Worldwide Escorted Tours

Day 1: UK to Sapporo Depart the UK on your overnight flight. Day 2: Sapporo D On arrival, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel. Settle in before a welcome dinner in a local restaurant, introducing you to Japan’s famed cuisine. Day 3: Sapporo B/D Travel to the port city of Otaru and stroll along the Otaru Canal. Take in the delicately blown glassware of the Kitaichi Glass Shop which is renowned around the world, with their collection of Japanese style, country style, and western style glass works. Continue on to the Tanaka Shuzo Sake brewery, one of Hokkaido’s most renowned small batch sake producers for a tour and a tasting before returning to Sapporo. Day 4: Sapporo to Hakodate B Pack an overnight bag for your trip to Hakodate then, after breakfast, board an express train, travelling through the countryside to Hakodate. On arrival, cross the moats that surround the star-shaped former fort of Goryokaku and explore the tranquil green grounds. Next, travel to Mount Hakodate for a cable car ride to its summit. Continue on to your hotel in Hakodate. Day 5: Hakodate to Tokyo B/D Join Hakodate’s locals this morning as you browse the lively Morning Market, exploring over 280 stores hawking everything from salted squid and hairy crab – culinary specialities of the area, to souvenirs and locally crafted sake. Browse through the wares on offer then board your high-speed train to Tokyo. Day 6: Tokyo B Today’s full-day city tour begins with a visit to the Meiji Shrine. Enter the sprawling complex through a towering wooden gate or ‘torii’ and explore the museum and inner garden. Continue on to Asakusa Kannon Buddhist Temple, Tokyo’s oldest temple, and visit the magnificent Imperial Palace, taking in its moats, gardens and the picturesque Niju Bridge. End you tour with a wander down the historic Nakamise Shopping Street to reach the main hall and pagoda and browse the stalls that line Ameya Yokocho Street. Day 7: Tokyo to Hakone B/D Following breakfast, travel by coach to Hakone. On arrival, make your way to the Hakone Open Air Museum. Take a Hakone Ropeway ride to the mountaintop station with spectacular vistas of the sparkling waters of Lake Ashi and towering Journey from incense-scented temples and elegant feudal castles to ultramodern electronic districts and dramatic volcanic landscapes as you travel the length of Japan on five spectacular train rides. Experience the natural grandeur of Mount Fuji and the man-made splendour of Matsumoto Castle, tour the shrines of futuristic Tokyo, visit the reminders of Hiroshima’s tragic nuclear past, and walk with geishas amongst the wooden houses of Kyoto. What you’ll see  Enjoy a full-day tour of Tokyo’s opulent temples, palaces and Buddhist shrines  Take in spectacular views from the base of iconic Mount Fuji  Explore the magnificent Matsumoto Castle, Japan’s oldest castle  See deer roaming in picturesque Nara Park  Enjoy a boat ride to Miyajima Island and visit the awe-inspiring Itsukushima Shrine  Witness snow monkeys lounging in the steaming hot springs of Yudanaka  Visit the Hiroshima peace memorial and A-Bomb Dome  Marvel at the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto  Join the locals at Hakodate’s morning market Grand Tour of Japan Mount Fuji THIS TOUR EXPLORE Includes five rail journeys 46  East Asia & Oceania Hundreds of escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk