Hidden Wonders of North Japan

Welcome to Tokyo, Japans capital and the worlds most populous metropolis. Check-into your hotel, your home Special Stay for the next two nights. With direct access to four subway lines, the hotel was recently rated in the Forbes Travel Guide as Tokyo’s exclusive Japanese decor 5-star luxury hotel. Rooms overlook the most picturesque sites in Tokyo, such as the Imperial Palace, the 500-year-old Hie Jinja Shrine and beautiful landscaped Japanese gardens. This evening meet for your welcome reception and dinner.

Gather your bearings of Tokyo from above as you take in the view from Tokyo Sky Tree, the worlds tallest tower at 634 meters. Afterwards visit the epicentre of Tokyo’s teenage youth as you wander along Takeshita Street Harajuku, known for its colourful street art, youth fashion, quirky vintage clothing and cosplay stores and dessert shops and carts that specialise in sweet crêpes, donuts, and bubble tea. Enrich Given by Taiko Masters, partake in an interactive, private group demonstration and lesson in playing the Taiko drums. Freechoice Dining: Choose from dining at a ninja themed restaurant or culturally immerse yourself in the traditional Japanese evening Izakaya bar scene serving Yaki-tori and Kushiyaki with your Tour Director as they show you their favourite places to go. Alternatively dine in at Nobu Tokyo restaurant.

Begin the day with your first Shinkansen journey to Koriyama where we then drive to the preserved Edo postal town of Ouchijiku. Try the local delicacy of Soba Noodles for lunch and explore the restored buildings. Learn all about the brewing of Saki at the Suehiro Brewery before moving to your hotel for the night, Keikokubino Yado Kawane Ryokan where you can relax in your own open-air bath overlooking the magnificent Aga River.

Visit a local home to paint your own Akabeko ‘red cow’, a traditional Japanese toy of a legendary cow from the Aizu region. Afterwards step back in time when visiting the rebuilt Aizu Bukeyashiki Samuari Mansion, originally destroyed in the Boshin War in 1868. Enjoy a scenic drive to Sendai where you can enjoy a local Sendai beef sirloin lunch on arrival. Freechoice: Learn all about the history of the Date Clan and the history of the area around Sendai at the Sendai City Museum of History and Folklore. Alternatively visit the Kirin Brewery to discover the special production methods and the secret of the beer’s premium flavour. Later check in to your hotel in Sendai for a two-night stay. Freechoice Dining: Venture out with your Tour Director to the local Izakaya bar scene or try Japanese BBQ at Yakiniku Taizan Restaurant.

Today take a short drive to Matsushima Bay, for centuries celebrated as one of Japan’s three most scenic views. On arrival test your creative and imagination skills and paint your own as wooden Kokeshi doll, an item originally created and sold at hot spring resorts in northern Japan. Visit the Zuigangi Temple, one of Tohoku’s most famous Zen temples, originally dating back to 828. Continue next door to the Entsuin Temple, built in 1647 as a mausoleum Date Terumune’s son. Following a quick lunch of local street food, board your boat for a cruise around the 200 small islands covered by pine trees in Matsushima Bay, before returning to Sendai.

Head north to Nobiru and visit the destroyed train station, now a Disaster Recovery Memorial Museum for the devasting 2011 tsunami. Continue on to the scenic Genbikei Gorge before arriving at Chusonji Temple, establish in 850. Located within one of the original buildings is Konjikido, a hall completely covered in gold dating back to 1124. Tonight, enjoy a Special Stay at Hanamaki and indulge yourself in the full Japanese onsen resort experience. Enrich As part of your Onsen stay, enjoy a private performance of Shishi-odori whilst enjoying your traditional Kaiseki dinner dressed in your provided onsen Yukata. Bedding Choice - For tonight’s stay, enjoy a unique insight into Japanese culture. Default bedding is traditional Japanese inn style with a comfortable thick futon, though if you need you can choose western style bedding, if available. All rooms have tatami mat flooring with mix Japanese/western style décor, a Japanese cypres bathtub and a provided Yukata. Be sure to also try the onsen hot spring baths.

Drive to Towada City via the snow wall drive in April, with a short leg stretch and walk around the rustic hot springs and the volcanic landscapes of the Towada - Hachimantai National Park. In Towada city admire the street art during your walk along the main street to the Towada Art Centre, featuring works from artists both inside and outside of Japan, including Yoko Ono, Yoshitomo Nara, and Jeong-Hwa Choi. Enjoy the picturesque drive toward Lake Towada and your two-night Special Stay. The hotel is located on the Oirase Keiryu mountain stream, one of the most scenic locations in Japan.

Stretch your legs on a pristine but short walk along Oirase stream via the Deai-bashi Bridge before transferring to Yasumiya, a small town located on the lake shoreline. Enjoy lunch overlooking the lake before enjoying a relaxing cruise on Lake Towoda, the largest caldera lake on Honshu and is particularly known for its Autumn foliage. Freechoice: Choose to transform Oirase’s natural beauty into a working lamp to bring home. At the Oirase Stream Museum use your creative skills and imagination to create your own Mossball Gour Lamp, a craft specialty of the region. Using a moss gour grown in the waters of the Oirase River as the lampshade, use your own design to hand create the lamp’s light pattern. Alternatively continue to explore the beauty of Oirase stream up close by venturing along one of the many hiking trails in the area.

Visit one of the most beautiful locations in Japan for sakura viewing (April), Hirosaki Castle and it’s botanical gardens. Known for its five original turreted gates and fortified moats, this castle ranks as one of the country’s most beautiful feudal era castles. Continue onto Aomori, the capital of Aomori prefecture. Here view amazing giant papier-mâché doll floats used in the Aomori Nebuta Festival at Rassera Land, located along the waterfront. Stay the night at your hotel in Aomori.

Travel back in time to learn about the original inhabitants of the area at the Jomon Museum and Sannai-Maruyama Archaeological Site. With the site dating back to the late early to middle Jomon period, some 5500-4000 years ago, it shows the Jomon were the first people in the world to create pottery. Return to Aomori and travel by Shinkansen through the undersea Seikan Tunnel to Hakodate on Hokkaido Island. Upon arrival Hakodate, walk through the Motomachi Neighbourhood, an area full of historical buildings, before checking into your hotel in Hakodate for a two-night stay.

Choose to begin the day with an optional early morning visit to the Fish Market and try to catch some fresh squid for breakfast. Later visit the 107m tall Goryoki Tower to get a bird’s eye view of Mt. Hakodate, Tsugaru Strait and the Yokotsu mountain range. Afterwards walk through the Goryoki Park located inside the old star-shaped fort adjoining the tower, visiting the old Hakodate Magistrate office within. Spend the afternoon at leisure shopping around the historic Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses before meeting again to travel up the Mt Hakodate Ropeway at dusk to see that amazing view over the city. On clear days and nights, in particular, the views from the mountain are spectacular and included among Japans three best night views. Enjoy dinner tonight in one of Hakodate’s beer halls.

Travel by Super Hokuto Limited Express train to Sapporo. Here visit the Historic Village of Hokkaido, an open air museum which exhibits roughly 60 typical buildings from all over Hokkaido, dating from the Meiji and Taisho Periods (1868 to 1926). After checking into your hotel in Sapporo, your home for the next two nights, move to Ramen Yokocho in Susukino, a narrow lane lined with shops serving Sapporos famous ramen.

Travel to Otaru and walk through Sakaimichi Street, an attractive, preserved merchant street in central Otaru, a short walk from the citys canal area. Enrich Enjoy leaning how to create and cook Japanese traditional sweets known as wagashi. Most wagashi are made from ingredients including rice flour, sweet azuki bean paste (anko), Japanese agar (kanten), sesame paste and chestnuts. Spend free time in the historic Otaru Canal area’s museums, shops and restaurants before returning to Sapporo. Upon arrival, transfer to chosen activity. Freechoice: Indulge your sweet tooth at Shiroi Koibito Park, which features a Chocolate factory, shop and Museum where you can try making one of Sapporo’s famous souvenirs, the Shiroi Koibito cookie.  Alternatively visit the former Winter Olympic sites of Sapporo. This evening enjoy your farewell meal at the Sapporo Beer Museum with your fellow travellers.

Bid a fond farewell to the ‘land of the rising sun’. The itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons. As such Scenic cannot guarantee the journey will operate unaltered from the itinerary stated above. Please refer to our terms and conditions for further information.