Mr. Black's Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka 2023.
Our Tour director was Hajime Yoshida, and our tour company partner was Worldstrides/Explorica, Inc. Our travelers were: Ceres, Jules, Katrina, Sam, Luna, Adrian, Austin and grandfather Dennis, Sofia, previous traveler Jennelle, Tyler, friends Cruz and Katie, cousins Kaitlyn and Dyanne, Samantha, friends Melanie and Zoia, Reuben, Caitlin and mother Robyn, Lana and Mother Robin, Krishna, Ron and children Andrew and Katelyn, Aster and Isabella, and Bryce McLeay, our friend and field producer/director. Mrs. Tova Black served as assistant group leader. Air travel courtesy of EVA Air. Additional photography by Jules, Tova and Ceres Black.
Day One - LAX to Taipei to Tokyo.
Day Two - Welcome to Tokyo!
Met our tour director, Hajime Yoshida, at Tokyo Narita airport. Travel to Ikebukuro district and check into Hotel Metropolitan Ikebukuro. Shabu shabu dinner in Tokyo.
Day Three - Tokyo City Sights
Tokyo guided sightseeing tour: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku District visit. Shibuya Crossing. Imperial Palace East Garden visit. Asakusa District visit, Senso-ji temple visit. Dinner in Ikebukuro area. Karaoke night.
Day Four - Disney Parks!
Private motorcoach to Disney Parks. Tokyo DisneySea and/or Tokyo Disneyland. See the Rainbow Bridge at night by private motorcoach back to the hotel.
Day Five - Tokyo to Hakone.
Travel to Hakone by bus. Japanese Highway rest station. Lake Ashi cruise. Hakone Aerial Tramway to top of Mount Komagatake. Views of Mt. Fuji. Stay overnight in an onsen, (Japanese natural hot spring hotel), Prince Hotel Hakone Yunohana. Japanese kaiseki course dinner at the ryokan.
Day Six - Hakone to Kyoto.
Travel to Kyoto via Shinkansen (bullet train). Nara excursion: Nara Park, Todai-ji temple, Kasuga Grand Shrine. Check into Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo. Sukiyaki dinner.
Day Seven - Kyoto Landmarks.
Kyoto guided sightseeing tour: Kinkaku-ji temple (Golden Pavilion) visit, Fushimi Inari Taisha visit, Sanjusangen-do temple visit. Arashiyama Bamboo Grove visit.
Day Eight - Kyoto to Osaka.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Travel from Kyoto to Osaka by bus. Osaka guided sightseeing tour: Osaka Castle visit. Lunch at Kuromon Market and Dotonbori District. Umeda Sky Building observatory. Check into Hotel Granvia Osaka. Okonomiyaki dinner. Farewell get together.
Day Nine - Free Time in Osaka and Flights Home.
Lunch and shopping in Osaka. Flights home from Kansai Airport, Osaka to Taipei, Taiwan to LAX.
June 13, 2023 - June 21, 2023
Back By Popular Demand!
We will begin our tour in Tokyo, Japan's sprawling, chaotic capital, where cutting-edge technology combines seamlessly with an age-old culture. Start with a whiff of the miraculous at Sensō‐ji Temple, where sacred incense smoke is said to have curative powers. Yearly festivals bring various groups to its iris garden and Treasure House, including the "Seven-Five-Three Festival," in which young children arrive dressed in mini kimonos. We will spend all of day four at the Tokyo Disney Parks (separate admission). From Tokyo we will drive to Hakone, where you will step into the misty beauty of a traditional Japanese watercolor. Peaceful lakes, stunning gardens, and magnificent views of Mount Fuji make Hakone one of the prettiest destinations for city-weary folks. After a lake cruise, ascend Mt. Komagatake in an aerial tramway, for an epic view of Mt. Fuji. Then jump on the fastest train in the world and zip to Kyoto. The Shinkansen, or "bullet" train, can travel up to 200 miles per hour. Arrival in Nara can be an eye-opening experience, as wild deer roam Nara Park -- once considered messengers of the gods, they are still a nationally protected treasure. The sense of "more is better" continues at Sanjusangendo Temple, where a thousand bronze Buddhas fill the entire building. Our final city on the itinerary, Osaka, is dominated by the 16th-century castle, both economically (it's the single most visited sight in Japan) and architecturally. The castle maintains the city's historic past even as space-age buildings move Osaka into the future. Come up for air at the Umeda Sky Building, where you'll climb 550 feet to the Floating Garden Observatory for a bird's eye view of Osaka. For our farewell dinner, make your very own Japanese Okonomiyaki, the most interesting pancake you’ll ever eat.
We will begin our tour in Tokyo, Japan's sprawling, chaotic capital, where cutting-edge technology combines seamlessly with an age-old culture. Start with a whiff of the miraculous at Sensō‐ji Temple, where sacred incense smoke is said to have curative powers. Yearly festivals bring various groups to its iris garden and Treasure House, including the "Seven-Five-Three Festival," in which young children arrive dressed in mini kimonos. We will spend all of day four at the Tokyo Disney Parks (separate admission). From Tokyo we will drive to Hakone, where you will step into the misty beauty of a traditional Japanese watercolor. Peaceful lakes, stunning gardens, and magnificent views of Mount Fuji make Hakone one of the prettiest destinations for city-weary folks. After a lake cruise, ascend Mt. Komagatake in an aerial tramway, for an epic view of Mt. Fuji. Then jump on the fastest train in the world and zip to Kyoto. The Shinkansen, or "bullet" train, can travel up to 200 miles per hour. Arrival in Nara can be an eye-opening experience, as wild deer roam Nara Park -- once considered messengers of the gods, they are still a nationally protected treasure. The sense of "more is better" continues at Sanjusangendo Temple, where a thousand bronze Buddhas fill the entire building. Our final city on the itinerary, Osaka, is dominated by the 16th-century castle, both economically (it's the single most visited sight in Japan) and architecturally. The castle maintains the city's historic past even as space-age buildings move Osaka into the future. Come up for air at the Umeda Sky Building, where you'll climb 550 feet to the Floating Garden Observatory for a bird's eye view of Osaka. For our farewell dinner, make your very own Japanese Okonomiyaki, the most interesting pancake you’ll ever eat.
Mr. Black, sushi chef.
Mon Sushi, Santa Monica, CA, 1996.
