Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Treasures of Kyushu

From there, we’ll enjoy a walk through this lively district before heading to a local restaurant for dinner (included). We’ll return to the hotel by subway, accompanied by our guide.

We arrive in this idyllic town of charming houses, flowers, and mountains beside a stunning lake. Upon arrival, we’ll visit Arakurayama Sengen Park, famous for its beautiful pagodas and for offering some of the most iconic and breathtaking views of Mount Fuji. Afterwards, we’ll visit the Fuji Sengen Shrine, a magical place surrounded by tall trees — traditionally the starting point of the pilgrimage up Mount Fuji. We’ll take a moment to give thanks at the shrine for the opportunity to visit such a spiritually rich and enchanting site. Around 12:30 p.m. – We’ll enjoy a pleasant 30-minute boat ride on Lake Kawaguchiko.

You’ll have time to explore the area, popular among tourists and mountain climbers, stroll around, and visit the small shrine located there.

This charming mountain village, once destroyed by a typhoon in 1966, has been beautifully restored as a traditional open-air museum. Its historic houses now serve as arts and crafts shops, restaurants, and cultural museums, offering a glimpse into Japan’s rural heritage.

You’ll have time to stroll and soak in the vibrant atmosphere of this historic neighborhood. The return to the hotel will be on your own. We recommend taking a taxi, and your guide will explain how to do so.

This emblematic Shinto shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the deity of learning and scholarship. Surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens and ponds, the site is famous for its over 6,000 plum trees, whose blossoms attract many visitors in late winter. The shrine is especially popular among students, who come to pray for academic success.

We arrive in this historic city, sadly known for being destroyed by an atomic bomb during World War II. We’ll begin by visiting Ōura Church, Japan’s oldest Christian church, dedicated to the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki. This church, which blends Gothic architecture with local design elements, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 as part of the “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region". Free time for lunch in Chukagai, Japan’s most vibrant Chinatown, with its colorful pedestrian street filled with restaurants and food stalls. After lunch, we’ll visit the Atomic Bomb Museum (admission included), offering a powerful reflection on the horrors of war. Next, we’ll head to the Peace Park, where we’ll admire moving sculptures donated by countries around the world as symbols of hope. Finally, we’ll visit the Dejima area, a former artificial island that, for centuries, served as Japan’s only gateway for international trade. We’ll explore its historical reconstruction (admission included).

We will walk “through the hells,” as this area is popularly known, which in the 17th century was the setting of Christian persecution, during which many were martyred through torture using volcanic steam.

Free time in the shopping area near the castle to stroll and have lunch. Afterwards, we will visit Kumamoto Castle (admission included), considered one of the three great castles of Japan, famous for its black towers and massive stone walls, some of which are still undergoing reconstruction following the 2016 earthquake. We will then visit Suizenji Jojuen (admission included), a landscaped garden from the Edo period that recreates mountains, lakes, and other elements of the Japanese landscape in miniature. Free time at the end of the visit in this modern city.

We will take a shuttle from the base of the volcano up to the crater. Its caldera, one of the largest in the world, measures approximately 25 km in diameter. Inside the caldera rise several volcanic peaks, the most active being Mount Nakadake, from which we can admire an impressive steaming sulfur lake surrounded by a dramatic volcanic landscape. Free time.

We will visit the well-known “Hells of Beppu” (admission included), starting with Umi Jigoku, renowned for its vivid blue water and beautifully landscaped gardens, and continuing to Kamado Jigoku, very popular with families for its ponds of varying colors and temperatures, decorated with demon figures. After the visit, transfer to the hotel and free time.

We’ll visit one of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines, and the main sanctuary dedicated to Hachiman, the protective deity of Japan. This is the head shrine of more than 40,000 Hachiman shrines across the country. Founded in the 8th century, it blends traditional architecture with spacious gardens surrounded by nature. We’ll stroll across its iconic red bridge and through its main pavilions, a photogenic and deeply spiritual setting.