Organized Excursion in Japan

Our guided tour will begin at the Imperial Palace with its characteristic Japanese gardens. It is not only the official residence of the Japanese emperors, but also the largest green lung of the city. The view of the skyscrapers of central Tokyo from the palace gardens is literally breathtaking. This is followed by a visit to one of the famous fish markets in Tokyo, Tsukiji fish market, where we will have the opportunity to enjoy authentic flavors. Lunch at a local restaurant. This is followed by a visit to the artificial island of Obaida, a seaside park with several activities. Then, walking through the shopping streets of Ginza, the most expensive commercial arteries in the world, flooded with high-fashion boutiques and atmospheric cafes, we come into contact with the extreme consumerism, but also the love for everything simple and unpretentious that characterizes the Japanese people. Lunch at a local restaurant. Return to our hotel.

With 103 magnificent buildings, including two Shinto shrines (Tôshôgû and Futarasan-jinja) and a Buddhist temple (Rinnô-ji) on the outskirts of a small town of 17.000 inhabitants, 159 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, in an idyllic landscape that has been designated a National Park of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Nikko is –as the Japanese claim– “the whole of Japan”. The complex, built in the 8^th century by the Buddhist priest Shodo and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1999), is the resting place of the greatest personality that Japan has ever produced, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and at the same time it declares the love of the Tokugawa dynasty for religion and art. Our tour of the religious places of Nikko will reveal to us the decorative extravagance of the temples that comes in complete contrast to the simple appearance of the traditional buildings of Japan, will introduce us to the hidden pages of the history of the country's most famous dynasty and will offer us moments of peace and tranquility in a landscape of special natural beauty. Starting from the red arched Shink-yo bridge, over the Daiya River and walking around the wonderfully decorated sacred buildings with reliefs, depictions of animals and birds, we come into contact with the most golden pages of Japan's history. Then we head towards the mountainous Lake Chuzenji, enjoying the magnificent landscape that surrounds it. Finally, with the elevator we will go down to the observatory of the rapid Kegon waterfall, it is approximately 97 meters high and is created by the waters of Lake Chuzenji, which pour steeply into the vertical rock. The landscape around it is impressive in all seasons, we will depart for Tokyo, where we will arrive late in the afternoon. Dinner or meal and overnight stay.

Today we have a full-day excursion by train to the beautiful seaside city of Kamakura, one of the most beautiful in Japan. The Kamakura shogunate (1185-1333), founded by Yoritomo, leader of the Minamoto clan, had gained great power and was one of the most powerful during the turbulent medieval times. It was decided to move the new capital here and thus the previously insignificant small town experienced a period of glory and grandeur. Proof, the largest bronze outdoor statue of Amida Buddha (Kotoku in) from the 13^th century, 13,35 meters high. This is the first attraction to which our steps will lead us. Our walking tour will continue at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu with its thousands of votive lanterns and colorful statues of the beloved deity Jijo, one of the most beautiful Shinto temples and the most important shrine in Kamakura, while the next Hase Dera temple we will visit, dedicated to the beloved Goddess of Mercy Kannon, is considered the most visited place of worship in Japan. Finally, our walk along the picturesque Komachi-Dori shopping street with its wooden houses, picturesque shops and traditional restaurants reveals the market rich in traditional products of this very interesting historical city. Return to Tokyo, dinner or meal and overnight stay.

“Never say beautiful, unless you have first seen Fuji” tells us an ancient Japanese proverb and through this sentence the parallel course of the Nation with the monumental volcanic symmetrical cone of Fuji is declared. It dominates at 3.776 meters and has been “sleeping” since 1707, when the last eruption took place. It is the ultimate symbol of Japan, worshipped as a god and has been a magnet for both believers and tourists. Although some geologists are concerned about its activity, fearing a new eruption, Mount Fuji fascinates in a unique way to this day. On sunny days, the view from Hakone, at an altitude of 2.300 meters, is magnificent. On today's excursion, our approach to the 5^th station will help us enjoy the volume and grandeur of the snow-capped Fuji and understand the reasons why so many poems have been written and so many paintings have been painted on this subject. Fuji is part of a huge, organized National Park, Izu-Fuji-Hakone, which includes five mountain lakes of incredible clarity, many therapeutic complexes and luxurious hotel facilities, while due to its proximity to Tokyo, it is the closest escape point for residents of the capital for daily excursions. A short cruise on the crystal-blue Lake Ashi with a view of the central Alps mountain range will close our day in a dreamlike way. Immediately afterwards we go to the train station, from where we will board the bullet train to Kyoto, located on the island of Honshu. Dinner or meal and overnight stay.

Kyoto is the most historic and at the same time the most elegant city in Japan. A trip to Kyoto is equivalent to a tour of 11 centuries of Japanese history. It is the “real capital” of this strange country. Traditions, religion, aesthetics, art were born here. The blooming Kyoto of cherry blossoms and refined gardens maintains its color and authenticity unchanged, refusing to capitulate to the future. If someone wants to know the true heart of Japan, they must definitely find themselves in Kyoto. Since 794 it has been the first capital of the Japanese Nation under the name Heiankyō. It was later renamed Kyoto, which means “First City” and remained the capital of Japan until 1868. However, it never lost its scepter in the consciousness of the Japanese, as the center of their psyche. It is so beautiful that in World War II the Allied forces did not bomb it, recognizing its cultural value. The city is home to a huge number of treasures and it is estimated that over 20% of all works of art in Japan are located in Kyoto. A city with more than 1.700 Buddhist temples and more than 300 Shinto shrines. Here the visitor understands that geishas, ​​kimono, samurai and sumo wrestlers are not a thing of the past. Our full-day tour will begin with the magnificent Bamboo Forest. The orange-colored Heian Shrine (1895), dedicated to Emperors Kammu (737-806) and Komei (1831-1867), is our next stop, while the Sanjusangento Shrine (1164), with its 1.001 statues of the Goddess of Mercy Kannon, will impress us with its size. Next is the incomparable Golden Pavilion, the most famous attraction in the northern suburbs of the city, which was the summer villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and which was converted into a Zen shrine after his death in 1408. We will continue to the Fushimi Inari Shinto shrine dedicated to the eponymous rice deity, with its labyrinthine enclosed paths completely covered by tree trunks. After our walk we will watch the traditional tea ceremony. In the afternoon with your guide you can visit the postmodern building of the train station or walk on the “Philosopher's Path”, which will reveal to you the Kyoto of the margins, off the beaten tourist track. For the evening, a passage through the Gion area, the traditional Geisha district and today the center of nightlife, is the best way to close our acquaintance with the stately city. Dinner or meal and overnight stay.

Nara, the capital of the province of the same name in the Kansai region, is today a small, picturesque and quiet city with a long and dynamic past. Although it was the capital for a very short time (710-784) under the name Heijo, the Buddhist presence and the power of the monks were considered great threats and forced the government to move the capital to Nagaoka in 784. However, some of the most impressive Buddhist shrines that we will see today on our tour remained on its territory. What one realizes, leaving the central train station, is that modern Nara is in no way inferior to the rest of the Japanese provincial cities. Well-designed streets, beautiful small shops, atmospheric restaurants and modernly dressed residents, hurrying about their work, are the first images that the visitor receives. Just a few steps further and suddenly a vast park spreads out in front. It is the city's namesake park, which took its current form in 1880. And as you walk along, the landscape fills with deer. So accustomed to human presence that you play with them, feed them and take pictures. More than twelve hundred deer roam freely in Nara Park. According to mythology, one of the four gods of Kasuga Temple, Takenomikazuchi-no-mikoto, appeared on a white deer to protect the city from famine, and since then the deer have become the messengers of the gods. Until 1637, the punishment for killing a deer was the death penalty. Today, deer are considered National Treasures. The visit to the historical monuments will begin at the Todai-ji Temple, which houses the enormous bronze statue of Daibutsu (Great Buddha), 16 meters high. This temple, which loosely translates to "Great Eastern Shrine", was built in 752 as the administrative center of all the Buddhist temples in the Nara region. This is followed by a visit to the Shinto shrine Kasuga Taisha, a favorite altar of the powerful Fujiwara family, who ruled the region during the Nara and Heian periods. The temple is full of votive bronze lanterns, which when illuminated at night, give the landscape an otherworldly image. With a walk in Naramachi, a former merchant neighborhood with traditional wooden houses and small rock gardens, we close our visit to charming Nara. Then we depart and end up in the “Economic Dragon of Japan”, Osaka, the second largest city in the country. Dinner or meal and overnight.

Our tour today will bring us into contact with one of the most important manufacturing and commercial ports in the world: Osaka. If Tokyo is considered the spiritual and cultural center of the country, Osaka is the central core of all economic and business activities of the country. Built on the delta of the Yodo River, with one of the most modern and busiest airports in the world, it is the second, in terms of number of visitors, gateway to the country. The official translation of the name Osaka is “Great Hill”. The history of the city dates back to the Kofun period (250-538 AD). Naniwazu, as the old name of the port was, was for centuries the main entrance for visitors from Korea and China. Although Osaka never achieved the grandeur of other imperial cities, it cannot be overlooked that it was one of the country's first capitals and, for a long time, the most important economic center in Japan. During the Edo period (1603-1867), the city developed rapidly. And of course, beyond the economic sector, it is also culturally rich, as it is closely linked to the traditional art of woodblock printing, which is extremely widespread in Japan, and has a vibrant artistic life, as evidenced by the numerous “Bunraku” and “Kabuki” theaters. Getting to know Osaka always begins with a visit to its famous Castle, located in the center of the city and considered one of the most famous and best preserved in Japan. Although it is essentially a copy of the original (the original burned down three times during its history), even today it still impresses with its volume, its exterior decoration with gold leaf and its lush green surroundings. Its construction began in 1583 by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and was completed in 1597. Today it is a very interesting museum with remarkable exhibits of medieval clothing, war objects and representations of the daily life of the hard life of the Samurai, while the park that surrounds it is an oasis of coolness and is ideal for romantic walks. A visit to the Sumiyoshi-taisha temple, the most famous Shinto shrine in Osaka, will bring us into contact with the central Sumiyoshi worship building from the 2.000 that exist throughout Japan. Here, 3 great gods of the Japanese pantheon are worshipped: the god of the sea, the god of poetry and the god-patron of the Nation. After traversing the main roads of the Minato-ku area and being amazed by the transformation of a city completely razed during World War II, we will end up in the Dotonbori area, where the commercial heart of Osaka beats, with hundreds of shops, restaurants and a vibrant nightlife. After visiting the Umeda area, with its oversized futuristic buildings, the climb to the Umeda Sky Building, the 19^th tallest building in the Osaka region, consisting of two 40-story towers connected to each other, housing many offices of multinational companies, and the 360-degree view from the top floor will take our breath away and reveal what is described as a “Japanese miracle”. Dinner or meal and overnight stay.

We board the bullet train again this morning heading for the martyred Hiroshima. The city whose inhabitants experienced the tragedy and nightmare of the dropping of the atomic bomb in the last days of World War II, but which the Japanese stubbornness managed in a very short period of time to transform into a modern residential model with beautiful parks, impressive buildings, multi-thematic educational and cultural institutes and an extremely interesting market. Upon arrival, we will first go to the sacred island of Miyajima and the much-photographed Itsukushima gate. This is the most characteristic sea gate (Tori) of Japan, the absolute symbol of Shinto culture. With a height of 16,8 meters, red as fire, it stands proudly in the sea, while it can be approached on foot from the beach, depending of course on the height of the tide level. The gate was built in the 6^th century and in 1996 it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunch at a local restaurant and return to Hiroshima and the tour continues at the Peace Park, with the only building left standing, right next to the point where the atomic bomb exploded, on the morning of 6^th August of 1945, standing scarred by sad memories, the cenotaph of the thousands of victims of the nightmarish war, the Eternal Flame, the Peace Bell and the museum with photographs, audiovisual material and exhibits from that deadly day. Transfer to the train station and boarding the bullet train to Osaka.

After our breakfast, free time until the afternoon where we will be transferred to the airport for our return flight.

Arrival in Athens.