Tuesday 9 April (B,L) A short walk to Sendai Station where we will travel by Shinkansen, an express

This 16-day tour has been designed for those who have never experienced what this amazing culture has to offer. You will visit Japan at Cherry last minute low price airline tickets Blossom time – a time of the year so important to the Japanese and an expression of their cultural ethos. Built around a 14 day JR rail-pass, the tour will include a variety of "bullet" and other fast trains and in the scenic areas, slower, sometimes steamhauled trains. For ease of travel the (mostly 4 star) hotels have been chosen because they are a short walk (none further last minute low price airline tickets than 10 minutes away) from the railway stations. In addition, last minute low price airline tickets on days of travelling to a new location, we are arranging for large bags to be collected outside hotel rooms in the morning and to be separately delivered to your new hotel by the time you arrive.
last minute low price airline tickets Thursday 28 March. Depart London Heathrow at 12.25 on our direct British Airways flight to Tokyo  (12 hour flight time). Option of other flights from UK regional airports last minute low price airline tickets via Amsterdam, Italy or Dubai.
Friday 29 March. Arrive Tokyo's Narita last minute low price airline tickets airport. Because group members will be arriving on different flights we have arranged individual transfers last minute low price airline tickets directly to your Tokyo Hotel by Airport Limousine coach.
Saturday 30 March (B,D) A full day tour of Tokyo by coach today, including Tokyo Tower, for magnificent views over the city; Meiji Shrine and the Harajuku District, Edo Museum; Rikugi-en Garden; and the renowned Japan National Railway Museum.
Sunday 31 March (B,L,D) Following a short walk to Tokyo station and after activating your JR Rail Pass, we enjoy our first Shinkansen ("bullet train") journey from Tokyo to Kumagaya. last minute low price airline tickets Then travel on the Paleo express on a two and a half hour trip from Kumagaya – Mitsumineguchi. The Paleo, named after an extinct marine mammal and pulled by a C58-363 steam locomotive built in 1944, takes us through a varied landscape, including a beautiful river gorge. Box lunches will be provided. Following arrival in Mitsumineguchi, we will be taken by coach to Tsurushi City to tour the Maglev Exhibition.  The Maglev, now in daily operation in Shanghai, is currently the fastest form of land transport and Japanese engineers have been at the forefront of developments in this field. Later, continue by coach to Gora Spa. Our overnight stay will be in a traditional Japanese Ryokan hotel.
Monday 1 April (B,L) A short walk to Gora Station to catch the very scenic Hakone tozan tram down to Odawara. Then on a Shinkansen last minute low price airline tickets to Kakegawa, to travel on the steam operated (using heritage carriages) Oigawa Railway up into the hills on a very scenic last minute low price airline tickets tea growing area to Kanaya- Senzu. Again, lunch boxes will be provided. A coach will meet us at Kanaya-Senzu and take us down the equally scenic road back to Kakegawa. In the late afternoon, travel by Shinkansen via Nagoya to Kyoto for a three night stay. Our hotel is a short walk away.
Tuesday 2 April (B) A full day in Kyoto, much of it in the very beautiful Arashiyama district, where spring blossoms abound. Our day will include tours of Kiyomizu-dera last minute low price airline tickets Temple; Golden Temple and a stroll through the huge bamboo grove. A highlight will be a journey on the diesel-hauled Sagano Scenic Railway through, probably the most beautiful river gorge in Japan. Your return journey last minute low price airline tickets through the gorge, will be by boat along the Hozu River. Return to the hotel for a free evening, but the Tour Group Leader will take those who wish for a stroll through the Gion (geisha) district.
Wednesday 3 April (B) A free day in Kyoto. Possibilities last minute low price airline tickets include: using your Rail-Pass (a) to travel to Hiroshima for the day with time to visit the Peace Memorial Museum last minute low price airline tickets and the Peace Memorial Park and take a ferry ride to Miyajima Island or (b) to travel to the nearby city of Nara, the oldest capital of Japan and cradle of Japan's arts, crafts and literature. Here there be time to visit the Todai-ji Temple, the largest wooden structure in Japan, which houses The Great Buddha, a massive bronze statue, and the Kasuga Shinto Shrine, last minute low price airline tickets with its vermillion-lacquered buildings, which form a striking contrast with the green woodland) last minute low price airline tickets or stay in Kyoto to tour the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum and the Saihoji Temple, containing a stunning Moss Garden.
Thursday 4 April (B,L,D) This morning, travel by coach to Hikone for a half day tour, including a guided tour of majestic, wooden Hikone Castle last minute low price airline tickets (listed as one of Japan's National treasures) and the adjacent Genkyuen Garden. last minute low price airline tickets The garden is designed in the Chisenkaiyu style (wet garden with promenade). Lunch boxes will be provided as your coach takes you to Maibara station prior to catching the express train to Kanazawa. last minute low price airline tickets Your hotel for the next two nights is a very short walk away and dinner tonight will be in the hotel restaurant.
Friday 5 April (B,L) Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour by coach of Kanazawa today. last minute low price airline tickets This will include a tour of beautiful Kenrokuen Garden; Nagamachi Samurai Quarter; Nomura House; Myoryuki Temple; and a tour of one of the local craft specialties – a factory where artisans use gold leaf as the basic ingredient. Lunch will be at a local sushi restaurant.
Saturday 6 April (B) We travel by coach this morning to visit the historic village of Shirakawago and to tour Gokasho Washinosato, a Japanese paper making factory. Following time for lunch on your own, we will be transferred to Toyama station last minute low price airline tickets to catch an express train, then a Shinkansen to Niigata. The route this afternoon is via the beautiful western coastline. Our hotel tonight is one minutes walk away from the railway station.
Sunday 7 April (B,L,D) last minute low price airline tickets Another tour highlight this morning – a nearly three hour journey by steam-hauled train through a stunning scenic river gorge from Niigata to Aizu-Wakatsu. With lunch boxes provided, continue on by local rapid train to Yunishigawa-spa, where we will be taken by coach to Owakaso Edo-period village for a guided last minute low price airline tickets tour. Our dinner tonight in the restaurant of your hotel will feature Japanese Kaiseki.
Monday 8 April (B,L,D) This morning, transfer by coach to Nasu-Shiobara station, then travel by Shinkansen to Sendai. Arrangements here include a half day sightseeing tour of Sendai; lunch at a local restaurant last minute low price airline tickets specialising in beef tongue steak; a tour of the Shinkansen Repairs Works and a tour of Sendai Castle. Overnight in Sendai.
Tuesday 9 April (B,L) A short walk to Sendai Station where we will travel by Shinkansen, an express train to Hakobate. At Hakobate we enjoy a two hour trip on a chartered tram (including last minute low price airline tickets buffet lunch) on the extensive city network, before travelling on to Sapporo by express train.
Wednesday 10 April (B,L) An excursion today by train and coach to Daisetsuzan National Park, which we will explore by road and by a scenic railway, including a journey on the Mt. Asahidake Ropeway up Hokkaido's highest mountain for fabulous views. Return to our Sapporo Hotel.
Friday 12 April (B) A free day in Tokyo. Apart from shopping, our suggestions include use of your JR Train Pass to travel out and back in many directions; a walk through Ueno Park; a visit to Tokyo National Museum ; a visit to Asakusa; a visit to the Sensoji temple and the adjacent Nakamise-dori market; or for urban tram enthusiasts, a ride on the only tram line available in Tokyo – the Arakawa Tram Line.
Saturday 13 April (B) Your final day using our JR Rail Passes will see us heading out to Narita airport on the Narita Express. Our flight departs at 10.55 for our direct flight to Heathrow (or other flights to UK regional airports).