hakone Sekishoato (a reconstruction of a medieval road checkpoint) as an alternative.

Breakfast at the hotel. One suitcase per person will be transported separately by truck from the hotel in Tokyo to the hotel in Kyoto. *When there are more than 40 passengers on a departure, we charter a private truck to transport suitcases from the hotel in Tokyo to the hotel in Kyoto, and in this case, the suitcases arrive at the hotel in Kyoto in the afternoon of the same day. In the off-season when there are not enough passengers, we do not charter a truck and use a regular delivery service. In this case, the suitcases arrive at the hotel in Kyoto the following day, so passengers need to carry a backpack or small suitcase with clothing and other essentials for an overnight stay.

• At 8:00 a.m., meet in the lobby and transfer to Tokyo Station with an English-speaking assistant.
• At 9:21 a.m. Departure from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen #227.
• At 11:32 a.m. Arrival at Kyoto Station where a English-speaking guide will greet you.

Please note: Train schedules are subject to change.

Start of your group tour to Nara. Nara is located about an hour from Kyoto. In Nara, we will visit:

• Todai-ji Temple (colossal Buddha statue)
• Nara Park (with many deer)

At 6:00-6:30 PM, arrival at your hotel in Kyoto and check-in. *Lunch is NOT included. We will have free time for lunch.

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:20 a.m., meeting in the lobby.

Full-day group tour of Kyoto with an English-speaking guide.

WE WILL SEE:

• Sanjusangendo Temple (with a thousand statues of Kannon, the god of mercy)
• Fushimi Inari Shrine (with thousands of torii gates)
• Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple
• Tenryu-ji Temple, with a beautiful Japanese garden
• Sagano Bamboo Grove in Arashiyama

At 5:30 p.m., return to the hotel.

For those who wish to visit Gion (the geisha district), we will immediately continue to this district by bus. The tour of the Gion district and the return trip to the hotel from there will be at the passengers' own expense.

Lunch at a restaurant is included that day.

Breakfast at the hotel. The entire day is free for personal activities.

OPTIONAL TOUR TO HIROSHIMA & MIYAJIMA (NET USD 500.00 PER PERSON):

• At 7:30 a.m. Meeting in the hotel lobby with the English-speaking guide.
• Transfer to Kyoto Station.
• At 8:26 a.m. Departure from Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen #3.
• At 10:01 a.m. Arrival in Hiroshima and start of the tour.

If there are fewer than 10 passengers, we operate the tour by public transportation. If there are 10 or more passengers, we operate the optional tour by private bus.

WE WILL SEE:

• Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island
• Hiroshima Peace Park and Museum
• Atomic Bomb Dome
• Transfer to Hiroshima Station.

At 5:57 PM, depart Hiroshima for Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen #52.

At 7:37 PM, the tour ends upon arrival at Kyoto Station. From the station, transfer to the hotel is at the passengers' own expense via the hotel shuttle bus or taxi.

*Lunch is NOT included.

Please note: Train times are subject to change.

*In principle, we will not be selling this optional tour at the destination. Passengers must book the tour three weeks prior to their trip to Japan. Depending on availability, we may not be able to confirm.

Breakfast at the hotel. One suitcase per person will be transported separately by bus from your hotel in Kyoto to your hotel in Osaka. Bring a backpack with clothing and other essentials for a night in Kanazawa and another in Gero.

At 8:00 a.m., meet in the lobby with an English-speaking guide and transfer to Kanazawa by private bus (depending on the number of passengers, it may be a van). At 12:00 p.m., arrive in Kanazawa.

Full-day group tour of Kanazawa, including:

• Omicho Market (a lively market selling fish, seafood, vegetables, etc.)
• Higashichaya District
• Kenrokuen Garden (one of Japan's most famous gardens) 5:00-5:30 p.m.

Transfer to your hotel in Kanazawa and check-in.

*Lunch is NOT included. You will have free time for lunch at Omicho Market.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:15 a.m., meet in the lobby and depart for Shirakawago with an English-speaking guide (in a group).

WE WILL EXPLORE:

• Gasshozukuri-style houses. Afterward, transfer to Takayama where we will explore:
• Kamisannomachi historic district with souvenir shops and sake breweries
• Yatai Kaikan (exhibition of Takayama Festival floats)

At 6:00 p.m., transfer to the ryokan in Gero and check-in.

ENJOY AN ONSEN HOT SPRING BATH!

The ryokan in Gero has hot spring baths. *There is one bath for women only and another for men only.

*Traditionally, hotels and ryokans do not allow people with conspicuous tattoos to use hot spring baths, as tattoos are associated with the Yakuza (Japanese mafia).

Breakfast at the ryokan.

At 8:15 a.m. Meeting in the lobby with an English-speaking guide. Transfer to Nagoya by private bus (depending on the number of passengers, it may be a van).

Note: Transfer from Gero to Nagoya may be by Hida Express train, depending on road conditions, etc.

At 10:45 a.m. Arrival in Nagoya and group city tour with an English-speaking guide.

YOU WILL SEE:

• Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology *Lunch at your own expense at one of the museum's restaurants.
• Nagoya Castle

The keep is closed and cannot be entered.

We enter the Honmaru Goten Palace, which has beautifully painted walls and sliding paper doors. At 5:00 p.m. Transfer to the hotel in Nagoya and check-in.

Breakfast at the hotel. Suitcases may be transported separately by truck from the hotel in Nagoya to the hotel in Osaka. (If all suitcases fit in the trunk of the vehicle, there is no need to send any suitcases.) In this case, passengers must prepare and carry a backpack with clothing and other essentials for spending one night in Toba and another in Nachi-Katsuura.

At 8:00 a.m., meet in the lobby and transfer to Ise (located 1 hour and 45 minutes away) by private vehicle.

YOU WILL EXPLORE:

• Ise Shrine (the most important Shinto shrine in Japan, dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu-omikami).
• Oharaimachi Street and Okage-Yokocho Alleys (a neighborhood with several rows of souvenir shops that preserves the atmosphere of the samurai era).
• Ama (Divers' Hut) where we eat seafood and fish caught and cooked by the divers.

Note: There is no alternative food available here. If you cannot or do not want to eat seafood and fish, you must eat on Oharaimachi Street at your own expense.

Lunch is included.

• Mikimoto Pearl Island (diving demonstration and pearl farming museum/pearl shop)

Note: In case of bad weather, the diving demonstration may be canceled.

At 4:30 p.m. Arrival at the hotel in Toba and check-in. Dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:30 a.m., we will meet in the lobby and depart from the hotel with an English-speaking guide in a private vehicle.

WE WILL SEE:

• Meotoiwa (Two rocks in the sea tied together with a thick straw rope, marking a sacred place where the gods descend. They also symbolize a successful marriage).

In Kumano City, we will see:

• Onigajo (a group of spectacular rock formations and grottoes sculpted by the sea and the wind). In the afternoon, we will do a light trek along the Kumano Trail from Daimonzaka to Nachi Waterfall (duration: 2 hours).
• Daimonzaja (a cobblestone slope flanked by cedar trees, part of the Kumano Trail).
• Kumano Nachi Shrine (one of the three great shrines of Kumano, the destination of the Shinto pilgrimage route).
• Seigantoji Temple (with a three-story pagoda).
• Nachi Waterfall (133 meters high).

Around 5:00 p.m., arrival at the ryokan in Nachi Katsuura and check-in. Dinner at the ryokan.

NOTE: ENJOY ONSEN (HOT SPRING) BATHS! The ryokan in Nachi Katsuura has hot spring baths. *There is one bath for women only and another for men only. *Traditionally, hotels and ryokans do not allow people with conspicuous tattoos to use hot spring baths, as tattoos are associated with the Yakuza (Japanese mafia).

Breakfast at the ryokan. At 8:15 a.m., we will meet in the lobby and depart from the hotel with an English-speaking guide by private vehicle to Koyasan (located approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes from Nachi Katsuura, with a restroom stop). In Koyasan, we will have a vegetarian "Shojin-ryori" lunch and a meditation experience at one of the Buddhist "Shukubo" monasteries. In the afternoon, we will visit:

• Kongobuji Temple (headquarters of the Shingon School of Buddhism).
• Okunoin Cemetery (with more than 200,000 tombstones and cenotaphs in the middle of a forest of ancient cedars). Departure for Osaka (located approximately 2 hours from Koyasan). At 6:15 p.m., we will arrive at the hotel in Osaka and check-in. Overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Kansai Airport (KIX) or Itamia Airport (ITM) by Airport Limousine Bus (without assistance).

• Passengers will receive their bus tickets upon check-out.
• If the departure airport is Kansai (KIX), the guide will give passengers their bus tickets the day before.
• The Airport Limousine Bus departs from the bus terminal located next to the Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka for Kansai Airport (KIX) and Itamia Airport (ITM). Kansai Airport (KIX) is a 50-minute bus ride from the bus terminal, while Itamia Airport (ITM) is a 40-minute bus ride away.
• You must vacate your rooms before the hotel check-out time (12:00).

Spanish-speaking assistance is not available during the departure transfer.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The first Airport Limousine Bus of the day arrives at Kansai Airport (KIX) or Itamia Airport (ITM) at 6:30 a.m. If your flight departs before 8:30 a.m., transfers will be provided by reserved taxi (without assistance), and a surcharge of approximately JPY 15,000 per passenger will apply. (If traveling alone, the surcharge will be JPY 30,000.)