3 Day Japan Highlights Tour Tokyo to Osaka with English Guide

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Tokyo - Kamakura - Hakone⌄

   Stop briefly at Daikoku Parking Area to see the best of Japan's sports cars.

   Visit the Great Buddha of Kamakura, an 11 meter high bronze statue dating to 1252 when Kamakura was Japan’s capital. Explore inside the statue! Admission fee: 300 yen.

   Hasedera is home to one of Japan's most beautiful traditional gardens and an enormous wooden sculpture thought to have drifted onto the coast not far from Kamakura nearly 1,500 years ago. Relax in the flower gardens, enjoy the ocean view or go underground in the temple's network of caves! Admission: 400 yen.

   Visit this scenic island with its shrine complex, sea caves and large public bath. Enjoy watching the surfing nearby.

   Enjoying a relaxing foot bath and spectacular views before boarding your gondola down the mountain. Admission: 2,000 yen.

   Make a brief stop at Owakudani Hell Valley to view the sulphur steam vents coming out from the crater valley. Enjoy eating one of the kuro-tamago (black eggs) boiled in the sulphur springs.

   Cruise aboard a pirate ship over an extinct volcano's crater lake, and on clear days enjoy spectacular views of Mt. Fuji. Admission: 1,700 yen.

   Hakone shrine has played an important role in Japanese history since 757AD. Visit the shrine complex hidden in a forest of massive cedar trees or the torii gate on the waters of Lake Ashi.

   Spend the evening near Mt. Fuji.

   Overnight: 3 star hotel near Mt. Fuji.

2. 2Mt. Fuji - Kyoto⌄

   See spectacular views of Mt. Fuji from the world heritage center. Learn about the history of Mt. Fuji and its significance to Japanese culture. Admission: 500 yen.

   Take a short walk to these 2 spectacular waterfalls. Enjoy local snacks.

   Visit the wind cave (lava tubes) deep in Japan's most famous forest (Aokigahara) at the base of Mt. Fuji. See the natural refrigerator full of ice most of the year. Admission: 300 yen.

   Wear a kimono or samurai armor (2,050 yen) to explore this traditional village. Enjoy beautiful views of Mt. Fuji and the Japan countryside. Admission: 500 yen.

   On clear mornings, enjoy spectacular views of Mt. Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi Oishi Flower Park.

   Visit this ancient shrine, dating back to 100 A.D. Located in a cedar forest at the foot of Mt. Fuji, it is the traditional starting point for the climb.

   Visit this pretty folk village with its 8 crystal clear ponds and shops selling local specialties.

   Take an evening Shinkansen bullet train from Mishima to Kyoto.

   Spend the evening relaxing in Kyoto.

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: 3 star hotel in Kyoto.

3. 3Kyoto - Nara - Osaka⌄

   Explore World Heritage Kiyomizu temple and the traditional shops nearby, taking routes to avoid most of the crowds. Admission: 500 yen.

   Take a stroll though Arashiyama's famous bamboo forest. If short of time visit the less crowded bamboo grove at Kotoku-in temple.

   Fushimi Inari-taisha is home to over 10,000 orange torii gates that form a tunnel going up the mountain. The main structure was built in 1499 as a shrine for rice and agriculture, but it is better known as the shrine for merchants and business.

   Take a guided walk through Nara Park with its many over friendly deer.

   Founded in 738, Todai-ji houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha. Also on display are numerous other massive scuptures and works of art. Admission: 800 yen.

   Spend the evening exploring the back street alleys in Osaka's most famous entertainment district.

   Meals: Breakfast