Tohoku Trails

Guide

・Fully Escorted: You will be escorted by our friendly English- speaking tour leader who will travel with you from Day 1 to 13. On day 13, your tour leader will say goodbye as you travel to the airport or onwards in Japan solo. ・Semi Escorted (Groups of 1 – 5): If we do not have the minimum numbers to run the tour with a tour leader throughout, don’t worry! We never cancel our scheduled tour dates. Instead of having a full-time tour leader, you will be met in each area by our local assistants on days you don’t have private guides. So you will be given a very private style tour – with no change to the cost!

Meals

・Welcome Dinner at local izakaya on Day 1 ・Breakfast daily ・Lunch in Aizu ・7 Japanese meals at your ryokans (taste the seasonal local produce from each region where you stay)

Others

1. Emergency Contact We will also give you full EMERGENCY CONTACT details while in Japan and have instant messaging to our local team in Japan. 2. Customised Travel App With full details and instant messaging tools to keep in touch with our team in Japan locally at all times. 3. Full Financial Protection 4. Cultural Experiences including: - Tokyo Sightseeing such as Asakusa Buddhist Temple visit, Sumida River Cruise, Traditional Japanese gardens etc. - Granclass car Shinkane: The ultimate luxury bullet train - Hiking in a virgin native forest (UNESCO World Heritage Site) - Aomori Museum of Art & Nebuta festival Museum - Overnight stays in traditional Japanese style accommodation with kaiseki dinner - Hirosaki Castle Park in Aomori City - Multiple Stunning Onsen / Hot Spring retreats (including the stunning Nyuto-Onsen) - Kakunodate samurai village guided tour - Japanese traditional kimono dressing and rickshaw ride - Sake tasting and sake brewery tour - Tono authentic farm experience - Hiraizumi UNESCO World Heritage Site including Chuson-Ji Golden Temple - GeiBeiki river gorge gondola boat ride - Sendai City shopping & drinking district pub crawl - Yamadera Mountain Temple Hike - Matushima Bay Boat Cruise - Kirin Beer Factory Tour - Seasonal Fruit Picking in Fukushima - Skyscraper Big i building observatory (view from the tallest building in Fukushima) - Tsuruga Samurai Castle & grounds tour - Iimoriyama (Sazaedo temple) - Visit top Sake brewery (award-winning sake tasting) - Goshikinuma crater lake viewing, light hike & rowing boat trip - Taste Kitakata Ramen (one of the best three ramens in Japan) - Nisshinkan former Samurai School (Traditional Samurai training experience) - Explore Ouchijuku Stray Roof Village (preserved 300-year-old traditional Japanese village) - Aizu Mount Express Scenic Train Journey - Nikko temples and shrines, lakes & waterfalls, etc (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Optional

Add one or two Pre/Post tour nights in Tokyo for a little extra time to explore the capital.

Transport

・Reserved Seats on all long-distance trains including the Grand Class Bullet train north of Tokyo & other bullet train seats. ・Luggage transfer when using shinkansen (one bag per person) ・Chartered vehicles & local taxis/minivans/coaches on private city tours ・Arrival & Departure Airport transfers to & from Tokyo hotel (door to door service)

Accommodation

12 Nights Stay in carefully selected top class hotels and ryokans: ・6 Nights Western (Superior & Deluxe) in Tokyo (3 nights), Sendai (2 nights), Nikko (1 night) ・6 Nights in traditional style Ryokans with hot springs & Kaiseki dinner in Tsugaru, Kakunodate, Aizuwakamatsu & Ouchijuku. Also Japanese farm homestay in Tono. Experience the atmosphere of different styles of ryokans, some small & traditional, others larger more modern. All ryokans have hot spring baths and include an exquisite evening meal. Sleeping will be on futons generally. If you have any issues with this, tell us early. We can request a bed for you instead. If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, we need to know this at booking stage too.

Flights

International flights are not included.

Insurance

Insurance is not included. All passengers must take out adequate travel insurance.