Discover Traditional Japan
(3 Night Extension Available)
October 20 - October 30, 2011
$3290* 

Experience the elements of Japanese culture and customs on this amazing singles vacation. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery as we travel from city to city by high speed train. Explore ancient cities and temples, participate in a Buddhist prayer ceremony and enjoy an authentic tea ceremony. Learn to cook a Japenese meal and sleep a few nights in a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese Inn, while meeting new friends and emersing yourself in the traditional Japanese lifestyle.

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Discover Traditional Japan Itinerary 

Day 1, Thursday:  Depart From Home

Your vacation begins when you board your overnight flight to Tokyo, Japan. Plan your flight to arrive in the morning so you will have free time to spend in Tokyo. 

Day 2, Friday:  Arrive Tokyo, Japan

You will be met at Tokyo's Narita airport by our local representative, who will escort you into Tokyo and help you check in. After checking in, relax or explore on your own.  Tonight join us for our Welcome/Orientation dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 3, Saturday:  Tokyo, Japan

After breakfast our tour begins at the Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest in the world. It is estimated that 20% of all fish caught in the world passes through here. Next stop is Roppongi Hills and the Tokyo City View, an observation deck on the 53rd floor. As we step into the Tokyo City View Observatory, a superb view of the Tokyo city is revealed. We can see Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba, Haneda, Yokohama, Shibuya, Aoyama, Shinjuku and on a clear day Mt. Fuji. 

Next, we travel to the famous Ginza district, Tokyo's famous upmarket shopping, dining and entertainment district and the most expensive real estate in Japan. We will stop for a lunch of Kushiage (fried meat and vegetables on bamboo skewers). Then have free time to wander through the boutiques and department stores, visit the Nissan and BMW showrooms, or explore the Sony Building.

Let's take a relaxing cruise on the Sumida River to Asakusa where the oldest Buddhist temple, Sensoji Temple is located. Asakusa also has a wealth of tiny shops selling traditional Japanese crafts, most clustered along a pedestrian street called Nakamise Dori.

Tonight we are free to explore Tokyo and have dinner at one of the local restaurants.

Day 4, Sunday:  Hakone, Hakone Yumoto Onsen, Japan

We depart Tokyo and travel to Hakone, a mountainous area in Kanagawa in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Historically it was a rest area for those traveling between Kyoto (seat of the imperial Court) and Tokyo (seat of the Shogun). Hakone lies within a vast crater of an extinct volcano in a mountain range that features Mount Fuji, offering fine views of Fuji-san, Lake Ashi, and numerous hot springs.

Today we will ride on an electric train, funicular, gondola, bus and the Hakone Sightseeing Boats on Lake Ashi. We will stop at Owakudani, the Hakone Checkpoint, one of 53 checkpoints located around Tokyo used to control what was being taken in and out of Tokyo in 1619. Enjoy time to explore the thermally-heated pools and mud pots. Try one of the `black eggs`, which are hard-boiled in the thermally-heated mineral waters. It is said eat one of these eggs, it will add seven years to your life. Then we will walk along Cedar Avenue as travelers did 400 years ago. The cedar trees here were planted to protect travelers on the Tokkaido Highway from the sun in the summer and snow in the winter.

After returning to Hakone Yumoto and picking up our bags, we will check into our ryokan, a traditional Japenese Inn. - live in a room with Tatami (straw mat) flooring, changing into a typical Yukata (robe) after taking an Onsen hot-spring bath, sleeping on a Futon (bedding) put down directly on the Tatami floor.

Day 5, Monday: Travel to Koya-san, Japan

Today we board a Shinkansen (bullet train) bound for Osaka, and continue by train and funicular to Koya-san, the world headquarters of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism.

Kobo Daishi, considered by many to be the most influential religious person in Japanese history, established a religious community here in the year 816. After checking into our shukubo (Buddhist temple lodging), we are free to roam and visit one of the 110 temples in the area. Wander through the nearby ghostly cemetery at the famous Okuno-in temple, or just rest in the garden at the shukubo. Our dinner of shojin-ryori (traditional Buddhist vegetarian cuisine - no meat, fish, onions or garlic) will be served later in the day.

Day 6, Tuesday:  Koya-san, Osaka, Japan

Very early in the morning, we can attend o-inori (Buddhist prayer services). Afterwards, a shojin-ryori breakfast is served before we wander through the huge cemetery leading up to the Okuno-in temple. Kobo Daishi is buried at this temple, and many Japanese still believe that Kobo Daishi is not dead, but merely in a very advanced state of meditation.

We will stop for a Shojin-ryori lunch before we tour the Garan Temple complex. The two most prominent buildings of the Garan are the Kondo Hall and the huge Konpon Daito Pagoda. The Kondo Hall is a large wooden temple hall where major ceremonies are held. It enshrines an image of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine and healing.

We then travel to Osaka by train. After checking into our hotel, we will visit the Dotonbori-dori, the nearby nightlife and restaurant district. Neon lights and sake lure Japanese to Dotombori-dori's bars, restaurants, and shops.

Day 7, Wednesday:  Hiroshima, Japan

After breakfast, we will travel by Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. In the afternoon, with a licensed, English-speaking guide, we will tour the Hiroshima Peace Park and Museum, both sobering testaments to the events of August 6, 1945. Breakfast at the hotel included.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was built to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and to promote a peaceful world. It is located in the area around the atomic explosion's epicenter, and houses the Peace Memorial Museum and many other related monuments.

The Peace Memorial Museum graphically displays the atomic bomb's horrible effects on the city and its inhabitants. A visit is naturally depressing. In the museum's east building, Hiroshima's militarist past and the process leading to the dropping of the bomb are documented. Audio guides are available in more than a dozen languages.

The Atomic Bomb Dome is one of the few buildings around the explosion's epicenter that partially survived the blast, and the city's only remaining bomb damaged building.

Between the museum and the Atomic Bomb Dome stands the Memorial Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims. It contains a list of all the people who were killed by the explosion or died due to the bombing's long-term effects such as cancer caused by radiation. The Statue of the A-Bomb Children and the Cenotaph for Korean Victims are some of many more monuments found in the park.

Day 8, Thursday:  Miyajima Island, Travel to Kyoto, Japan

Today is a free day to enjoy and relax in the beauty and ambiance of Miyajima Island ('shrine island').  Miyajima has been celebrated as a sacred island and one of Japan's three most scenic views. It is most famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, which, together with its large wooden torii (gate), stands in the ocean during high tide. Deer move around the island freely. Ride the cable car to the top of the mountain where you can visit with the local monkeys, or visit the Itsukushima-jinja shrine which was built in its present form in 1168. Or just stroll around the island while enjoying grilled oysters, the island's specialty.

Late in the afternoon, we will travel by Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto. Steeped in history and tradition, Kyoto has in many ways been the cradle of Japanese culture. A stroll through Kyoto today is a walk through 11 centuries of Japanese history. Kyoto is endowed with an almost overwhelming legacy of ancient Buddhist temples, majestic palaces, and gardens of every size and description. For many, just the name Kyoto conjures up the classic images of Japan: streets of traditional wooden houses, the click-clack of geta (wooden sandals) on the paving stones, geisha in a flourish of brightly colored silks, and a tea master deliberately warming water and making tea.

Day 9, Friday:  Kyoto, Japan

In the morning, we will participate in an authentic tea ceremony at the tea master’s home. The stylized and regimented Japanese tea ceremony has been performed the same way for over 400 years. Once considered standard training for Samurais, today the tea ceremony is enjoyed by the modern Japanese as a means of relaxation. Learn the history and the concepts behind the tea ceremony, and we will also be given an opportunity to make our own tea.

In the afternoon we will have a cooking class, where our hands-on initiation into the light, healthy and always delicious world of Japanese cooking begins.

Day 10, Saturday:  Kyoto, Japan

We will start our day at Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, one of Kyoto's, as well as Japan's, most recognizable attractions. The gleaming building covered in gold leaf seems to float on the aptly named Mirror Pond, especially on a sunny day. Next, we will visit Nijo Castle, built in 1603, it was the Kyoto home of Tokugawa Ieayasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun. The ostentatious construction was intended as a show of Ieyasu's prestige, and to signal the demise of the emperor's power. The finest artists of the day filled the castle with delicate transom woodcarvings. One of the castle's most intriguing features is the so-called "nightingale" floors. To protect the Shogun from real or imagined enemies, these floorboards creak when stepped on.


Next visit Nishiki-koji, also known as Kyoto’s Kitchen, the covered shopping arcade established 400 years ago. It is where many restaurants and ryokans shop and we probably won't recognize many of the foods on sale here but a visit is worthwhile just for the atmosphere, and the cries of Irasshimase! (Welcome). Then we continue on to the famous Gion Geisha District; stopping along the way to visit several stores frequented by the local Geisha and Maiko (geisha in training).  Then we will see the tea houses and geisha houses where the Geisha live and work, to learn more about this mysterious world.

We will finish the day with our “Sayonara” dinner of Shabu-Shabu. During the dinner, a Maiko will join the group for a private Maiko dinner party. The Maiko will perform a short dance, answer any of your questions, pose for pictures with you and teach you traditional Japanese party games.

Day 11, Sunday:  Return Home / Begin Extension

It's time to say "sayonara" to all your new singles friends. We will travel by Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo and then an express train to the airport for your flight home. ** Departure Flight must be after 3:00 pm

Discover Traditional Japan Singles Tour October 20 - October 30, 2011 $3,290* Singles Trip Includes * Japan Rail Pass * 9 Nights Accommodations * Breakfast Daily - 3 Dinners - 2 Lunches * Tea Ceremony * Japanese Cooking Class * Admissions fees during group tours * All transportation when traveling with group * Airport / Hotel transfers on tour dates * English Speaking Guides and Hostess * All Taxes and Surcharges Click Here for Hotels *The price per person is for a double room. Free roommate matching is available so there is never a need to pay a "single supplement".  If you wish to room alone the cost is an additional $750 Does Not Include * Airfare to Japan * Tips and incidentals ($11 per day - collected tour day 1)

Deposit - $500 Balance Due September 5, 2011

Takayama & Snow Monkey 3 Night Extension  Takayama is a city in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture, which has retained a traditional touch like few other Japanese cities. Takayama's old town has been beautifully preserved, with many buildings and entire streets of houses dating from the Edo Period (1600-1868), when the city thrived as a wealthy town of merchants. Day 1 - Travel to Takayama Travel by Shinkansen and express train to Takayama. Afternoon and evening free to wander the town and enjoy a wonderful dinner Day 2 - Takayama, Japan Full day tour of Takayama starting at the morning markets (asaichi), where locals sell crafts and farm products. Visit the Takayama Jinya, local government office until 1969, the present complex includes rooms for administrative purposes, offices, kitchens, toilets, bath rooms, residential space, a court room and storehouses. Hida no Sato, Hida Folk Village, is an open air museum exhibiting over 30 typical farmhouses and other traditional building. The museum's main attractions are gassho-zukuri houses, massive farmhouses with steep thatched roofs which look like praying hands ("gassho-zukuri"). Sake is one of Takayama's local specialties. Several old sake breweries can be found in the old town, recognized by balls made of cedar branches hung over their entrances. Small samples of sake can be purchased at some breweries. See four of the autumn Takayama festival's elaborately decorated floats that are several hundred years old and beautiful examples of Takayama's legendary craftsmanship.  Tonight we enjoy a Kaiseki-style dinner, traditional, multi-course dinner, served at our ryokan. Day 3 - Nagano, Japan - Snow Monkeys Our day starts with travelling by bus and train to Nagano and then continue to the Jigokudani Monkey Park. Just before the entrance to the park is the Jigokudani Steam Vent,  an impressive example of natural onsen forces at work. The Jigokudani Monkey Park offers us a unique experience of seeing wild monkeys bathing in a natural hot spring. 200 or so Japanese Macaque monkeys, also known as Snow Monkeys inhabit the area and despite the harsh conditions (snow-covered for one-third of the year) and the rough cliffs and hot springs bursting from the ground the area is paradise for the monkeys. The hot spring pool is located a few minutes' walk from the park entrance but we will likely encounter monkeys along the path. The monkeys live in large social groups, and it can be quite entertaining to watch their interactions. Accustomed to humans, the monkeys can be observed from very close and almost completely ignore their human guests. Tonight you are at leisure so try some of the local delicacies that Nagano is famous for, dumplings, insect cuisine, noodles.. Day 4 - Nagano, Japan / Depart for Home Nagano is a town which has developed around a temple of great importance. The temple Zenkoji, founded 1400 years ago, stores, what many believe to be the first Buddhist statue ever brought to Japan.  Before we board our express train we visit Zenkoji. Rebuilt in 1707, the main hall has a tunnel where we can try to find and touch the "key to paradise" in complete darkness. The key is on the wall and grants enlightenment to anybody who touches it.  Then we travel by bullet train to Tokyo and express train to the airport for our flights home. Takayama & Snow Monkey Extension October 30 - November 2, 2011 $1,495* Japan Singles Extension Includes * Japan Rail Pass * 3 Nights Accommodations * Breakfast Daily - 1 Dinners * Admissions fees during group tours * All transportation when traveling with group * Airport / Hotel transfers on tour dates * English Speaking Guides and Hostess * All Taxes and Surcharges Click Here for Hotels *The price per person is for a double room. Free roommate matching is available so there is never a need to pay a "single supplement".  If you wish to room alone the cost is an additional $250 Does Not Include *Airfare to Japan - plan your departure flight for after 3:00pm *Tips and incidentals ($11 per day - collected tour day 1)   Deposit - $250 Balance Due August 25, 2011