Grand Tour of Japan

Arrive in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, Japan's most northerly island and transfer to your hotel. Known for its exquisite street food, beer and beautiful mountain surrounds, Sapporo offers a blend of urban sophistication and natural beauty.

This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers and Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort. Stay Two Nights: Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo (D)

Discover the delights of Otaru, a charming port city in Hokkaido. Captivating visitors with its historic canal, romantic atmosphere, fresh seafood, and snow-covered streets in the winter. Visit the fascinating Music Box Museum with its collection of thousands of music boxes before heading to your Insider Experience. Later, head back to Sapporo and enjoy an evening at leisure. (B)

Insider Experience: Explore Ayoma Villa, learn about the herring fishing trade, and the great wealth one family gained and admire the stunning villa. Created over 6 years the wood-frame construction is adorned inside with paintings, calligraphy, and more than 2,000 panes of handmade glass.

Enjoy your Insider Experience journey to one of Hokkaido Island's main cities and the first port open to foreign trade. This afternoon, take a sightseeing tour of the local sights by coach, including Goryokaku, a star-shaped fortress that dates back 150 years. Explore foreign influence in the Motomachi district, a former residential area for traders. Here, you can see a Russian Orthodox church, the old British Consulate, and a Chinese memorial hall.

Later, ascend Mount Hakodate via ropeway, for breath-taking panoramic views of the city and surrounding areas. Tonight, enjoy your Insider Experience. Stay: La Vista Hakodate Bay (B/D)

Insider Experience: Journey to Hakodate on the Super Hokuto limited express train. As the route heads to Hokkaido's eastern shores, skirt around Uchiura Bay and admire the coastal scenes. Experience dinner in a local beer hall dining on local specialities in a convivial setting.

Explore the vivid array of stalls at Hakodate's fish market, which boasts fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruit, and sweets, and look out for tanks of live shellfish and clusters of crab. After your visit, embark on your Insider Experience, speeding through the countryside to Japan's modern capital. Check into your accommodation in the lively Shinjuku area, where you have a free evening to explore at leisure. Stay Two Nights: Tokyo, Keio Plaza Hotel (B)

Insider Experience: Travel by Shinkansen, high speed bullet train to Tokyo. Appreciate the speed and comfort as you watch the scenery unfold.

A full-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo showcases the old and the new combining ancient sites with the modern high-tech world. Visit the Imperial Palace Plaza, stroll through the beautifully landscaped Hama Rikyu Gardens, explore Asakusa with its 7th century Sensoji Temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo and take in the energy of the famous Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection on the planet. (B)

Embark on your Insider Experience. In Hakone, enjoy a scenic ride on the Hakone Ropeway, a cable car ride offering panoramic views of Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi and the surrounding volcanic landscapes providing a breathtaking experience. Board an enchanting boat for a charming cruise across the crater lake to your hotel where you will enjoy dinner. Stay: The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko (B/D)

Insider Experience: Travel by Limited Express train to Hakone. A luxurious and comfortable train service that connects Tokyo with Hakone and the stunning Mount Fuji region, it offers scenic views of the majestic mountain landscapes.

An exciting Insider Experience awaits you today. After viewing the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, stop en route to Matsumoto for a visit to the Chihiro Art Museum Azumino. This museum honours renowned artist Chihiro Iwasaki who was known for her delightful water-colours of flowers and children. This evening is yours to spend at leisure, exploring Matsumoto. Stay: Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu (B)

Insider Experience: Visit the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, a modern and informative facility that showcases the cultural and natural significance of Mount Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Enjoy incredible vistas from the observation deck of forests, snow-capped mountains, and glistening lakes.

After your Insider Experience, continue to Matsumoto Castle. This stunning and well-preserved castle dates to the 16th century and is famous for its black exterior and elegant architectural design. Continue to Takayama and soak in the spectacular mountain scenery on your way to visit Hida Folk Village, an open-air museum depicting more than 30 rustic farm dwellings from the Edo Period. Enjoy a night of leisure and time to explore the narrow streets of Takayama. Stay: Hotel Associa Takayama Resort (B)

Insider Experience: Enjoy a guided tour of a miso factory to find out how this Japanese staple is made. Discover why this paste – a mixture of fermented soya beans with salt and other umami-based ingredients – is so important in Japanese cooking, before tasting the distinctive flavours for yourself.

Nestled among mountainous surrounds, Takayama's narrow streets and wooden houses appear almost untouched by time. Explore Takayama and admire the ancient architecture on a guided tour featuring Miyagawa Market, Sannomachi Street and Takayama Jinya, the old government house. Leaving Takayama, travel by train along the Hida River valley to Nagoya before boarding the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. Stay Two Nights: Righa Royal Hotel Kyoto (B)

Insider Experience: Travel by high-speed bullet train, also known as shinkansen from Nagoya to Kyoto.

See the highlights of Kyoto today on a tour beginning at the Kyoto Railway Museum, which houses a variety of trains from the earliest steam locomotives to the ultra-modern bullet trains. Continue to the iconic Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) dating back to the late 14th century and covered in gold leaf before a stroll through the tranquil Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, one of Japan's most iconic sites. After taking part in a special Insider Experience, finish the day with a stroll around the Gion area, Kyoto's famous geisha district. (B)

Insider Experience: Take part in a traditional tea ceremony and gain an insight into how to brew, serve and drink this distinguished drink in the traditional way.

Today you'll explore Nara, a former capital of Japan, and home to eight World Heritage-listed sites. Take in the Todai-ji Temple where you'll find the Great Buddha, a 13th-century bronze statue. Continue to beautiful Nara Park, a delightful deer sanctuary spread over almost 530 hectares, before transferring to Osaka, where you'll catch a bullet train to Hiroshima renowned for the unprecedented devastation it suffered during World War II. Stay Two Nights: Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel (B)

Insider Experience: Travel by bullet train to Hiroshima.

A guided tour today takes you around Hiroshima. From the Peace Memorial Park to the A-Bomb Dome, your tour explores the city's tragic devastation during World War II. Later set off for Miyajima Island and your Insider Experience. Return to Hiroshima and enjoy an evening at leisure. (B)

Insider Experience: Travel by local train and ferry to Miyajima Island and spend time admiring the famous Itsukushima Shrine, a Shinto shrine and the iconic Tori Gate that guards its entrance which appears to float on the island's waters at high tide.

After breakfast, journey to Hakata on the southern island of Kyushu. Enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of the Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine, dedicated to the Shinto god of learning. Said to have been built over the grave of a 9th-century poet, there has been a shrine here since 905AD, although the pavilion we see today dates from 1591. In the charming grounds of pretty bridges and serene pools stand 6,000 plum trees. Head to Kyushu National Museum for your Insider Experience.

This evening, gather for a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant, and take time to reflect on the adventure you have had. Stay: Fukuoka, Hotel New Otani Hakata (B/D)

Insider Experience: Ride a bullet train to Hakata. Admire the impressive collection of displays at the Kyushu National Museum and uncover the history of Japanese culture, at this national museum that opened in Japan over 100 years ago.

Transfer to Fukuoka Airport this morning after breakfast. (B)