DISCOVER JAPAN

Day 1 Fly overnight from London Heathrow, via Tokyo to Osaka.

Day 2 Unpretentious, energetic, and industrious, Japan’s second city is known as a hub of great food and neon-lit nightlife. On arrival, transfer to the 4-star Rihga Royal Hotel for an overnight stay; and later visit the Floating Garden Observatory, topping the 40-storey Umeda Sky Building, for fantastic, full-circle, panoramas.

Day 3 Visit the 16^th-century, though much-rebuilt, Osaka Castle, a moated confection within fortress walls, constructed with hundreds of thousands of huge stone blocks. Stroll in the city’s entertainment area, Dotonbori, hemming the canal side with neon lights and garish signs; and enjoy an ‘Okonomiyaki’ savoury pancake lunch. Travel to Kyoto, the country’s capital for eleven centuries, and still the epicentre of Japanese culture. Visit Gion, the city’s geisha district, a combination of high-end restaurants, shrines, temples, and stone-fenced merchants’ houses. Three nights at the 3-star Rihga Gran Hotel. (B, L)

Day 4 A full day of discovery in Kyoto includes visits to the Buddhist Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion, gloriously coated in gold leaf; the 15^th-century Zen dry garden of Ryoan-ji Temple, and Arashiyama Park, renowned for its bamboo groves and beautiful landscapes, and particularly scenic during cherry blossom time and in autumn foliage. (B)

Day 5 For an immersive introduction to the rhythm and culture of Kyoto, we use local transport to visit the Buddhist Kiyomizu-dera (‘Temple of the Pure Water Spring’), the complex, with its three-storey pagoda, part of the Historic Monuments of Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage site; explore on foot in the stepped lanes of Ninenzaka Street, lined with traditional architecture, shops and cafés, pagodas and shrines; and experience a Zen meditation, and a lesson in making Japanese tea. (B)

Day 6 Travel by Bullet Train to Hiroshima, etched in collective memory as the ‘ground zero’ of 6^th August, 1945. Visit the Peace Memorial Park, created around one of the few buildings still standing, in what was once the commercial heart of the city, including the Atomic Bomb Dome and the museum. Overnight at the 3-star Hotel Granvia. (B)

Day 7 Take a ferry to Miyajima Island to view Itsukushima Shrine and its ‘torii’ gate, built over the water and, at high tide, seemingly floating on the inland sea. Travel by Bullet Train (via Osaka) to Odawara, and transfer to Hakone, set within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and with far more than its fair share of natural splendour. Overnight at the 4-star Yunohana Prince Hotel, peacefully positioned and furnished in Japanese style. (B, D)

Day 8 A deliciously scenic tour of the area includes a cable car ride over Owakudani Valley, a cruise on the blue waters of Lake Ashinoko, and a visit to Onshi Park, with breathtaking views from the hilltop, across the lake to the fabled form of Mount Fuji. Travel by road to high-tech Tokyo, the country’s sleek, chic, multi-faceted capital, for three nights at the 4-star Royal Park Hotel. (B)

Day 9 Using local transport throughout our time in Tokyo, today’s visits include the National Museum, with a vast collection of Japanese art and archaeological artefacts; Asakusa district’s Nakamise shopping street, crammed with stalls of street food, cultural, and religious souvenirs; and the very different Ginza district, with upmarket shops and glitzy cocktail bars. Later, enjoy a sushi making experience. (B, L)

Day 10 Continue exploring the city’s highlights, with a photo-stop at the Imperial Garden, its 17^th-century moats and walls still standing; and visiting the Shinto ‘Meiji Shrine’, dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort; and the tower-top Shinjuku Observatory, with stunning views of Tokyo from 202m above the ground. (B, D)

Day 11 Transfer to Tokyo Haneda airport for the return flight, arriving at London Heathrow the same day. (B)

• Key
• B - Breakfast
• L - Lunch
• D - Dinner