Platinum East Asia’s Flower and Sun “South Korea and Japan” with THY for 9 nights (ICN-HND) Seoul (3) – Osaka (3) – Nara – Kyoto – Tokyo (3) – Hakone | All tours and entrance fees included

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

Seoul (3 nights) – Osaka (3 nights) – Kyoto – Nara – Tokyo (3 nights) – Mount Fuji – Hakone

9 nights 11 days | All tours and entrance fees included

 

Day 1 | Istanbul

Meeting at 22:50 in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at the international departures terminal of Istanbul Airport. Overnight on the plane.

 

Day 2 | Istanbul – Seoul

After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we fly to Seoul at 01:50 with Turkish Airlines flight TK0090. Landing at Seoul Incheon Airport at 17:40 local time. After passport and baggage procedures, transfer to our hotel by our vehicle. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Hotel Samjung Gangnam (or similar) hotel in Seoul.

 

Day 3 | Seoul | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Seoul tour. Our first stop will be Gyeongbokgung Palace. Built in 1395, the palace is considered the largest, as well as the most beautiful and magnificent, of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. Inside the palace, we will also have the opportunity to see the National Folk Museum. Our next stop will be Namsangol Hanok Village. This village, a residential area of modernizing Seoul, 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 with many shops and restaurants, our next stop will be the Insadong area. The lively Insa-dong's central point is the main street closed to vehicle traffic. The street is filled with tea houses and Korean restaurants, as well as shops selling traditional products such as pottery, tea, and handmade "hanji" paper. The unusual Ssamziegil Complex has cafés and stairs leading to a rooftop terrace, its walls decorated with paintings. The Hakgojae Gallery exhibits modern artworks. At the end of our tour, return to our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Hotel Samjung Gangnam (or similar) hotel in Seoul.

 

Day 4 | Seoul | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart to undertake the DMZ (Korean Border Area) tour. In this tour, where we will visit the military area established on the border between North and South Korea, we will learn about Korean history and culture. After the military area, Imjingak Park will be our second stop. Following the Freedom Bridge, used by North Korean prisoners of war who were repatriated to their country, we will visit the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, discovered in 1978, dug by North Korea 73 meters below the border. Upon exiting the tunnel, we will head toward the slope of Dora Mountain and visit the Dorasan Observatory built there. From the observatory, we will be able to see North Korean territory and the border line. At the end of our visit, we return to Seoul. Following our return, our first stop will be the N Seoul Tower, a communications tower and observatory. After reaching the tower by cable car, we will be able to watch the city from Seoul’s highest point. Our next stop will be the Bongeunsa Temple, which has a history of 1200 years. Considered a cornerstone of Korean Buddhism, Bongeunsa attracts tourists with structures such as Maitreya, one of Seoul’s largest statues, and its library housing 3,479 sacred Buddhist books. After that, we will see the Starfield Library and the Gangnam Style Statue located within the same complex. At the end of our tour, return to our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Hotel Samjung Gangnam (or similar) hotel in Seoul.

Note: Since the Korean Border Area is a military zone, there is a possibility that it may be closed on the tour day without prior notice. In that case, an alternative program will be arranged instead.

 

Day 5 | Seoul – Osaka | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete check-out and transfer to Seoul Incheon Airport. After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we fly to Osaka at 14:05 with Asiana Airlines flight OZ114. Landing at Osaka Kansai Airport at 15:50 local time. After passport and baggage procedures, transfer from the airport to our hotel by our vehicle. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (or similar) hotel in Osaka.

 

Day 6 | Osaka – Kyoto – Osaka | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Kyoto tour. With about a 1-hour journey, our first stop in Kyoto will be the Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. Covered with gold leaf, this three-story pavilion is one of Kyoto's most famous and well-known historical structures and is regarded worldwide as a perfect example of the Kitayama style of garden design. Thanks to these features, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 as an Important Cultural Property of the former capital, Kyoto. We will continue our tour with the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a Buddhist temple also known as the Pure Water Monastery. The temple offers beautiful views of the distant city of Kyoto, along with many cherry trees and maples that burst into a colorful sea in spring and autumn. The main hall, built without nails together with the stage, houses the temple’s main object of worship, a small statue of Kannon with eleven faces and a thousand arms. After the free time we will give for lunch, we will tour the Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka streets leading up to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Sannenzaka is a stone-paved pedestrian path and a tourist attraction. Surrounded by traditional buildings and shops, the route is often used together with the similar Ninenzaka. Sannenzaka is a narrow sloping road filled with about 60 shops and restaurants selling Kyoto's traditional products and foods. There are also important shops where visitors can closely experience Japanese culture, including Ochaya (tea houses) where tea ceremonies are held, and makeups of Geiko (the name given to geishas in Kyoto) and Maiko (geiko apprentices). In the final part of our tour, we will visit Gion, Kyoto's famous geisha district. At the end of our tour, return to Osaka and our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (or similar) hotel in Osaka.

 

Day 7 | Osaka – Nara – Osaka | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Nara tour. 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. More than 1,200 wild Sika deer roam freely in the park. Because of these deer, it is also known as Deer Park. After the park, we continue with Todai-ji Temple. Todaiji is not only the largest wooden structure in the world, but it also houses the world’s largest Buddha statue, known in Japanese as Daibutsu. After the free time we will give for lunch, we will proceed to Kasuga-taisha Shrine, our next stop in Nara. The shrine was founded in 768 and has been rebuilt several times over the centuries. Its interior is famous for many stone lanterns as well as numerous bronze lanterns. After that, we will go to Naramachi, Nara's old traditional district. The old wooden Japanese houses called machiya, lined along the narrow streets, now host museums, souvenir shops, restaurants, and cafés. At the end of our tour, return to Osaka and our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (or similar) hotel in Osaka.

Note: This morning, when leaving the hotel for the tour, we are required to leave a small overnight bag in our room. The large suitcases we leave at the hotel will be transferred to our hotel in Tokyo before us and will reach us the next day.

 

Day 8 | Osaka – Tokyo | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete check-out and begin the Osaka tour. Our first stop will be Osaka Castle, built in the 16th century and played an important role in the unification of the Japanese nation. The castle is located within a park that covers an area of about two square kilometers and includes abundant green spaces, sports facilities, a multipurpose arena (Osakajo Hall), and a shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The park often becomes one of Osaka's most popular spots during cherry blossom season, which generally takes place 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 give free time for lunch. After the free time, transfer to Shin-Osaka train station. With Shinkansen, the world’s first high-speed train, we arrive at Tokyo Shinagawa train station after a journey of approximately 3 hours. From there, transfer to our hotel by our vehicle. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel (or similar) hotel in Tokyo.

 

Day 9 | Tokyo | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we begin the Tokyo tour. Our first stop will be the Asakusa Temple, also known as the Senso-ji Temple, a Buddhist temple considered one of Tokyo’s oldest and most colorful temples. Also called Santa-jama (Temple of the Three Gods), the temple is highly visited by both tourists and locals. It is one of the few temples that survived in Tokyo after the bombings in the final year of World War II, and for this reason the building’s original structure has remained intact. Built in 1649, the temple is said to have been built to honor three brothers who were deified because they found a statue of the goddess Kannon in a river. We will also see the shopping street called Nakamise in the area. After the free time we will give for lunch, we will visit the Meiji Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken. After that, we will tour Shibuya, one of Tokyo's busiest districts. One of the city’s most important places for young people, Shibuya stands out with its developed structure, cafés, and world-famous stores. After our tour, return to our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel (or similar) hotel in Tokyo.

 

Day 10 | Tokyo – Mount Fuji – Hakone – Tokyo | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Mount Fuji and Hakone tour. We will begin our tour with Mount Fuji, which is about a 2.5-hour drive away. Mount Fuji, which earned a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2013, is considered Japan's highest mountain and the country’s sacred symbol. Although Mount Fuji is generally thought of as a single mountain, it actually consists of three separate volcanoes. Located on Honshu Island and on the border between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, Mount Fuji is only 100 kilometers from Tokyo and can even be seen from tall buildings in Tokyo on a cloudless day. After enjoying the breathtaking view of Mount Fuji, which we will reach using the Fifth Station (use of the Fifth Station may vary according to weather conditions or may be completely canceled), we will head to the town of Hakone. We begin our Hakone tour with Owakudani Valley, a volcanic formation. Owakudani is a valley around a crater formed during the last eruption of Mount Hakone about 3,000 years ago. Today, much of the area is an active volcanic zone with sulfurous smoke, hot springs, and hot rivers. We will enjoy the view of this magnificent valley by ascending from Togendai by cable car. After the free time given for lunch, we will proceed to Lake Ashi. After an enjoyable boat trip lasting about 30 minutes on the lake aboard a wooden pirate boat, we will return to Tokyo and our hotel by our vehicle. Our overnight stay will be at our 4* Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel (or similar) hotel in Tokyo.

 

Day 11 | Tokyo – Istanbul | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete check-out and continue with the Tokyo tour. Our first stop will be the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which includes many buildings such as the Main Palace, the Imperial family’s private residences, 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 household from Kyoto to Tokyo, it also became the property of the royal family. Since most of the buildings were destroyed in World War II, the oldest items remaining in the palace today are only 50 years old. We will then continue our tour with a visit to Akihabara, one of Tokyo’s world-famous neighborhoods. Akihabara is an extremely crowded shopping district famous for its various kinds of electronics stores, from small street stalls to very large shopping centers. After our tour in Akihabara, also known as the city of electronics, 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 , transfer to Tokyo Haneda Airport. After our ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we fly to Istanbul at 21:45 with Turkish Airlines flight TK0199. Overnight on the plane.

 

Day 12 | Tokyo – Istanbul

Landing at Istanbul Airport at 05:05 local time and the end of our tour. We say goodbye until we meet again on our next distinguished and enjoyable trip.

 

Abbreviations: [B] = Breakfast, [L] = Lunch, [D] = Dinner