Japan’s Wonders – Exotik exclusive departure from Toronto

Depart from Toronto to Haneda.

AC1 TORONTO-HANEDA | 05 JULY 2025 @ 13:05 | 06 JULY 2025 @ 15:40

AIRPORT MEET & GREET
Upon arrival at the airport, our representative will meet you and assist you to board your transfer to your hotel.

TOKYO HIGHLIGHTS
This morning our guide will meet you and together you will spend the day exploring Tokyo like a local would. You will ride local trains and subways to efficiently get around the city visiting the neighbourhoods of Harajuku and Asakusa.
Learn how to purify yourself at the entrance of Meiji-jingu shrine. Stroll down colorful Takeshita street in Harajuku with its youthful fashionable atmosphere and Kawaii culture. You may even run into some cosplayers all decked out as their favourite anime character. Next is the elegant tree lined Omotesando with its high style buildings and one of a kind architecture housing designer luxury boutiques.
The Asakusa traditional district in the northwest section of the city boasts the magnificent Senso-ji temple and its five story pagoda. Here, incense burning worshippers are oblivious to the selfie taking tourists. Let our guide help translate the good fortunes printed on your Omikuji and save as a souvenir of Tokyo. Some shopping time for souvenirs or Japanese rice crackers is in order along Nakamise shopping street which leads to the outer gate of the temple.

TOKYO SUSHI MAKING / COOKING EXPERIENCE
You will experience and learn of the intricacies of Japanese cuisine. You will get a chance to interact with your instructor about more than just Sushi. Get hands on in the kitchen and prepare lunch before you sit down and enjoy your own creation.

WELCOME DINNER
After a short rest and refresh at the hotel, the group will head out on foot to a local restaurant where you will enjoy a welcome dinner.

FULL DAY EXCURSION TO MT. FUJI AND HAKONE
This morning our group will head South West of Tokyo to Hakone, part of the Fuji, Hakone, Izu National Park. Hakone is famous amongst the locals for its hot springs and magnificent views of Mount Fuji.
Head to Gora station where you now switch to a cable car to continue the climb to our highest point at Sounzan. Next you will board the Hakone Ropeway gondola traversing the Okuwadani valley with views of the active sulphuric hotsprings below. The 30 minute gondola ride ends at Togendai station on the shores of lake Ashinoko.
You continue your exploration of the area on a scenic boat ride across Lake Ashinoko with spectacular views of Mount Fuji (weather permitting). After disembarking, you will head back to Tokyo.

TOKYO TO MATSUMOTO
Travel by train from Tokyo to Matsumoto (~2 hours 40 minutes)

EXPLORE MATSUMOTO
You will head to Matsumoto by train.
Matsumoto Castle is one of the most complete and beautiful among Japan’s original castles. It is a “hirajiro” - a castle built on plains rather than on a hill or mountain. Matsumoto Castle is unique for having both a secondary donjon and a turret adjoined to its main keep. The castle structures, in combination with their characteristic black wainscoting, give off an air of grandeur and poise.
A short walk from the castle, Nakamachi-dori is a small section of Matsumoto’s town center with streets lined by nicely preserved, old buildings. The buildings include a number of warehouse-type buildings (kura) with large white-painted walls. The area is where the city’s merchants used to live during the Edo Period, and today, the types of buildings here reflect this history. Some of the buildings house small shops, restaurants and ryokans.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Today we will transfer your luggage to your Takayama hotel, please prepare an overnight bag for the overnight in Matsumoto. Your luggage will be waiting for you when you check in tomorrow.

DAIO WASABI FARM
In Azumino city is Daio Wasabi Farm. Here you can wander the trails through the wasabi fields and the many streams of Japanese Alps crystal clear water critical to the cultivation of Wasabi. End your visit with a stop at the farm shops where a wide variety of wasabi related products, including fresh wasabi, wasabi paste, wasabi flavored pickles and crackers can be sampled and purchased.

TAKAYAMA WALKING TOUR
You will head then to Takayama.
Explore Takayama Old Town with its many buildings and streets from the time when it thrived as a town of wealthy merchants. There are a few sake micro-breweries where you may sample some of the local sakes.

SAVOR A HIDA BEEF DINNER
Japanese beef, or wagyu, includes several breeds of cattle that have been domesticated from wild oxen, with the various regions of Japan specializing in their own local wagyu brands. Kobe beef, in particular, is world famous for its intense marbling. Hida beef is a highly esteemed brand of kuroge wagyu beef from the Gifu area in central Japan. (Source: savourjapan.com)

DAY AT LEISURE
Free day at leisure to explore on your own.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:
Yatai Kaikan - Festival Hall Exhibition Hall, location and storage of the intricate floats used during the Takayama Festival
The well preserved old town
Higashiyama walking course
Morning market
Hida no Sato Open Air museum

STROLL AROUND SHIRAKAWAGO
In the morning, you will head to Shirakawago.
Shirakawago is the village with beautiful scenery that is reminiscent of olden times. The village contains 114 thatched roofed gassho style houses and was designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1995, as the houses are still used in real life. They are called gassho style houses because the steep triangular roof, unique to the heavy snowfall area, resembles “gassho” (hands meeting in prayer).
You will then continue to Kanazawa.

LEARN THE WAYS OF THE SAMURAI
In an authentic and historic merchant shop, meet the descendants of a Samurai clan. Here you will learn about samurai swords and see real swords which have been passed down from generations. You will watch a live demonstration of sword techniques and have a chance to learn and practice the handling of a Samurai sword.

DISCOVER KANAZAWA
Together with our local guide, you will spend the day exploring Kanazawa.
Kenrokuen Garden is a strolling park-like Japanese landscape garden. The garden invokes all six design elements of spaciousness, seclusion, serenity, subtleness, panoramas and water courses.
Take in the historic atmosphere of the Nagamachi Samurai District as you walk the narrow lanes flanked by the traditional residences where the Samurais and their families lived during the Edo period. Visit the restored Nomura Samurai house and its exquisite tiny garden best viewed from the second floor tea room.
Next stop is the well preserved historic Higashi Chaya district. The beautiful wooden chayas (tea houses) were the venues where Geishas once entertained nobility and rich merchants. The number of Geishas have dwindled over the years but there remains a few active tea houses here where Geishas still entertain their well off clients on a nightly basis. Our tour director will point them out to you.
One of the symbols of Ishikawa is the gold leaf, extremely thin leaves of gold used decoratively on handicrafts or ornaments. You will have the opportunity to learn about the gold leaf process and get hands on and decorate own choice of chopsticks, small plate or mirror with gold leaf as a unique souvenir of Kanazawa.

GOLD LEAF
A gold leaf is made by beating gold into an extremely thin sheet with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.125 millionths of a meter. It is so thin that it will disappear when you rub it with your fingers. The production of gold leaf started in Kanazawa at the end of the 16th century. You will have the opportunity to get hands on and create your own gold leaf masterpiece.

FREE MORNING
Free time this morning to further explore on your own.

KANAZAWA TO KAGA ONSEN
Travel by bullet train from Kanazawa to Kaga Onsen (~20 minutes).

CHECK-IN TO YOUR RYOKAN
On arrival at your ryokan, you will be warmly welcomed by the staff. You will experience the deeply rooted Japanese custom of Ometenashi (to whole heartedly look after guests). Your stay here will be a most unique Japanese experience from how you dress, sleep and bathe. Relax and embrace the experience and do as the locals do.
This evening you will experience a Kaiseki style dinner, an exquisite and sumptuous Japanese meal.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Today we will transfer your luggage to your Kyoto hotel, please prepare an overnight bag for the overnight in Kaga. Your luggage will be waiting for you when you check in tomorrow.

KAGA TO KYOTO
Travel by bullet train / local train from Kaga to Kyoto (~2 hours).

KYOTO SOUTH AND EAST SIDE TOUR
Start visiting the city and head to the south of Kyoto to Fushimi Inari Taisha. This shrine dedicated to the Shinto God of rice is famous for its thousands of vermillion colored torii gates leading through the wooded forest to Mount Inari. Next, you will visit Kiyomizudera (pure water) temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994. Make your way up to the wooden stage of the main hall with beautiful views of city of Kyoto and the surrounding mountains.
The tour ends in Gion, the most famous Geisha neighborhood of Kyoto. Here you will see the many well preserved traditional wooden houses (machiya) of old Japan, many of which are tea houses where Geishas entertain their well to do clientele.

DISCOVER THE BEAUTIFUL KYOTO
You will be met at your hotel and together with our guide head out to the foothills of Northern and Western Kyoto. You will visit Kinkaku-ji, a Zen temple also known as the Golden Pavilion. The top two floors of the building completely covered in gold leaf. Our guide will lead you through the beautiful gardens to the tea house where you will exit the temple.
In Arashiyama, you will tour Tenryu-ji Zen temple with one of the finest gardens in Kyoto. You will exit the temple by the north gate which brings you right onto the famous verdant bamboo groves of Arashiyama.

PRIVATE TEA CEREMONY EXPERIENCE
Learn about the history of tea and the formalities of the tea ceremony, then you can try making a cup of tea under an expert tea master’s guidance.

DAY AT LEISURE
Free day at leisure to explore on your own. We recommend you head to Nara.

FAREWELL DINNER
This evening the group will assemble for the last meal and farewell dinner together.

TRANSFER TO AIRPORT BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Transfer to the airport by public transportation with the help of our assistant.