Hotel Granvia Osaka

This 4-star hotel is located next to JR Osaka station.

This morning, we take direct flight to Osaka. The representative meeting you at Osaka airport will escort you to the hotel in Kyoto. After check-in at hotel, free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Activities recommended. 

1. Wander around Nishiki Market where we can find various of local special dishes, snacks at Nishiki market. 

2. Visit the Yasaka Shrine. 

3. Wander around Gion district, stroll along Hanami-koji Street. 

4. Watch traditional Kyoto dances performed by Maiko (apprentice geiko) at Gion Corner.(Show time: 7:00pm-7:50pm). 

Located around Shijo Avenue between Yasaka Shrine in the east and Kamo River in the west, Gion is filled with shops, restaurants and ochaya (teahouses), where geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha) and maiko (geiko apprentices) entertain. Gion attracts tourists with its high concentration of traditional wooden machiya merchant houses. The most popular area of Gion is Hanami-koji Street from Shijo Avenue to Kenninji Temple. A nice (and expensive) place to dine, the street and its side alleys are lined with preserved machiya houses many of which now function as restaurants, serving Kyoto style kaiseki ryori (Japanese haute cuisine) and other types of local and international meals.

This morning (8:00am - 8:30am), we drive to visit Nijo Castle which was completed in 1626. It was once used as the Tokugawa Shogun's family palace. Then, we'll visit Kinkakuji Temple(a World Heritage site), one of the sacred sites of Japan. The wooden architecture is covered in thin layers of pure gold and is surrounded by a beautiful pond. Afterwards, it's on to Kyoto Imperial Palace, former residence of the Imperial Family. 

After lunch, we go to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha which is the head shrine of 40,000 inari-jinja shrines located all over Japan. Then on to the Sanjusangendo Temple with its 1,001 impressive images of Buddha. The tour ends with a visit to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple (World Heritage Site), famous for its wooden veranda. The view of Kyoto from Kiyomizu-dera is superb. The historic shopping lane that leads to the temple adds to a wonderful experience. After the tour, we drive back to hotel.

Today, we take train ( Limited Express Thunderbird) to Osaka, the 3rd largest city of Japan. After arrival, we can walk to the hotel near the JR Osaka station. After check-in at hotel, free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Activities recommended:

1. Osaka Castle Park. 

2. Osaka Castle Museum in Osaka Castle Tower, you' ll know more about the history of this city.

3. Dotonbori, a popular area boasting a number of well known restaurants offering various kinds of traditional and modern Japanese dishes.

4. Shinsaibashi, famous shopping area. 

You can visit the amazing city by yourselves, or have 1-day tour to visit Hiroshima.

1-day Hiroshima tour (extra cost *).

This morning, we take Shinkasen to Hiroshima. After arrival, we drive to Miyajimaguchi and take ferry to Miyajima. We’ ll visit Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage site. Established in the 6th century, this shrine is one of Japan's finest, and is famous for its beautiful Shinden-zukuri style structure (architecture representative of a nobles' residence in the Heian period). The contrast of the green of Mount Misen behind the lacquered shrine pavilion and the blue of the Seto Sea is beautiful and evocative of the underwater palace of Ryugujo. 

After lunch, we take ferry back to Miyajimaguchi. Then, we drive to visit Peace Memorial Park. This large-scale park was established in 1949 after the Pacific War ended, and is visited by countless visitors as a symbol of peace. The museum within the park is an Important Cultural Property of Japan, and was built to remind future generations of the terror wrought by atomic bombs. The Atomic Bomb Dome is a symbol of the disastrous atomic bombing during WWII, the first atomic bombs used in human history, and has been preserved as it was to promote peace and elimination of atomic weapons around the world. Afterwards, we drive to railway station and take shinkansen to Osaka.

The representative will meet you at hotel lobby (12:00noon), then we drive to airport and take flight to Shanghai.