Japan Cherry Blossom Tour: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Nara and Himeji in 11 Days

On arrival at Narita or Haneda airport, you are met and driven by private car to your hotel in central Tokyo. After check-in, take time to rest. If you arrive early, take a short walk to a nearby park or along a canal to see your first blossoms of the trip. Your guide will contact you to confirm the plan, with the latest bloom forecast, and give you a transport card for the trains and subway.Overnight: Tokyo

Begin at Ueno Park, one of Tokyo's most famous hanami spots, where more than a thousand cherry trees line the main avenue and families spread out picnic mats beneath them. Continue to Asakusa for Senso-ji temple and the stalls of Nakamise Street. Then walk along Sumida Park beside the river, where blossoms frame views of the Tokyo Skytree. In the evening, you may like to see the city lights from the Skytree itself.Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B

Visit Shinjuku Gyoen, a large garden with many varieties of cherry that bloom at slightly different times, so there is usually something in flower. Walk through the forest of the Meiji Shrine and the streets of Harajuku. In the afternoon, head to Chidorigafuchi, where cherry trees lean over the moat of the Imperial Palace; you can rent a rowing boat on the water. In the evening, see the lit-up blossoms along the Meguro River.Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B

Send your main luggage ahead to Kyoto and travel by express train or bus to Lake Kawaguchiko, at the foot of Mount Fuji. Climb the steps of Arakurayama Sengen Park to the five-story Chureito Pagoda, where, on a clear day, Mount Fuji rises behind the pagoda and cherry trees. Then walk or cycle along the northern shore of the lake. Spend the evening at your ryokan, with hot-spring baths and a traditional dinner.Overnight: Lake Kawaguchiko · Meals: B, D

Look for Mount Fuji in the early morning light, then travel to Mishima and take the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto, about three and a half hours in total. Meet your Kyoto guide and check in to your hotel. In the evening, walk along the Shirakawa canal in Gion, where cherry trees hang over the water and are lit up after dark, and through the lanes of Hanamikoji, where you may see geiko and maiko on their way to appointments.Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B

Start at Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, and walk the Philosopher's Path, a stone footpath beside a canal lined with hundreds of cherry trees. Continue to Nanzen-ji, a large Zen temple with a brick aqueduct in its grounds, and the gardens of Heian Shrine, known for their weeping cherries. End the day at Maruyama Park, where a huge weeping cherry is lit up at night and Kyoto families gather for evening picnics.Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B

Head west to Arashiyama, where cherry trees cover the hills above the Togetsukyo bridge. Walk through the bamboo grove and visit Tenryu-ji, whose garden is especially lovely in spring. In the afternoon, visit Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, and the rock garden of Ryoan-ji, where a large weeping cherry stands beside the famous wall. Return to central Kyoto for a free evening to explore the restaurants of Pontocho.Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B

Go early to Fushimi Inari Shrine to walk its tunnels of red torii gates before the crowds. Then visit Daigo-ji in southeast Kyoto, a World Heritage temple where the ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi held a famous blossom-viewing party in 1598; its weeping cherries are among the finest in Japan. In the late afternoon, visit Kiyomizu-dera and walk down the old lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka.Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B

Travel to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital. Walk through Nara Park, where deer roam freely beneath the blossoms, to Todai-ji and its great bronze Buddha, housed in one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. Continue to Kasuga Taisha and the five-story pagoda of Kofuku-ji. In the afternoon, travel to Osaka and check in. Spend the evening among the neon signs and food stalls of Dotonbori.Overnight: Osaka · Meals: B

Take the Shinkansen to Himeji, about 30 minutes. Himeji Castle, known as the White Heron for its gleaming walls, has stood since the early 17th century and is surrounded by around a thousand cherry trees. Climb inside the main keep and walk through the nearby Koko-en garden. Return to Osaka in the afternoon for the park around Osaka Castle, another favorite hanami spot, before a final evening in the city.Overnight: Osaka · Meals: B

Enjoy breakfast and some free time, depending on your flight. You are then taken to Kansai International Airport, about an hour away, for your journey home. If you would like to extend your spring trip, Osaka has direct flights to Hanoi, Seoul and Shanghai, and we can plan a few more days in Vietnam, Korea or China.Meals: B