Summer Matsuri | August 2-11, 2013
What defines the perfect summer vacation for you? If you’re ready to experience the kind of summer vacation that people your age across Japan look forward to every year, this is the tour for you! We’ll be visiting two fireworks displays, staying at an onsen (hot spring) ryokan, and seeing some of the best temples and shrines Japan has to offer – not to mention checking out Tokyo’s urban summer offerings. Come join us for the most memorable summer vacation you’ll ever have!
The tour includes:
- R/T airfare from Los Angeles
- 8 nights accommodations, including 5 nights hotel in Tokyo and 3 nights ryokan in Ito
- Stops in Tokyo, Kamakura, Atami, Ito, and the Jogasaki Coastline
- All transportation (train, ropeway, bus, shinkansen/bullet train) within Japan
- Professional bilingual guide services
- Custom tour guidebook
- Admission to all activities
- Much, much more!
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Departure!
We depart from Los Angeles and head to Japan!
DAY 2: Arrival in Japan
Crossing the international date line, we arrive in Japan! After getting settled in, we’ll kick back with a rooftop dinner at one of Japan’s “beer gardens” where the food is all you can eat, the drinks are bottomless, and the view is spectacular.
*If taking part in the Lost Islands Extension, this is when you would meet up with the tour.
DAY 3: A Sunday in the City
In the morning, we’ll be swinging by Asakusa to shop for yukata for those of you who want to dress like the locals for the forthcoming festivities. Afterwards, we head to the Akihabara Area to explore the anime shopping areas, try our hand at some pretty unusual arcade games, and pick up some essentials for the fireworks. That evening, we’ll see our first firework display!
DAY 4: Fashionable and Festive
Will the fashionistas be out in Harajuku? We’ll find out in the morning! After exploring Tokyo’s fashion-forward streets, we’ll make a stop in Mitaka to visit the Ghibli Museum to see the history of Japan’s most famed animation studio.
DAY 5: The Kamakura Experience
Today, we experience the traditional city of Kamakura – summer style! Our day begins with a visit to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and the shopping street that makes up Kamakura’s traditional center. Next, it’s off to Hase Temple, where the only thing more breathtaking than the traditional temple buildings and giant Kannon goddess is the view of the ocean and beach. To cap off the day, we’ll visit the famed giant Buddha before heading back to the city.
DAY 6: Free Day!
The day is yours to explore, relax, or return to a place you wish you had more time to visit. Your guide will be on hand to help you get wherever you want to go!
DAY 7: Kicking back in Ito
In the morning, we board a train for the seaside city of Ito, where we’ll check in to our welcoming seaside ryokan. The afternoon is yours to relax in the hot spring and check out the city before we go to the river to watch the procession of paper boats – heralding the start of the city festival, the Anjinsai.
DAY 8: Cliffs and Beaches
In the morning, join us for an optional hike to the Jogasaki Coastline, where one of Japan’s most picturesque suspension bridges leads visitors to a spectactular view of the Izu Peninsula coastline. Then, join us for an optional late morning trip to Atami! When you arrive, you have a choice: visit the beach, visit a few other onsens in the area, or do a little of both! Once we’re back in Ito, join us for a Taiko concert, a game night, and a few fireworks (a preview of the night to come)!
DAY 9: The Anjinsai!
Today will be all about Ito’s festival – the Anjinsai – as we head to a parade, sample some festival delicacies, and watch one last fireworks display to finish the trip with a (literal) bang.
DAY 10: Heading home…
Return home and tell your friends how they should’ve come along!