[Print Itinerary]     [Close Page]
Taketours.com
Phone Support: +1-617-500-7002

Tour Code: 838-19894

6-Day South Japan Express Tour from Osaka

 

Our Price: from

$1490
￥10495
€1268
C$2052
(per person, based on double occupancy) Available: Thu Depart from: Osaka,
Overview
Visit Osaka, Himeji (Himeji Castle), Hiroshima (Hiroshima Peace Memorial, Itsukushima Shrine), Kobe (Earthquake Memorial Museum), Kotohira (Kotohiragu Shrine), Kurashiki, Matsuyama (Dogo Onsen, Ishiteji Temple, Matsuyama Castle), Okayama (Korakuen Garden), Takamatsu (Kuribayashi Park).

Day 1: Osaka

After gathering in Osaka, we will transfer to hotel and then have free time. You will receive information about the start of the circuit during the afternoon. 

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Japan. It is the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan.

Dulexe Hotel: Candeo Osaka Namba or Holiday Inn Express Osaka City Centre - Midosuji or similar

Meal: Excluded

Day 2: Osaka - Himeji - Okayama (147 km)

We'll depart for Himeji, where admission to its immense complex, showcasing the architecture of Japanese castles, will be included. After lunch at a local restaurant (included), we'll continue to Okayama, where we'll visit Korakuen, one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, with its lakes, waterfalls, and traditional teahouses. By crossing a pedestrian bridge over the river, you'll have the opportunity to visit Okayama Castle, a sixteenth-century Japanese fortification rebuilt in 1966 after being destroyed in a World War II bombing (visit inside the castle not included). Afterward, you'll have free time to explore the city, an active provincial capital with just over 700,000 inhabitants.

Note: On some dates, we may stay in Fukuyama or Kurashiki. The visit to Kurashiki may take place on the same day in the afternoon.

A city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. Originally a castle town, Himeji is home to the Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • A hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji which is located in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 buildings with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period.

Okayama, known for its delicious fruit, is often called the land of sunshine and Momotaro, the "Peach Boy" is the local hero and symbol. Okayama City, It is home to the imposing, black Okayama Castle and Okayama Korakuen, one of Japan's three greatest landscape gardens.

  • Korakuen is a beautiful landscape garden and Okayama's main attraction. Along with Kanazawa's Kenrokuen and Mito's Kairakuen, Korakuen is ranked as one of Japan's three best landscape gardens. It is located just beside Okayama Castle, which can be seen from the garden as "borrowed scenery".

  • Okayama Castle, known as "Crow Castle" for its striking black facade. Built in 1597, reconstructed in 1966 with museum exhibits. Offers panoramic views & samurai history.

Dulexe Hotel: Mitsui Garden Okayama/Daiwa Roynet Fukuyama/Daiwa Roynet Okayama or similar

Breakfast: Included|Lunch: Included (Appetizer, soup, main course chicken, dessert, 3 types of bread)|Dinner: Excluded

Day 3: Okayama - Kurashiki - Hiroshima- Itsukushima - Hiroshima (138 km)

We leave for Kurashiki, a city with a very well preserved historical centre. Time for a stroll in this charming place with its atmosphere from the past. We continue on our way to Hiroshima, a city sadly known for the atomic bomb that fell on it in 1945 and which levelled the city. We will stroll around the Peace Memorial, the Dome of the bomb and we will visit the impressive Museum of Peace. After the war we will seek peace by embarking on a ferry to the island “where men and gods live together”, with the sanctuary of Itsukushima dedicated to the guardian of the seas, built partially over the sea. Time to visit the temple, to stroll around its pretty centre and have lunch. Return to our hotel in Hiroshima. Dinner included.

Note: The order of the visits in Hiroshima may vary without affecting their content.

Kurashiki is an area of historic buildings along an old willow-edged canal. A picturesque group of black-and-white warehouses has been converted into museums, and laneways are lined with old wooden houses and shops.

The capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan.As of August 2016, the city has an estimated population of 1,196,274. Hiroshima was the first city targeted by a nuclear weapon, when the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped an atomic bomb on the city at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II.

  • Originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called the Genbaku Dome, Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome, is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The ruin of the hall serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.

  • It is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack, and to the memories of the bomb's direct and indirect victims (of whom there may have been as many as 140,000). The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is visited by thousands of people each year.

  • The centuries-old Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima is the source of both the island's fame and its name. The shrine is known worldwide for its iconic "floating" torii gate.The shrine and its torii gate are unique for being built over water, seemingly floating in the sea during high tide.

Dulexe Hotel: Candeo Hatchobori/Grand Prince Hotel/Comfort Kure or similar

Breakfast: Included|Lunch: Excluded|Dinner: Included (Dinner buffet)

Day 4: Hiroshima - Matsuyama (67 km)

Today we will take a ferry to Shikoku Island, on a pleasant crossing that lasts two hours and a half and see the many islands that make up Japan. In Matsuyamawe will take the cable car up to its impressive castle. Afterwards, we will visit Ishiteji Temple, a beautiful Buddhist temple and a place of pilgrimage. Lunch included. In the late afternoon, we will visit Dogo Onsen (admission included), a traditional Japanese bath facility built in the 19th century.

Matsuyama is the largest city on Shikoku. At the heart of the city stands Matsuyamajo, a beautiful, original castle. The city is also famed for being the setting of Natsume Soseki's popular novel, entitled "Botchan".

  • Matsuyama Castle is one of Japan's twelve "original castles", i.e. castles which have survived the post-feudal era since 1868 intact. It is also one of the most complex and interesting castles in the country. It is located on Mount Katsuyama, a steep hill in the city center that provides visitors with a bird's eye view of Matsuyama and the Seto Inland Sea. There are about 200 cherry trees on the castle grounds, making this a lovely cherry blossom spot typically around late March to early April each year.

  • Ishiteji located near Dogo Onsen, is the Matsuyama's most famous temple. It is number 51 of the 88 temples on the Shikoku Pilgrimage. Pilgrims dressed in white are a frequent sight at this large temple.

  • Dogo Onsen is one of Japan's oldest and most famous hot springs, located to the east of central Matsuyama. The area is popular with tourists for its beautiful bath house and many ryokan. Dogo Onsen has also been a frequent destination for Japan's most prestigious guests, the Imperial Family.

Dulexe Hotel: Ana Crowne Plaza Matsuyama/Ana Hotel Matsuyama or similar

Breakfast: Included|Lunch: Included (Buffet: includes soup, salad, dessert, curry, pork dishes, chicken, fish, pasta and a main course Non-alcoholic beverages)|Dinner: Excluded

Day 5: Matsuyama - Kotohira - Takamatsu - Kobe (14109 km)

We depart for Kotohira, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the God of sailors and a place of pilgrimage. The shrine stands on Mount Zosu and is reached by climbing 785 steps. Afterwards in Takamatsu we will visit Ritsurin Garden, one of the prettiest gardens in Japan. Lunch included. Then, in Naruto, we cross an impressive bridge over the sea, stopping on the way to admire the construction and walk on its glass floor with the sea 45 metres below us. Our road is surrounded by beautiful scenery and then crosses long bridges between islands over the sea. Arrival in Kobe, accommodation.

A town located in Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. The town is best known as the site of Shikoku's largest shrine complex, the Kotohira Shrine (popularly known as Konpira-san).

  • A Shinto shrine in the town of Kotohira. This shrine is patron of sea ship transport and sailor. Located at 521 metres halfway to the top of Mount Zozu, the shrine stands at the end of a long path, with 785 steps to the main shrine and a total of 1368 steps to the inner shrine.

The capital city of Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island. The city's major tourist attraction is Ritsurin Garden.

  • The park was built around 1570-1591, named after a large chestnut forest planted in the early years. It was originally the private courtyard of the local rich. After N generations, it was nationalized in the 19th century.

Dulexe Hotel: Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel or similar

Breakfast: Included|Lunch: Included (Buffet)|Dinner: Excluded

Day 6: Kobe - Osaka (27 km)

In Kobe we visited the Earthquake Memorial Museum, a place to remind the tragic seism that devastated the city in 1995 and its perfect reconstruction. We go on to Osaka, arrival at noon.

Note: On some dates, the Earthquake Museum may be changed for the Sake Museum or a climb up Kobe Tower.
End of our services. Please, check the time of your flight in case you might need an additional night.Ws\

The sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture. Kobe was one of the cities to open for trade with the West following the 1853 end of the policy of seclusion and has since been known as a cosmopolitan and nuclear-free zone port city.

  • The Earthquake Memorial Museum, part of the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, was opened in 2002 to commemorate the tragic event and to educate visitors about earthquakes and disaster prevention. The museum includes a large screen theater with realistic images of the earthquake's destructiveness, a documentary film about the recovery process, lots of information about the earthquake and various interactive games about disaster prevention.

Breakfast: Included|Lunch: Excluded|Dinner: Excluded

 

Price Includes:

Price Excludes: