Day 00 
Assemble at Singapore Changi Airport for flight to Nagoya.

Day 01 

(Coach: -/L/D) (Drive: -/-/-) 

Hotel: C: Gero Onsen Sasara (Hot Spring); D: Gifu Miyako Hotel or similar 

Get accustomed to driving in Japan on your short drive from Toyota outlet to the Nagoya Castle. Constructed on the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1612, the remaining structures and artifacts of the Nagoya Castle have been handed down as Important Cultural Assets. Take in the grace of the symbol of Nagoya and spot the gold tiger-headed dolphins on its roof. During the Edo period, five roadways connecting Edo to the outlying areas. The Nakasendo, running through Central Japan and linking Edo to Kyoto, was one of them. Magome is one of the sixty-nine post towns that line the Nakasendo. The history of the place is almost palpable as you follow the winding stone-flagged path on the steep slope that winds its way up the Kiso Valley. Amidst the low traditional buildings, you can almost hear the clip-clap of horses and the voices of merchants. 

Day 02

Gero Onsen/Gifu – Takayama

(Coach: B/L/D) • (Drive: B/-/D)

Hotel: C: Honjin Hiranoya Kachoan (Hot Spring); D: Honjin Hiranoya Bekkan (Hot Spring) or similar

Today is the day for you to explore two of Central Japan’s most beautiful traditional towns with vastly different characteristics. Known for its clear spring waters, Gujo Hachiman* is a picturesque riverside town located in the Gifu prefecture. The waterways here function the same way as they did way back in the Edo Period. Next up is the Shirakawa-Go*, nestled in the high mountains of the Japan Alps. Here in this UNESCO World Heritage Site are traditional houses with its unique gassho-zukuri farm houses built entirely without nails. They are designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in this region during winter and their large attic space were used for the cultivation of silk worms. 

Day 03 
Takayama – Okuhida
(Coach: B/L/D) . (Drive: B/-/D)
Hotel: Hodakaso Sangetsu (Hot Spring) or similar
 

First up this morning is a visit to the Miyagawa Morning Market. Filled with both interesting local characters and local produce, this is the place to truly engage all your senses, especially your sight, sound and definitely taste! Sampling local fare is a favourite pastime for visitors to Takayama. While there are plenty of opportunities to do this throughout Takayama's charming streets, stepping into one of the numerous sake breweries in the Takayama Old Town is going to be worthwhile even if only to breathe the heady aromas and wander among the sake vats. A visit to miso shops is also recommended, as you can see bubbling pots of fresh miso with small paper cups around and feel free to help yourself to a taste! 

Day 04

Okuhida – Matsumoto

Hotel: C: Matsumoto Marunouchi Hotel; D: Hotel Buena Vista or similar 

Soaring up 2,156 metres to two-third of Mt Hotaka (Japan’s third tallest mountain) is the Shin-Hodaka Ropeway that has garnered a prestigious 2-star award in the Michelin Guidebook. Be simply awestruck by the sheer scale of nature’s beauty as you step out onto the observatory and see the peaks of the Japan Alps stretching endlessly into the horizon. It is no small feat to be the largest wasabi farm in a country like Japan, which consumes more wasabi than any other country in the world, but the Daio Wasabi Farm has this honour. The pristine snow melt from the Northern Alps creates the perfect conditions for the growing of wasabi and a wide array of wasabi products can be found here. Wasabi juice and wasabi wine anyone?

Day 05

Matsumoto – Lake Kawaguchi

(Coach: B/L/D) • (Drive: B/-/D)

Hotel: La Vista Fuji Kawaguchiko (Hot Spring) or similar
 

(Car drop-off at Lake Kawaguchi Toyota branch.) 

• Beyond Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, there are many other cities that have a long history, and these cities usually originate from castle towns. Matsumoto is one such example. The Matsumoto Castle is a National Treasure of Japan and it lays claim to the oldest five-tiered keep in Japan. Moving southwards from the Japan Alps, you will reach the vicinity of Japan’s most famous mountain – Mt Fuji. On reaching Lake Kawaguchi, a nice place to visit will be the Kawaguchiko Music Forest, a theme park and museum devoted to automatic musical instruments. Its main hall displays antique music boxes, mechanical organs and other automatic musical instruments. The largest of them is a French fairground organ from 1905 which takes up an entire hall and plays every 30 minutes. The park outside encloses European style gardens with good views of Mount Fuji and walking paths lead among the garden's manicured lawns and winding canal, connecting the museum’s restaurant, shops, chapel and rose garden to one another. 

Day 06

Lake Kawaguchi – Tokyo

(Coach: B/L/D) • (Drive: B/-/-)

Hotel: Hilton Tokyo or similar

(Car drop off at Lake Kawaguchi branch) 

Nevermind how many times it has 

appeared on postcards and paintings (even more so now that it has reached the UNESCO World Heritage status), Mt Fuji still stirs the spirits of those who visit. It sweeps up majestically from the Pacific to form a nearly perfect symmetrical cone of 3,776m. Taking a drive up to the Mt Fuji 5th station (subject to weather conditions) 

will bring you to the highest point that cars can go up to. After the visit to Mt Fuji, we bid farewell to gorgeous nature and leap right into modernity as we go towards Tokyo. Before reaching one of the world’s busiest capitals though, we will satisfy the shopping bug over at the Gotemba Premium Outlet first. Japan’s largest outlet mall has over 210 international and local brands waiting for you to explore with their seasonal and special discounts! 

Day 07
Tokyo

(Coach: B/-/-) • (Drive: B/-/-) 

Hotel: Hilton Tokyo or similar

Get right into the action and bustle of 

Tokyo on your free day today! Start before the break of dawn over at the Tsukiji Market to grab the freshest catch of the day followed by a shopping marathon in Tokyo’s fashion-forward streets of Ginza and Shinjuku. There is definitely something for everyone!

Day 08
Tokyo – Haneda – Singapore
(Coach: B/-/-) . (Drive: B/-/-)
 
Enjoy some additional free time this morning before your flight back to Singapore.

AUTUMN ITINERARY (SAMPLE)
Assemble date:   TBA