Family-friendly Japan

Welcome to Tokyo! Arriving late in the day on your flight from the U.S., you will be met at Narita Airport and transferred to your comfortable, centrally-located modern ryokan in Tokyo (approx. 1.5 hr drive), your base for the next five nights. In the evening, your family will meet the tour leader and other group members for an introductory briefing, followed by an optional dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Your family will learn the ins and outs of this vibrant city as you spend two days exploring and getting to know cosmopolitan, yet historic, Tokyo and its many neighborhoods. Your guide will meet you at your ryokan around 8:30 am and you'll spend the day exploring some of Tokyo's important sights including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government office building with its great, sky-high observation decks; Meiji Jingu, a famous Shinto shrine located in a large forested area; Harajuku, a cosmopolitan area of the city where young people dress up in a variety of anime styles as well as gothic lolita and cosplayer; and the Tobu Railway Museum to learn about the history of trains or the Sumo Museum to learn about the history of Sumo Wrestling. You'll travel to Asakusa where you'll enjoy a boat ride on the Sumida River, serenely gliding past the many sights and sounds of the city. Return to your hotel around 6:00 pm in time for dinner (on own).

After breakfast, your guide will meet youo at the lobby of the hotel around 8:30 am and assist with the ride by public transportation including a train ride, to the Ghibli Museum (approx. 1.5 hrs). The Ghibli Museum is one of Japan's most famous animation and film studios where you have the chance to learn all about anime and how it all began. You'll spend time exploring the museum until around 5:00 pm when you return by public transportation to your hotel, arriving by 6:30 pm.

You'll have a free day to explore Tokyo as you like. Your guide will offer suggestions that will maximize your Tokyo experience, or you can hire services for the day at an additional cost. Some of our own suggestions include:

*The Sensoji Temple, an ancient Buddhist Temple complex

*Ueno Park, a spacious urban park in the heart of the city

*Edo-Tokyo Musuem with its many exhibits depicting the history of Toky, formerly known as Edo

*Tokyo Disneyland with it's seven themed worlds within or Tokyo DisneySea

*Shinagawa Aquarium where you can walk through an underwater tunnel visit or Tokyo Sea Life Park where you will find one of the best penguin displays in Japan as well as many other sea creatures

*National Museum of Nature for hands-on kid friendly exhibits

*Tokyo Bay Sunset Cruise for the opporunity to witness the beautiful sunset over the Tokyo Ba area

*Watch sporting matches - Baseball (Mar 30-Oct 22) or Soccer (Mar 10-Dec 1)

*Depending on the time of year, you may have the chance to witness a Sumo Wrestling match. If it's not tournament season, we may be able to arrange an early-morning training session at a beya, or sumo stable (pending authorization & not guaranteed)

After breakfast head north out of the city for a change of pace, a day trip to the eight century sacred site of Nikko. First a training center for Buddhist monks, it later became the burial site of the warlord Tokugawa Jeyasu, a shogun who united and whose dynasty ruled all of Japan for more than 250 years. Visit Toshogu Shrine, mausoleum of the late shogun and Rinno-ji Temple, an eight century Buddhist temple complex. After lunch have a blast at Edo Wonderland, a theme park with an Edo period theme that features samurai, a ninja maze, and more. Kids will love learning about Edo's warrior traditions and past. Return to your Tokyo ryokan hotel around 6:45 pm.

Have breakfast at the hotel, then head out on the drive to the Mt. Fuji Visitor Center at Lake Kawaguchi for fantastic views of Mt. Fuji from the observation deck (weather permitting). Mt. Fuji, is perhaps Japan's best-known image, visible from Tokyo on a clear day, and towering over the area at close to 12,500 feet. Continue on to  Lake Kawaguchi where you have an opportunity to explore the Wind Cave and Sengen Shrine, and visit a folk village to learn about traditional life. Here, you can take part in old style Japanese post card making or dress up like a Samurai warrior (additional cost). Overnight will be at a traditional ryokan.

After a leisurely morning at your ryokan, transfer by bullet train around 11:00 am to Kyoto, an atmospheric ancient city, intriguing for exploration, and home to much of Japan's traditional culture and history.  It takes about two hours to get to Kyoto, a city rich with UNESCO World Heritage locations, about 1600 Buddhist temples, more than 400 Shinto shrines, and many other culturally-rich sights. Kyoto is a city everyone should see at least once, and it has something for everyone both old and young. Upon arrival, you will be taken to your ryokan, your base for the next four nights, to settle in. Afterwards, you'll have the chance to get some artistic experience at a Japanese Lacquer Handicraft shop and take home your own piece of artwork you created. At your option, consider an evening stroll to a nearby neighborhood temple or shrine to explore on your own.

Enjoy breakfast at your ryokan before a morning of exploring Kyoto with your guide. Today's sights include Kinkaku-ji Temple - Temple of the Golden Pavilion, a Zen Buddhist temple complex and gardens; Nijo Castle, a flatland castle built in 1626 as the Kyoto residence for the Tokugawa Shoguns; and Kiyomizu, an independent Buddhist Temple that dates back to 778 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll also take a stroll through Ninen Street and the Gion District. Ninen Street is one of Kyoto's lovliest restored neighborhoods lined by old wooden houses and traditional shops and restaurants. Gion is a district of Kyoto, originally developed in the Middle Ages to accommodate the needs of travelers and visitors to the Yasaka Shrine. It went on to became one of the most well-known Geisha Districts in Japan. The Geishas here do not refer themselves as "geisha" - meaning "person of the arts" but as "geiko" -  "a woman of art".

Today you board a local trolley with your guide and head out to Arashiyama, a designated Historical Site and a place of scenic beauty. You'll see some of Arashiyama's most important sites including Togetsukyo Bridge, the famous bamboo groves, and Tenryuji Temple, Arashiyama's most important temple. There are many small, charming shops you can wander in. But perhaps the highlight of your visit here is  Iwatayama Monkey Park where your family can observe Japanese macaque monkeys roaming free in a lovely hilltop park setting. Return to your ryokan around 6:00 pm.

Today you'll have the day free to choose from a variety of optional sights and activities in Kyoto. Your guide will be available to make recommendations tailored to your interests and will be on hand for those who would wish for the assistance. These options, for additional costs, may include:

*Mt. Hiei and Lake Biwa day trip - Mt. Hiei is the location of the Enrayku Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the current home to many monks. Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan with an interesting history. You can take a cable car to the top of Mt. Hiei

*A scenic River Raft ride on the Hozu River

*Nara Day Trip - Nara is Japan's oldest capital where you will find the oldest wooden temple and Big Buddha statue

*Experience a traditional tea ceremony and sample local Japanese sweets

*Cormorant fishing, in which your family learns about and and experiences this ancient Japanese fishing discipline

After breakfast, you'll be transferred to Osaka's airport for your flight home.

Or, if your schedule permits, consider extending for an additional day and night to visit historic Hiroshima and the nearby park-like and beautiful island of Miyajima. If you choose this option, you'll travel to Hiroshima today instead of Osaka.