Escorted Tours 2024 - 2025

Sapporo Matsumoto Nagano Kyoto Hiroshima Fukuoka Nara Osaka Hakodate Hakone Tokyo         < < Coach Air Rail Nights 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 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 then marvel at the 25,000 music boxes lining the shelves of the Music Box Museum, accompanied by the tinkle of their music. 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 wander down the age-old Nakamise Shopping Street to reach the main hall and pagoda. Browse the stalls that line Ameya Yokocho Street then visit the magnificent Imperial Palace, taking in its moats, gardens and the picturesque Niju Bridge. Grand Tour of Japan 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 six 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, encounter snow monkeys in Yudanaka’s hot springs, and walk with geishas amongst the wooden houses of Kyoto on this comprehensive 14-day tour of the region. Mount Fuji 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 Includes three rail journeys 48 East Asia Hundreds of escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk