Platinum East Asia’s Sun “Japan” with THY, 6 nights (HND-KIX) Tokyo (3) – Hakone – Osaka (3) – Kyoto – Nara | All tours and entrance fees included

Platinum East Asia’s Sun “Japan” (HND-KIX) with THY

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

6 nights 8 days | All tours and entrance fees included

Day 1 | Istanbul

Meeting at 23:05 in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at the international departures terminal of Istanbul Airport. Overnight on the plane.

Day 2 | Istanbul – Tokyo

After ticket, baggage and passport procedures, flight to Tokyo at 02:05 with Turkish Airlines flight TK0198. Arrival at Tokyo Haneda Airport at 19:20 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. Overnight in Tokyo at our 4* Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel (or similar).

Day 3 | Tokyo | [K]

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, considered one of Tokyo’s oldest and most colorful temples and a Buddhist temple. The temple, also called Santa-jama (Temple of the Three Gods), attracts great interest from both tourists and locals. It is one of the rare temples in Tokyo that survived the bombings in the final year of World War II, and therefore its original structure has remained intact. Built in 1649, according to legend, the temple was constructed to honor three brothers who were deified for finding the 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 the Meiji Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. After this, we will tour Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s most crowded districts. One of the city’s most important areas for young people, Shibuya stands out with its developed structure, cafes, and world-famous shops. Return to our hotel after the tour. Overnight in Tokyo at our 4* Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel (or similar) hotel.

Day 4 | Tokyo – Mount Fuji – Hakone – Tokyo | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Mount Fuji and Hakone tour. We begin our tour with Mount Fuji, located 2.5 hours away. In 2013, Mount Fuji, which earned a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, 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 the island of Honshu and forming a border between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, Mount Fuji is only 100 kilometers from Tokyo and can be seen even from tall buildings in Tokyo on a cloudless day. After the breathtaking view of Mount Fuji, we will head to Hakone town. We begin our Hakone tour with Owakudani Valley, a volcanic formation. Owakudani is a valley around a crater formed about 3,000 years ago during the last eruption of Mount Hakone. Today, most of the area is an active volcanic region with sulfurous fumes, hot springs, and hot rivers. We will take the cable car up from Togendai and enjoy the view of this stunning valley. After free time for lunch, we will go to Lake Ashi. After a pleasant boat trip on the lake, which will take about 30 minutes on a wooden pirate ship, we will return to Tokyo and our hotel by vehicle. Overnight in Tokyo at our 4* Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel (or similar) hotel.

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

Day 5 | Tokyo – Osaka | [K]

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 private residences of the Imperial family, archives, museum, 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, this area also became the property of the royal family. Since most of the buildings were destroyed in World War II, the oldest remaining items in the palace today are only 50 years old. Then we 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 electronic stores of various kinds, from small street stalls to huge shopping centers. After our tour in Akihabara, also known as the electronics city, we give free time for lunch. After free time, we continue our tour with the Ginza district, one of the city’s most popular shopping areas, full of luxury boutiques as well as first-class cocktail and sushi bars. At the end of our tour, transfer to Tokyo Shinagawa train station. With the world’s first high-speed train, the Shinkansen, we arrive at Shin-Osaka train station after an approximately 3-hour journey. From here, transfer to our hotel by vehicle. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Overnight in Osaka at our 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (or similar) hotel.

Day 6 | Osaka – Kyoto – Osaka | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Kyoto tour. After about a 1-hour journey, our first stop will be the Kinkakuji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. Covered in gold leaf, this three-story pavilion is one of Kyoto’s most famous and well-known historical structures and is recognized worldwide as a perfect example of the art of Kitayama garden design. Thanks to these features, it was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1994 as an important cultural asset of the former capital Kyoto. We 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, as well as numerous cherry trees and maple trees that burst into a colorful sea in spring and autumn. The main hall, built together with the stage without using nails, houses the temple’s main object of worship, a small statue of the eleven-faced, thousand-armed Kannon. After free time 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 road is often used together with a similar road, 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 experience Japanese culture up close, including Ochaya (tea houses) where tea ceremonies are held, and 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. At the end of the tour, return to Osaka and our hotel. Overnight in Osaka at our 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (or similar) hotel.

Day 7 | Osaka – Kobe – Nara – Osaka | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Kobe tour and Nara tour. Our first stop in Kobe will be the Kiku-Masamune Sake Museum (subject to being open). At Kiku-Masamune, which has maintained 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 of the equipment in the museum is classified as a “national tangible folk cultural property,” allowing visitors to learn more about the lives and work of sake producers. Then we continue our tour with the Kobe Nunobiki Botanical Garden, the largest botanical garden in Japan with seasonal flowers and magnificent mountain views. After the park, we will go to the Kobe Harborland Umie shopping center, where we will have 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. The park is home to more than 1,200 wild Sika deer roaming freely. Because of these deer, it is also known as the deer park of Nara. After the park, we continue with Todai-ji Temple. Todaiji not only has the world’s largest wooden structure, but also houses the world’s largest Buddha statue, known in Japanese as Daibutsu. At the end of our tour, return to Osaka and our hotel. Overnight in Osaka at our 4* Dorsett by Agora Osaka Sakai (or similar) hotel.

Day 8 | Osaka – Istanbul | [K]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete check-out and continue with 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 in a park that covers an area of approximately two square kilometers and includes plenty of green space, sports facilities, a multipurpose arena (Osakajo Hall), and a shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The park becomes one of Osaka’s most popular spots during cherry blossom season, which usually takes place in early April. After free time for lunch, we will see Dotonbori, which has become Osaka’s entertainment center. After visits to Dotonbori and the city’s main shopping district Shinsaibashi, transfer to Osaka Kansai Airport. After ticket, baggage and passport procedures, flight to Istanbul at 22:10 with Turkish Airlines flight TK0087. Overnight on the plane.

Day 9 | Osaka – Istanbul

Landing at Istanbul Airport at 05:00 local time and end of our tour. We say goodbye, hoping to meet again on our next distinguished and enjoyable trip.

Abbreviations: [K] = Breakfast, [Ö] = Lunch, [A] = Dinner