Week-long Cherry Blossom Itinerary
DAY 1: Arrival
The Adventure Begins
Welcome to Japan!
Welcome to Tokyo! Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met with an English-speaking assistant holding a sign with your name on it. Together with the driver, they will take you to the hotel in downtown Tokyo.
DAY 2: Imperial Palace-Sensoji Temple-Meiji Shirine, Ueno Onshi Park
Spend a half day exploring Tokyo's temples and gardens and marvel at its futuristic skyscrapers. Start by exploring the outside of Japan's Imperial Palace, the home of the Imperial Family. Wander around Asakusa, the old town area of the city. Visit Tokyo's oldest and most popular temple, Sensoji Temple, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, to experience the traditional Tokyo of yesteryear. For centuries, temple visitors have been able to purchase traditional snacks and souvenirs on Nakamise, which backs onto Sensoji.
Ride the subway to the Meiji Shrine, a shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji's deified spirit and a popular location for traditional Japanese weddings. During the Meiji period, Japan's feudal era came to an end, and the country modernized and became more westernized. Stroll along Omotesando’s tree-lined avenue if you have the time, a broad avenue lined with flagship stores of world-renowned fashion houses. You will return to your hotel after the tour.
Catch the Ueno Onshi Park Cherry Blossom Festival. There are more than 1,000 cherry blossoms in Ueno Park in Tokyo. From the end of March to the beginning of April, they will transform into a sea of pink cherry blossoms. Ueno Onshi Park Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival is one of Japan's largest and most crowded cherry blossom festivals. The main street, about half a kilometer long, starts at the gate of Ueno Park and passes most of the museums and parks. More than half of the more than 1,000 cherry trees in the park are planted here. During the cherry blossom viewing season, the main street can accommodate nearly 2 million people to enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms.
DAY 3: Mt. Fuji-Hakone Hot Spring
Go to see Mount Fuji in Japan. Mount Fuji is known as the "holy mountain" by the Japanese people and is a symbol of the Japanese nation. Cherry blossoms bloom near Mt. Fuji, and you can experience a different beauty. Hakone is most famous for its hot springs. This is a good place where you can see the snow-capped Mt.
Mount Fuji, the torii of the Hakone Shrine (Fuji Hakone Izu National Park), and Lake Ashino (Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture) are the most famous sightseeing spots in Hakone. On a sunny day, you can see Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Ashi. You can also visit Hakone Shrine, known as the god of love, at the same time. Hakone Shrine stands at the foot of Mount Hakone along Lake Ashinoko. A huge torii gate stands prominently in the lake, while two others tower over the main street of Moto-Hakone, a shrine hidden in the dense forest.
After admiring the scenery and viewing the flowers, come to the most authentic Japanese-style hot spring to relax physically and mentally at this moment. Overnight in a ryokan featuring open-air onesen (hotspring).
DAY 4: Hakone-Kyoto-Arashiyama-Sagano Train-Kinkakuji Temple
Take the Shinkansen to Kyoto and experience Japanese transportation. The scene of beautiful streets, shrines and temples and cherry blossoms is a unique beauty of Kyoto.
There are as many as 1,500 cherry trees next to Togetsukyo Bridge. Kiyomizu Temple, one of the World Heritage Sites, is visited by tourists throughout the year. There are 1,500 cherry trees planted in the temple, and the scenery of "Shimizu Stage" reflecting the cherry blossoms in the inner courtyard is picturesque.
The Heian Shrine, founded in 1895, now has about 20 kinds of cherry trees, totaling 300. Half of the cherry blossoms here are weeping cherry trees. The beautiful shrine is in harmony with the red and green cherry blossoms, which is magnificent.
Next, visit Arashiyama, an area in the western suburbs of Kyoto that includes the Togetsukyo Bridge and Sagano. Cherry blossoms and red maple trees are famous here, and the picturesque Bamboo Forest also highlights the unique charm of Kyoto.
Travel among the cherry blossoms on the Sagano train. Its charming, old-fashioned trains wind their way through the mountains at a slow pace, taking about 25 minutes to make the seven kilometer journey and giving passengers pleasant views of the scenery 。
Finally, take a tour of the Golden Pavilion Temple, a three-story pavilion. The first floor is Fashuiyuan; the second floor is Chaoyin Cave, dedicated to Guanyin; the third floor is a square Buddhist hall, enshrining three Amitabha Buddhas. As one of Kyoto's most classic pictures, this high-profile Zen temple complements the mirror lake pool in front.
DAY 5: Gion - Sannenzaka Ninenzaka - Fushimi Inari Shrine - Nara Park
The Kansai region is full of ancient charm. Enjoying cherry blossoms here, tradition and modernity are intertwined, prosperous but not compelling.
The cherry blossoms in Nara Park are particularly beautiful. Mount Yoshino in Nara is one of the "three famous cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan" and a representative cherry blossom viewing spot in Kansai. When spring comes, pink cherry blossoms bloom all over the mountains and fields, which are called "Yoshino Thousand Cherry Blossoms". Cherry trees are planted from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, and the mountain is full of cherry blossoms in spring. Mount Yoshino, which is famous for its cherry blossoms, is divided into four parts. By April every year, the cherry blossoms are in the order of "Thousands at the foot of the mountain." In full bloom, the scene is spectacular. The red maple leaves in autumn and the scenery covered in white in winter are also beautiful. Therefore, this place has always been the cinnabar mole that the majority of photography lovers cannot give up.
Sannenzaka Ninenzaka, in Japan, "Saka" means "slope". Any slope with a slope is called a slope, such as Kitanozaka in Kobe, Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka, and Kiyomizuzaka of the generation of Kiyomizu Temple. There are a bunch of ramps that require leg strength, and you can experience different Japanese characteristic roads. When going to Japan, Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nara Park are popular. The vermilion "thousand torii gates" is one of the representative landscapes in Kyoto, and it also appeared in the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha". Thousands of deer in Nara Park are walking leisurely in front of you, which is very interesting.
DAY 6: Osaka Castle Park - Osaka Castle Castle Tower - Shinsaibashi - Dotonbori
Osaka Castle Park, where there are Osaka Castle International Culture and Sports Hall (Osaka Castle Pavilion), Sun Plaza of the multi-purpose sports field, soft baseball field, outdoor concert hall, rugby and football fields and other public facilities. Towering in the center of Osaka Castle Park, the Osaka Castle Castle Tower is a popular place to enjoy cherry blossoms and plum blossoms during the cherry blossom season. Horikishi can even see a family helping the old and young to watch wild birds by the water. Watch the cherry blossoms fall with the wind, and witness your happiness under the cherry blossom rain.
Then visit Shinsaibashi-Dotonbori, as a representative place of Osaka cuisine, the signs of various cuisines attract a steady stream of people every day, let your taste buds eat authentic Japanese cuisine.
DAY 10: Osaka Departure
Jet Off
A private driver will take you from Kyoto to Osaka Kansai International Airport.
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