Itinerary Details

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo

Transfer: Tokyo Haneda Aptto Tokyo - Minato & Bay

Hotel: Shiba Park Hotel (3 Star Rating)

Welcome to the best in Japanese hospitality, the Shiba Park Hotel. It is the tradition of this hotel to serve the local and overseas guests alike, with their well-trained, friendly and helpful staff. They offer many services regardless of whether you are travelling on business or pleasure.

Day 2: Tokyo Highlights Tour

Take a day tour of fascinating Tokyo. First up is Asakusa, Tokyo's old town where you can soak in the atmosphere of old Tokyo. Visit Sensoji, Tokyo's oldest temple and wander down Nakamise, a shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries.

Next, visit Hamarikyu garden, an Edo Period Japanese garden surrounded by the Shiodome district's futuristic skyscrapers, a great example of how Japan is the land of contrasts. Later visit Meiji Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji and a popular place for traditional Japanese weddings. Finish the day at Shibuya's famous 5-way 'scramble crossing'.

Day 3: Morning Sumo Morning Sumo Training and Evening Flavours of Tokyo Food Tour

This morning, a guide will meet you at your hotel and take you to a "sumo beya" or sumo stable. Here, you will have a peek behind the scenes at the world of sumo beya. All rikishi (wrestlers) belong to heyas, or sumo stables, where they live, train and eat. You will be able to visit one of these heyas to get up close and personal with these giant men and watch their asa geiko (morning training).

The day begins in the early morning when the lowest-ranked men wake up and put in some practice before going about their assigned duties, which include cleaning the building and preparing the food for the main meal of the day. Higher ranked sekitori appear at a more reasonable hour, and they begin a practice session that runs from about 7 am until about 10 am.

After several hours of warm-up and technique practice, the wrestlers play an exciting "King of the Castle" game where one wrestler stays in the ring fighting bouts without any rest until he is defeated.

As the end time for training is in flux, the tour disbands at the stable. You will need to make your own onward arrangements.Tucked beneath the tracks in central Tokyo, Yurakucho is home to one of the city's most atmospheric dining enclaves - a maze of lantern-lit alleyways and long-standing izakaya and restaurants hidden beneath the rumble of passing trains. Tonight is your chance to explore Tokyo's vibrant food scene where the city's working crowd gathers after dark for good food, flowing drinks, and lively conversation. Enjoy a relaxed evening moving between handpicked local spots where the air is filled with the hum of Tokyoites unwinding. Each stop introduces a different flavour of Tokyo's casual dining culture and is a window into a side of Tokyo often missed - unpolished, energetic, and full of character.

Day 4: Hakone Excursion from Tokyo

This morning, leave Tokyo behind as you journey to Hakone, the gateway to Mt Fuji and surrounding national park. Your local guide will accompany you on the journey there and assist with forwarding your luggage to your destination after Hakone. Then you will travel together to Hakone and have the chance to explore the Hakone "Loop". The loop can be done in clockwise or anti-clockwise order and your guide will decide the best course depending on where you are staying tonight, the season and how busy Hakone is when you visit.

The loop typically includes a journey up to the Gora area to ride the Hakone Ropeway to Owakudani volcano crater, where you can try the tasty black eggs boiled in water bubbling up from within the volcano itself. Also included in the day's arrangements is a cruise across Lake Ashi. On clear weather days, you may be able to see Mt. Fuji peeping over the mountains (visibility is best from November to March). After the tour, you will be dropped off at your hotel or ryokan in Hakone.

Hotel: Hakone Kowakien Ten-Yu (4 Star Rating)

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu is an onsen hotel that combines traditional Japanese design with modern amenities. Every guest room includes a private open-air hot spring bath, and guests also have access to large public onsens, restaurants, and gardens. The hotel is located near attractions including Yunessun hot spring theme park, and the Hakone Open-Air Museum, making it a convenient base for exploring the area.

Day 5: Hakone to Kyoto

Transfer: Hakone - Gora to Odawara Station

A celebrated site, the world - famous Fushimi Inari Shrine sees millions of visitors every year. Thousands of bright red torii gates line the mountain trail of Fushimi Inari Shrine. Walking through the truly unique vermillion gate pathway is a visually stunning experience. Inari is the Japanese God of rice harvest. It is also believed to bless businesses with an abundance of fortunes, hence its popularity with merchants. The shrine complex spans over the entire Mt. Inari (233m/765ft).

On your tour, you will visit the main shrine hall. Then, you will proceed through the famed vermillion gate tunnel. Next, visit a temple that once caught fire and was reconstructed a century after it was first constructed. At 120 meters, Sanjusangendo is the longest wooden structure in Japan. Inside, you will find 1001 statues of Kannon, the Buddhist saint of Mercy.

Then stop at a celebrated UNESCO site, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which is older than Kyoto as the capital of Japan. Built for Kannon, the Buddhist saint of mercy, this temple is said to grant wishes of all kinds - and especially so for women praying for safe childbirth. The temple is famous for its wooden platform stage, the Kiyomizu Butai. The massive stage was constructed out of wood and joints - no nails. At four stories high, it was once a popular wish-making spot.

Hotel: Hotel Vischio Kyoto (4 Star Rating)

Hotel Vischio Kyoto by Granvia is conveniently located just a short walk from Kyoto Station. The property offers sophisticated, modern rooms with all the essentials including comfortable beds and spacious layouts. The hotel's relaxed ambiance, friendly service, and convenient amenities like a fitness center and restaurant make it a great base for exploring Kyoto.

Day 6: Kyoto Gold Highlights Tour

From dramatic power struggles that led to almost 200 years of civil war, to the oldest geisha district and its beautifully preserved teahouses, Northern Kyoto is rich in history and spectacular architecture. Although this region is home to the most popular tourist site in Kyoto, The Golden Pavilion, many visitors overlook the surrounding neighborhoods despite their remarkable charm and importance to the city. With your knowledgeable guide you'll navigate cobblestone streets in neighborhoods that were established over a 1000 years ago. You'll find that Kyoto is not only a city steeped in the past, but full of modern monks, artisans, and college students still working towards its lively future.

Visit Kinkakuji Temple, a favorite to millions of visitors each year, you will quickly see why this jewel set into the northern hills is one of the most visited sites in Japan. It is covered in real gold leaf and vibrant at any time of year no matter the weather. Then visit Ryoanji Temple, home to one of the most famous zen rock gardens in Japan.

Continue to Kintano-tenmangu, a remarkable shrine to scholarship that was built to appease the spirit of an angry ghost. The shrine's surrounding entertainment district was first built after a fire in 1444, when a large section of the temple had to be rebuilt, and the remaining timber was used to construct 7 tea houses that became the first 'flower town' or Geisha district in Kyoto.

Explore the Kamishichiken district, every bit as charming as its more touristy cousin the Gion district, with the added bonuses of fewer crowds and excellent photo opportunities.

Day 7: Day at Leisure in Kyoto



Day 8: Kyoto to Singapore

Transfer: Kyoto - Northern Higashiyama to Osaka Kansai International Airport

Transfer: Singapore Changi Aptto Singapore - City Centre

Hotel: The Standard, Singapore (5 Star Rating)

The Standard, Singapore is a luxury lifestyle hotel designed to deliver a unique and vibrant experience to both locals and international guests. Located in the heart of Singapore, the hotel blends modern aesthetics with playful, avant-garde design elements that are a hallmark of The Standard brand. Offering stunning city views, impeccable service, and a lively social scene, it caters to travelers seeking comfort and creativity in equal measure.

Day 9: Singapore City Tour

Begin your journey in Kampong Glam, where modern life blends with rich traditions rooted in Singapore's Malay, Arab, and Bugis heritage. Enjoy a scenic drive through the Civic District, passing landmarks such as the Padang, Singapore Cricket Club, historic Parliament House, and the National Gallery Singapore. Stop at Merlion Park for sweeping views of Marina Bay and a photo with Singapore's iconic symbol.

Continue to Thian Hock Keng Temple, one of the city's oldest temples, then drive past the vibrant streets of Chinatown. Conclude at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a visit to the stunning National Orchid Garden, showcasing thousands of exquisite orchids.

Day 10: Day at Leisure in Singapore



Day 11: Singapore to Phuket

Transfer: Singapore - City Centre to Singapore Changi Apt

Transfer: Phuket Airportto Phuket - Rawai Beach

Hotel: The Vijitt Resort Phuket (4 Star Rating)

Escape to a heavenly corner of earth at the Vijitt Resort Phuket where the pace of life is slow and the scenery is simply breathtaking. Situated on a tranquil beach away from the bustling tourist crowds, this luxury all-villa Phuket resort offers a rejuvenating retreat that exudes Thai charm. The exquisite location of the Rawai hotel was handpicked for its outstanding natural beauty offering wide open spaces with tall swaying palms and lush green lawns that gently slope towards the Andaman Sea.

Day 12: Chalong Bay The Spirit of Phuket with Lunch

Kicking off in the late morning at 11:00, transfer from the hotel to the Chalong Bay Rum Distillery around noon, just in time for delicious lunch at the distillery. After lunch, be welcomed with a refreshing Chalong Bay Mojito, followed by visiting the one-and-only distillery of Phuket. Observe the inner working process.

Learn how award-winning rum is produced from sustainably-grown Thai sugarcane and observe the French copper still and on-site bottling facility in action. After the 30-min guided distillery tour, come back to the bar to taste 6 different flavours of rum. Have a chance for shopping before departing the distillery. Chalong Bay rums will be packed nicely as a perfect souvenir to bring back home!

After the distillery tour, continue to Wat Chalong Monastery, a center of Buddhism built during the reign of King Rama V. Join the monks as they go about their daily rituals and gain a deeper insight into the life of Thai Buddhists and their deeply rooted beliefs.

Next, take a scenic drive with stops at a few viewpoints offering spectacular vistas of Phuket’s beaches.

Cap off the evening at the famous Phromthep Cape for the best sunset of the day before returning back to the hotel.

Day 13: Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island by Private Longtail Boat

Today, spend a day at sea visiting beautiful Phang Nga Bay from Phuket. After breakfast, you'll be met and driven to the jetty where a private, longtail boat awaits. Climb aboard and cast off to begin your adventure!

Cross the emerald-green waters of the bay, passing by dramatic limestone karsts and uninhabited islands. Go ashore at 'James Bond Island', a distinctive rocky island that is a popular place for photos.

The day is filled with several fantastic stops. Cruise through a pristine mangrove forest, getting a close look at the incredible ecosystems created by these ancient plants. Stop at secluded beaches to go swimming alongside colourful tropical fish. There is plenty of time to explore secluded beaches and soak up the sun. Around midday a scrumptious picnic lunch will be served in a scenic location. Enjoy the fresh air and tropical breeze while dining on a delicious meal.

As the sun begins to dip low into the sky, return to Phuket arriving in time to watch the sunset at the end of the day. You'll be transferred back to your hotel.

Day 14: Cooking Class at Blue Elephant Phuket

Start your Thai culinary journey with a visit to Phuket's morning market where you'll learn to select and buy the perfect Thai ingredients for your personal cooking lesson at Blue Elephant Cooking School. After a morning market, you will head over to the school for an insightful culinary class. The instructor will explain the culinary techniques and demonstrate how to prepare each dish.

Then you will begin to learn how to cook a variety of popular dishes with a qualified Thai chef. The class is followed by a meal in Blue Elephant's delightful restaurant sampling your own cooking as well as additional Thai dishes.

Day 15: Day at Leisure in Phuket



Day 16: Heritage of Phuket with Dinner

Take a closer look at Phuket's rich cultural heritage on this unique tour.

You'll be met at your hotel and start with a visit to the island's historic quarters, where a delightful mix of old and new buildings can be found. See Phuket's oldest Chinese shrine, learning about the Chinese migrants who came to the island in the 19th century to work in the tin mines.

Continue past Sino-Portuguese buildings which attest to the island's past as a key stop on the Asian trading routes. There is also a chance to visit a colourful fruit market where locally-grown tropical fruits are sold.

Following this insightful walking tour, return to the vehicle and drive to the summit of Rang Hill. Enjoy sweeping views of the town, seeing the heritage buildings from a different point of view. A refreshing cocktail and light snack will be served at this scenic location.

The tour comes to a close with dinner at a great local restaurant. Afterwards, you'll be transferred back to your hotel.

Day 17: Day at Leisure in Phuket



Day 18: Depart from Phuket

Transfer: Phuket - Rawai Beach to Phuket Airport