Platinum East Asia's Flower and Sun "South Korea and Japan" (ICN-HND) with THY

Seoul (2 nights) – Osaka (3 nights) – Kyoto – Kobe – Nara –Tokyo (3 nights) – Mt. Fuji – Hakone

8 nights 10 days | All tours and entrance fees included

Day 1 | Istanbul

Meeting at the Turkish Airlines counter in front of the Istanbul Airport international departures terminal at 14:00. After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we will fly to Seoul on Turkish Airlines flight TK0020 at 17:05. We will spend the night on the plane.

Day 2 | Istanbul – Seoul

Landing at Seoul Incheon Airport at 08:55 local time. After our passport and baggage procedures, we will depart for the Seoul tour by vehicle. Our first stop on the tour will be Gyeongbokgung Palace. Built in 1395, it is not only the largest of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty but also considered the most beautiful and magnificent. Inside the palace, we will also have the opportunity to visit the National Folk Museum. Our next stop will be Namsangol Hanok Village. This village, a residential area of Seoul expanding with modern buildings, is famous for many restored traditional Korean houses called Hanok. After our visit here, we continue our tour to Myeong-dong, Korea's most famous shopping and fashion district. After seeing this street filled with many shops and restaurants, our next stop will be the Insa-dong area. The central point of lively Insa-dong is its main pedestrian-only street. The street is filled with tea houses, Korean restaurants, and shops selling traditional products such as pottery, tea, and handmade "hanji" paper. The unusual Ssamziegil Complex features cafes and staircases leading to a rooftop terrace decorated with paintings. At Hakgojae Gallery, modern art works are exhibited. After the tour, we transfer to our hotel. We complete our check-in procedures and settle into our rooms. We will spend the night at the 4* Hotel Samjung Gangnam (or similar) in Seoul.

Day 3 | Seoul | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we continue with the Seoul tour. Our first stop will be N Seoul Tower, a communication tower and observatory. After reaching the tower via cable car, we will enjoy a view of the city from Seoul's highest point. Our next stop will be Bongeunsa Temple, which has a history of 1200 years. Bongeunsa is one of the structures that attracts tourists to the region; it is considered the cornerstone of Korean Buddhism, houses one of Seoul's largest statues, Maitreya, and a library containing 3479 sacred Buddhist books. From there, we will see Starfield Library and the Gangnam Style Statue located within the same complex. After the end of the tour, we return to our hotel. We will spend the night at the 4* Hotel Samjung Gangnam (or similar) in Seoul.

Day 4 | Seul – Osaka | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and transfer to Seoul Incheon Airport. After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we will fly to Osaka on Korean Air flight KE721 at 18:45. Landing at Osaka Kansai Airport at 20:45 local time. After our passport and baggage procedures, we transfer from the airport to our hotel by vehicle. We complete our check-in procedures and settle into our rooms. We will spend the night at the 4* Hotel Plaza Osaka (or similar) in Osaka.

Day 5 | Osaka – Kyoto – Osaka | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Kyoto tour. After approximately one hour of travel, 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 well-known historical structures in Kyoto and is recognized worldwide as a perfect example of Kitayama garden landscaping art. Thanks to these features, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 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 colorful seas of cherry blossoms and maple trees blooming in spring and autumn, as well as beautiful views of the distant city of Kyoto. The main hall, built without nails along with the stage, houses the temple's main object of worship, a small statue of the thousand-armed, eleven-faced Kannon. After free time 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, Ninenzaka. Sannenzaka is a narrow, sloping street filled with about 60 shops and restaurants selling Kyoto's traditional products and foods. It also includes important shops where visitors can experience Japanese culture up close, including Ochaya (tea houses) where tea ceremonies are held, Geiko (the name given to Geishas in Kyoto), and Maiko (Geiko apprentices) makeup. In the final part of the tour, we will visit Gion, Kyoto's famous geisha district. After the tour, we return to Osaka and our hotel. We will spend the night at the 4* Hotel Plaza Osaka (or similar) in Osaka.

Day 6 | Osaka – Kobe – Nara – Osaka | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Kobe tour and Nara tour. On our Kobe tour, our first stop 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 both see the stages of sake production and taste it. Almost all equipment found in the museum is classified as "national tangible folk cultural property," allowing visitors to learn more about the lives and work of sake producers. Afterward, we continue our tour with the Kobe Nunobiki Botanical Gardens, Japan's largest botanical garden with seasonal flowers and magnificent mountain views. After the park, we will go to the Kobe Harborland Umie shopping mall for free time for lunch. After lunch, we head to Nara. We begin our Nara tour 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, Nara is also known as the 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. After the end of the tour, we return to Osaka and our hotel. We will spend the night at the 4* Hotel Plaza Osaka (or similar) in Osaka.

Note: For this morning tour, we must leave a small overnight bag in our room when departing from the hotel. Large suitcases left at the hotel will be transferred to our Tokyo hotel before us and will reach us the following day.

Day 7 | Osaka – Tokyo | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and begin the 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, usually occurring in early April. Then we will see Dotonbori, which has become Osaka's entertainment center. After visiting Dotonbori and the city's main shopping district, Shinsaibashi, we will have free time for lunch. After free time, we transfer to Shin-Osaka train station. We arrive at Tokyo Shinagawa train station via the Shinkansen, the world's first high-speed train, on a journey of approximately 3 hours. 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 3* Villa Fontaine Tokyo Kayabacho (or similar) in Tokyo.

Day 8 | Tokyo | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we begin the Tokyo tour. Our first stop will be Asakusa Temple, also known as Senso-Ji Temple, considered one of Tokyo's oldest and most colorful temples and a Buddhist temple. Also called Santa-jama (Temple of the Three Gods), the temple is highly visited by both tourists and locals. It is one of the rare temples in Tokyo that survived the bombing attacks in the final year of World War II, and for this reason, the building's original structure remains unaltered. Built in 1649, according to legend, the temple was constructed to honor three brothers who were deified after finding a statue of the goddess Kannon in a river. We will also see the shopping street called Nakamise in the area. After free time 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. The Shibuya district stands out for its developed infrastructure, cafes, and world-famous shops, making it one of the most important places in the city for young people. After the tour, we return to our hotel. We will spend the night at the 3* Villa Fontaine Tokyo Kayabacho (or similar) in Tokyo.

Day 9 | Tokyo – Mt. Fuji – Hakone – Tokyo | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Mt. Fuji and Hakone tour. We will start our tour with Mt. Fuji, located 2.5 hours away. Mt. Fuji, which earned the right to be on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2013, is the highest mountain in Japan and is considered the country's sacred symbol. Although generally thought of as a single mountain, Mt. Fuji actually consists of three separate volcanoes. Located on Honshu island and positioned as a border between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, Mt. Fuji is only 100 kilometers from Tokyo and can be seen even from tall buildings in Tokyo on clear days. After the breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji, we will set off towards Hakone town. We begin our Hakone tour with Owakudani Valley, a volcanic formation. Owakudani is a valley located around a crater formed during the last eruption of Hakone Mountain approximately 3000 years ago. Today, a large part of the region is an active volcanic area 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 free time for lunch, we will move to Ashi Lake. After a pleasant boat ride lasting approximately 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 (or similar) in Tokyo.

Day 10 | Tokyo – Istanbul | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and continue with the Tokyo tour. The first place we will see on our tour will be 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 of an old castle where the Shogun resided in the 15th century. 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 in the palace today 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 busy shopping district famous for various types of electronic stores ranging from small stalls to very large shopping malls. After our tour in Akihabara, also known as the Electronics City, we have free time for lunch. After free time, we continue our tour with the Ginza area, one of the city's most popular shopping districts, filled with luxury boutiques, first-class cocktail bars, and sushi bars. At the end of the tour, we transfer to Tokyo Haneda Airport. After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we will fly to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight TK0199 at 22:05. We will spend the night on the plane.

Day 11 | Tokyo – Istanbul

Landing at Istanbul Airport at 05:45 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