Tour Detail
Platinum Eastern Sun of Asia "Japan" (NRT-KIX) with THY
Tokyo (2 nights) – Mt. Fuji – Hakone – Osaka (3 nights) – Kyoto – Kobe – Nara
7 days 5 nights | All tours and entrance fees included
Day 1 | Istanbul – Tokyo
Meeting at 12:25 in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at the Istanbul Airport International Departures Terminal. After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we will fly to Tokyo at 15:25 on Turkish Airlines flight TK0050. We will spend the night on the plane.
Day 2 | Tokyo
Landing at Tokyo Narita Airport at 08:40 local time. After our passport and baggage procedures, we begin our Tokyo tour from the airport by vehicle. Our first stop will be Asakusa Temple, also known as Senso-Ji Temple, one of Tokyo's oldest and most colorful temples, which is a Buddhist temple. Also called Santa-jama (Temple of the Three Gods), this temple is very popular among both tourists and locals. It is one of the rare temples that survived the bombing attacks in the final year of World War II, and for this reason, the original structure of the building remains unaltered. Built in 1649, it is said to have been constructed to honor three brothers who were deified after finding a statue of the goddess Kannon in a river. Additionally, we will see the shopping street called Nakamise. After the free time given for lunch, we will visit Meiji Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken. From there, we will tour the Shibuya district, one of Tokyo's busiest areas. Shibuya, one of the city's most important places for young people, stands out with its developed infrastructure, cafes, and world-famous shops. After our tour, we transfer to our hotel, complete check-in procedures, and settle into our rooms. We will spend the night at the 3* Villa Fontaine Tokyo Kayabacho (vb.) hotel in Tokyo.
Day 3 | Tokyo – Mt. Fuji – Hakone – Tokyo | [K]
After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Mt. Fuji and Hakone tour. Our tour will begin with Mt. Fuji, located 2.5 hours away. Recognized as Japan's highest mountain and the country's sacred symbol, Mt. Fuji earned its place on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2013. Although generally considered a single mountain, Mt. Fuji actually consists of three separate volcanoes. Located on Honshu Island between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, Mt. Fuji is only 100 kilometers from Tokyo and can even be seen from high-rise buildings in Tokyo on cloudless days. After the breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji, we will head towards Hakone town. Our Hakone tour begins with Owakudani Valley, a volcanic formation. Owakudani is a valley surrounding a crater formed during the last eruption of Hakone Mountain approximately 3,000 years ago. Today, a large part of the area is an active volcanic region filled with sulfur fumes, hot springs, and hot rivers. We will take a cable car up from Togendai to enjoy the view of this magnificent valley. After the free time given for lunch, we will move to Ashi Lake. After a pleasant boat cruise lasting about 30 minutes on a wooden pirate ship on the lake, we will return to Tokyo and our hotel by vehicle. We will spend the night at the 3* Villa Fontaine Tokyo Kayabacho (vb.) hotel in Tokyo.
Note: For this morning tour, we are required to leave a small overnight bag in our room when departing from the hotel. Large suitcases left at the hotel will be transferred to our hotel in Osaka before us and will reach us the next day.
Day 4 | Tokyo – Osaka | [K]
After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and continue our Tokyo tour. The first place we will see on our tour is the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which includes many buildings such as the Main Palace, private residences of the Imperial family, archives, museums, and administrative offices. The Tokyo Imperial Palace was built on the site where an old castle, where the Shogun resided in the 15th century, stood. In the 19th century, when Emperor Meiji moved the royal house from Kyoto to Tokyo, this became the property of the imperial family. Since most of the buildings were destroyed during World War II, the oldest items remaining from the palace are only 50 years old. Then, we will continue our tour with a visit to Akihabara, one of Tokyo's most famous neighborhoods worldwide. Akihabara is an extremely crowded shopping area famous for various types of electronic stores ranging from small stalls to large shopping malls. After our tour in Akihabara, known as the Electronics City, we give free time for lunch. After the free time, we continue our tour with the Ginza district, one of the city's most popular shopping areas, filled with luxury boutiques as well as first-class cocktail and sushi bars. At the end of our tour, we transfer to Tokyo Shinagawa Train Station. We arrive at Shin-Osaka Train Station via a journey of approximately 3 hours on the Shinkansen, the world's first high-speed train. From there, we transfer to our hotel by vehicle. We complete our check-in procedures and settle into our rooms. We will spend the night at the 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (vb.) hotel in Osaka.
Day 5 | Osaka – Kyoto – Osaka | [K]
After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Kyoto tour. After a journey of approximately 1 hour, our first stop will be Kinkakuji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. This three-story pavilion covered in gold leaf is one of the most famous and renowned historical structures in Kyoto and is internationally recognized as a perfect example of Kitayama garden design art. Due to these features, it has been included in UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1994 as an important cultural asset of the former capital, Kyoto. We will continue our tour with Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a Buddhist temple also known as the Pure Water Monastery. The temple offers numerous cherry blossom and maple trees that bloom like a colorful sea in spring and autumn, as well as beautiful views of the distant Kyoto city. The main hall, built without using nails along with the stage, houses the temple's main object of worship, a small statue of the eleven-faced, thousand-armed Kannon. After the free time given for lunch, we will walk through Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka streets leading up to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Sannenzaka is a stone-paved pedestrian path and a tourist attraction. The road, surrounded by traditional buildings and shops, is generally used together with a similar road called Ninenzaka. Sannenzaka is a narrow, sloping road filled with approximately 60 shops and restaurants selling Kyoto's traditional products and foods. Additionally, there are important shops where visitors can closely experience Japanese culture, including Ochaya (tea houses) where tea ceremonies are held, Geiko (the name given to Geishas in Kyoto), and Maiko (Geiko apprentices) makeup shops. In the final part of the tour, we will visit Gion, Kyoto's famous geisha district. At the end of the tour, we return to Osaka and our hotel. We will spend the night at the 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (vb.) hotel in Osaka.
Day 6 | Osaka – Kobe – Nara – Osaka | [K]
After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Kobe tour and Nara tour. Our first stop on the Kobe tour will be the Kiku-Masamune Sake Museum (subject to opening status). At Kiku-Masamune, which has adhered to the tradition of producing only dry sake since the Edo Period, we will see the stages of sake production and taste it. Almost all equipment found in the museum is classified as "National Intangible Folk Cultural Property," allowing visitors to learn more about the lives and work of sake producers. Then, we will continue our tour with the Kobe Nunobiki Botanical Gardens, Japan's largest botanical garden, featuring seasonal flowers and magnificent mountain views. After the park, we will go to Kobe Harborland Umie shopping mall, where we will have free time for lunch. After lunch, we head to Nara. Our Nara tour begins with a visit to Nara Park. Nara Park is a public park located at the foot of Mount Wakakusa. Established in 1880, it is one of Japan's oldest parks. There are over 1,200 wild Sika deer roaming freely in the park. Because of these deer, the park is also known as Nara Deer Park. After the park, we will continue with Todai-ji Temple. Todaiji, in addition to being the world's largest wooden structure, also houses the world's largest Buddha statue, known as Daibutsu in Japanese. At the end of our tour, we return to Osaka and our hotel. We will spend the night at the 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (vb.) hotel in Osaka.
Day 7 | Osaka – Istanbul | [K]
After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and continue our Osaka tour. Our first stop will be Osaka Castle, built in the 16th century and playing an important role in the unification of the Japanese nation. The castle is located within a park covering an area of approximately two square kilometers, containing abundant green spaces, sports facilities, a multi-purpose arena (Osakajo Hall), and a mausoleum dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The park becomes one of Osaka's most popular spots during the cherry blossom season, which usually occurs in early April. After the free time given for lunch, we will see Dotonbori, which has become Osaka's entertainment center. After visiting Dotonbori and the city's main shopping area Shinsaibashi, we transfer to Osaka Kansai Airport. After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we will fly to Istanbul at 22:45 on Turkish Airlines flight TK0087. We will spend the night on the plane.
Day 8 | Osaka – Istanbul
Landing at Istanbul Airport at 05:50 local time and the end of our tour. We say goodbye until we meet again on our next distinguished and enjoyable trip.
Abbreviations explanations: [K] = Breakfast, [L] = Lunch, [D] = Dinner
What's Included
- Round-trip economy class airfare on Turkish Airlines scheduled flights for the IST-NRT and KIX-IST routes
- Airport taxes
- Economy class high-speed train ticket between Tokyo and Osaka
- 2 nights accommodation with breakfast in a 3-star hotel in Tokyo
- 3 nights accommodation with breakfast in a 4-star hotel in Osaka
- All airport – hotel – airport transfers
- All tours and entrance fees specified in the program
- Turkish-speaking guide service
- Professional liability insurance (as required by Law No. 1618)
Not Included
- Departure tax
- All museum and historical site entrance fees not specified as included
- Meals and beverages within meals not specified as included
- Optional tours marked as such
- Personal expenses
- Tour guarantee and travel health insurance
- All services not explicitly stated as included in the tour program
- Tips for local guides, hotel staff, and drivers (Optional; a daily tip of 5 EUR per person will be collected by the guide)