This journey will start you in more southern Japan, giving you the best chance to catch sakura and festivities in full bloom throughout your stay in the land of the rising sun. With spring comes fresh sake, geisha dances, and festivals welcoming the warmth after the long winter, and welcoming the historic start of the new year. Surely you will find yourself happily caught up in the merriment.
- A Japan in full sakura bloom
- Drives/self drives through gorgeous countrysides
- A great and well-balanced introduction to the country
- The chance to participate in and view springtime festivals
- Rides on the swift shinkansen bullet train
- Stays at traditional ryokan inns
- Soaks in onsen hot springs
- The chance to view Kyoto’s Miyako Odori geisha dance
*Highlight availability can vary with weather conditions and dates of travel, and is subject to change.
The following tour is an example of what we can offer you as a tour through Japan in the merriment of spring. If interested, feel free to contact us to find out what we can add to this schedule to make it special for you. We look forward to making a custom tour for you!
Day 1 Yokoso and Welcome To Japan
Overnight in Tokyo CityAfter arriving in Japan, you will make your way to the multi-faceted metropolis of Tokyo. Arriving to your accommodation, you can take time to orient yourself with the travels and experiences that await you during the blossoming spring by reading the custom guidebook we will make for you. Itinerary will be tailored according to your flight schedule.
Days 2 to 4 Blossoms in the Capital
Overnights in Tokyo CityThough normally impressive just on its own, Tokyo in spring welcomes you to a more festive city – one that has survived the long winter to once again witness the official coming of spring – the sakura cherry blossoms. Starting in late March, we would love to show you a classic Tokyo with its most significant sights, sounds, cultures and sub cultures accented by the pink blossoms of the season. The evenings usually lit only by the neon lights of bars and shops, touring Tokyo in sakura season allows the chance to explore a city of illuminated blossoms at night.
Days 5 to 7 Kyoto in Full Bloom
Overnights in Kyoto CityMaking your way from Tokyo to Kyoto, you will take a trip to the past going from the innovative metropolis to the heart of historic Japan. A Kyoto in full bloom is a sight to behold with trees of pink lining the roads, adding a brush of color to solemn temples, and bringing the hill and mountainsides to life. With its many gardens and parks, and as we take you to and through the most renowned sights such as the Zen garden of Ryoanji or the Shogun Castle of Nijo, you may come upon local festivals, or find yourself wishing to join the families lunching under the blossoming trees, enjoying seasonal meals and swigs of sake. This time of year also offers you the chance to view the Miyako Odori where geisha show their prowess at their art in a dance of seasons.
Day 8 Following the Blossoms North
Overnight in Kanazawa CityToday you will leave Kyoto to make your way to the artisan city of the west coast. Boasting a renowned palatial garden, you may have the wonderful chance to attend its light up of sakura blossoms after touring the area’s beautiful geisha district, and samurai neighborhood. Not to be forgotten are the great museums that grace the city, including a museum dedicated to modern art, and boasting its own architecture as another lovely piece to view. Kanazawa is where you can gain insight into a plethora of traditional crafts, and we will be sure to highlight what interests you most as you enjoy your springtime journey.
Days 9 and 10 The Brisk and Beautiful Alps
Overnights in TakayamaNot to be ignored are the Japan’s breathtaking Alps. Today will take you from the artisan city, first to the farm village of Shirakawago. Known most likely first as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shirakawago is unique in the sense that it is a living village where the locals bring past traditions to new life regularly through everyday life and the handing down of history generation to generation. After exploring the village with its charming thatched roof houses, sparkling canals of clear water, and fresh mountain air, you will continue onward to the feudal town of Takayama. Takayama offers an atmosphere of past centuries, and is a place where you can walk roads once roamed by lords and samurai. In the evening, you can relax at your traditional ryokan inn while enjoying a meal of the regions delicious delicacies.
Day 11 The Black Castle and Snow Monkeys In Spring
Overnight in YudanakaAfter visiting the morning market and making friends with cheery farmers selling their wares, you will leave the Alps and make your way to the city of Matsumoto and its black castle. A sight to behold, the castle is one of the very few remaining castles left in tact since the feudal era. Touring the old castle town in its springtime glory, you will continue to an area where winter may still have some hold, and where monkeys take a break from the cold in their own hot spring haven. Yudanaka is an onsen hot spring town where you can sample the different therapeutic waters while enjoying stays in traditional ryokan inns. We think you will enjoy the mix of spring and wintertime delights before diving back into the trail of blossoms.
Day 12 Sakura Around Mount Fuji
Overnight in KawaguchikoToday by rental or private car and driver you will leave the northernmost climes of your adventure and make your way to the area of the sacred peak of Mount Fuji. Kawaguchiko is known for its beautiful lakes and views of Fuji. The combination of sakura blossoms and the grand dormant volcano is a photo or artistic opportunity to cherish. From visiting a breathtaking museum dedicated to an almost lost art of kimono cloth dyeing, to leisurely hikes through beautiful nature, Kawaguchiko offers pristine views of Japan in springtime.
Day 13 Hot Spring Haven and Tokyo Reflection
Overnight in TokyoBy rental car or private car and driver you will venture out again, this time to the volcanically beautiful landscape of Hakone. Visiting the creative Open Air Museum with exhibits blending in beautifully with the natural surroundings, you will also once again have the chance to view sacred Mount Fuji while enjoying a cruise over a marine blue caldera lake. Leaving Hakone by train, you will then return to the mega metropolis for one more night and grand finale in the land of the rising sun.
Day 14 Farewell and Sayonara
Itinerary will be tailored according to your flight schedule.We wish you pleasant travels as you leave Japan and its blossoms behind. We hope that you are taking with you wonderful memories of the times you had here, and hope that you can return one day to continue your adventure of discovery. Farewell from all of us at Windows to Japan, and sayonara.