Welcome to Japan dream tour tour website! Discovery Your Way by Japan dream tour.

Start Date : PRE TOUR from May 12 2016
Start Date : BASE TOUR from May 15 2016
Nights: Pre Tour 3 nights , Base Tour 12 days 11 nights
PRE TOUR PRICE : USD 1,195
BASE TOUR PRICE : USD 5,995
Single room supplement: Pre Tour USD 395
Single room supplement: Base Tour USD 1,595

PLEASE NOTE

All prices are per person, based on double or triple occupancy.
International flights are not included on our tours - this allows you the flexibility to choose your own departure and get the best value for your money!

TOUR COST INCLUDES

Private coach transfers between destinations in Japan
Comprehensive escorted with our licensed professional English speaking tour guide
Meals described as in the itinerary
Admission fees and activities
Entry fees to sites, gardens, and museums listed in the itinerary
Domestic Airport tax

TOUR COST DOES NOT INCLUDE

International Airfares and Tax
Meals that are not included in the itinerary
Travel Insurance
Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
Personal expenses such as telephone and laundry bills
Gratuities

ADDITION INFORMATION

Transport : Travel by air conditioned, private coach, baggage handling free
Meal Requests : Vegetarian or special meals can be arranged
Meet and Greet : Please note that the meet and greet and airport transfer to the first hotel is ONLY available on the first day
of the tour after 15:00 AM. If you plan to stay extra nights before the start of the tour, please arrange your own hotel transfer

Tour schedule and prices subject to change without notice

MAP

※Extension Tour

TOKYO

Tsukiji Fish Market※

Imperial Palace※(View from coach)

Asakusa※

Sumo training stable※

Happoen Garden※

Meiji Shrine※

Ginza※

MT.FUJI

Mt.Fuji 5th step

SHIZUOKA

O-Cha Center in Shizuoka

Tea picking

World Tea Museum

Tea Research Center

Gyokuro green

KYOTO

Heian Shrine

Ipodo-Tea shop

Golden Pavilion

Gion district

Nanzenji Buddhist Temple

Kiyomizu pottery workshops

Kozanji Temple

SHIKOKU

Awabancha Tea Factory

Goishi Cha Tea Association

Dogo

KUMAMOTO

Mt.Aso

SAGA

Saga Castle

OSAKA

Osaka Castle

Tokyo 3 Days Pre-Tour Extension

TOKYO
After a short orientation and welcome we take in the sights of the city and enjoy the return of spring. Our first stop is the bustling Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest in the world. Wander the market stalls (there are tea shops too) and enjoy the freshest sushi lunch made from the morning's catch. If we are lucky, there may be a few cherry blossoms to see as we stroll through the plaza of the Imperial Palace - residence of the Royal Family. We'll join the faithful pilgrims and visit the Asakusa Shrine followed by the adjacent market shops of Nakamise St.

TOKYO
Sumo wrestling is a sacred sport in Japan and we will start the day with a visit to the training stable to witness the intense practice. Our next stop is the serene Happoen garden with it's specially designed landscaping. As we walk down tree lined paths we'll stop at the tea house for a tea ceremony demonstration and enjoy some Mat Cha and tea sweets. After lunch we'll visit the Meiji Shrine built to commemorate the Meiji Emperor and his wife. A Shinto temple, it is also a popular spot for weddings. Before dinner we'll stop at a local tea shop to see how tea is sold. An optional visit to see a performance at the Kabuki Theater is available for those interested.

TOKYO
Today we begin our training in Cha-no-yu, with a demonstration and hands-on instruction in the Japanese tea ceremony. Learn all the steps of both the host and guest. After lunch we lighten the mood with a little competitive shopping on the Ginza, Tokyo's famous shopping street. After our welcome banquet, perhaps take an optional visit to a tea bar to absorb some of the local ambiance.

Tea Tour of Japan Base Tour 12days

TOKYO-SHIZUOKA
Today we shift things into high gear as we board our private coach bus and drive to iconic Mt. Fuji. Observe the revered peak from the scenic viewing center then wade through the tea bushes at a nearby tea garden for our first instruction in tea picking. Taste some freshly made tea to build our appetites for lunch. After arriving in Shizuoka, we'll have an informative meeting at the O-Cha Center, the offices of the Shizuoka Tea Department.

SHIZUOKA
Today we take a day trip to Makinohara. Tour the World Tea Museum, walk around the beautiful garden and enjoy another style of tea ceremony demonstration in the tea house . Then we'll go into the class room in a lecture at the Tea Research Center to learn the science of tea. After a specially prepared tea-lunch where each dish contains tea, we'll tour a tea processing factory and learn the steps in producing and refining Sencha - Japan's most popular tea. We'll also have a guided tea tasting of a selection of different teas from the area. After touring a state-of-the-art, mechanized tea factory, well witness and try our hand at making the nearly lost are of Temomi - hand tea making. Then, to gain an understanding of tea in general we'll have a lecture on Japanese tea history. This evening, have a chance to interact with people in the local tea industry at dinner.

SHIZUOKA
Our morning starts early with a visit to the lively tea auction market. See how tea is traded as it has been for generations. Afterward we'll drive to Okabe, famous for the famed Gyokuro green tea. Pick and make your own tea under the tutelage of Gyokuro Master Tohei Maejima. Our lunch will be in Master Tohei-san home. Dinner is back in Shizuoka this evening.

SHIZUOKA-KYOTO
After breakfast we say goodbye to the tea gardens of Shizuoka and board the bullet train to the ancient capital of Kyoto. We'll jump into history and culture right away with a visit to the colorful Heian Shrine and garden. In case we are in need of some refreshment, tea-time this afternoon will be at Ipodo, the oldest tea shop in Kyoto. Tonight's dinner is in a tea house in the infamous Gion, Kyoto's traditional pleasure district. If we are lucky we may see a Maiko (Geisha apprentice). Our home for the next two nights is in a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese style guest house. You may feel free to lounge about in the provided yukata robe and partake in the Onsen hot bath (separate baths for men and women).

KYOTO
After a peaceful night's sleep on the fluffy futons, we delve into the spiritual side of Japanese culture starting with a visit to the Nanzenji Buddhist Temple. The serene rock gardens, comforting wooden floors, simplistic decor and intricate architecture blend to create a contemplative ambiance. The pottery workshops of Kiyomizu are world renowned. We will visit a workshop to see how the unique styles of teaware are made. Try your hand at making a tea bowl under the tutelage of a master potter. The secluded Kozanji Temple - the site of the oldest tea garden in Japan is our next stop. This unassuming structure, founded in the beginning of the 13th century and a World Heritage Site, is the spot where the first tea seeds were planted after being brought from China by the Zen Priest Eisai. The traditional shops of Ninenzaka are filled with traditional arts and crafts. There is also a shop selling green tea ice cream! Our dinner tonight is very special - the Kaiseki Ryori. A feast for all the senses, this meal has evolved from the multi-course repast that was served before formal tea ceremonies. We must arrive precisely on time. To top off the experience, the chef will visit us after his performance and describe the uniqueness of each dish. Our delightful meal is one of the specialties of famous Kyoto cuisine.

KYOTO-VILLAGE OF WAZUKA
As we say goodbye to Kyoto we will visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for it's Tori corridor. Then, we head out into the country-side to the village of Wazuka. We will meet with a local tea company and pick our own tea in their fields. Next comes the excitement of making our own tea in their workshop including spending some time turning the stone grinding wheel to make Mat Cha. We'll get a chance to sip the tea we made while listening to a private music concert provided buy a local group. Then, we transfer to our own tea-hostel. The traditional country-style accommodations (boys and girls in separate rooms) include a unique shabu shabu dinner that uses the locally made Houji Cha as a broth. Before settling in for the night, relax in a specially prepared hot tub - of real tea!

VILLAGE OF WAZUKA-TOKUSHIMA
Another special day is in store as we drive to Nara and visit the workshop of a Cha Sen (tea whisk) maker. Our lunch today is at a local restaurant and the dress code is - Kimono. Get fitted in a real Kimono complete with tabi socks and wooden sandals and parade together through the town. Don't spill, the clothes are rented. Next we are off to the historic city of Uji renowned for fine teas since 1160. We'll visit a modern tea factory to see the very unique processing method of Matcha, the powdered green tea used in the tea ceremony. Attend a short lecture on Mat Cha tea making and have a chance to taste some examples of this special tea. Also a source of earthenware for centuries, we will pay a brief visit to an ancient kiln to see the original way ceramics were fired. Topping off a full day of fun, sit back and take in the countryside as we drive to Tokushima, arriving in the evening. Dinner on the way.

TOKUSHIMA
Today we'll get a very special glimpse into a side of tea that few tea people, even in Japan, know about. Aoicho, in Tokushima prefecture is the source for Awabancha, fermented tea. The leaves are first fermented in wooden barrels and then sun dried. Visit a farmer who produces this rare kind of tea and have a chance to see it being made and perhaps participate in some of the steps. Of course we'll be able to taste this special creation, a treat that few outside the area have done. Have a taste of the area with lunch and dinner at local restaurants today.

TOKUSHIMA-DOGO IN MATSUYAMA
Goishi Cha is yet another very rare kind of tea made in Japan. With obvious historical links to the compressed teas of China, we will visit a local village that produces this unique tea that is most often used to make tea porridge. The steamed leaves are covered with mats and allowed to ferment. The leaves are stuffed into barrels with heavy stone weights placed on top. The dried blocks are cut into small cubes that resemble "Goishi" or chess pieces. Have a chance to join in the process as well as taste this special tea. We'll stop for the day in Dogo and stay in the Tsubaki-kan, the guest house that was the inspiration for the bath house in the animated movie Spirited Away.

DOGO-ASO
After catching the morning car ferry to Oita, things really heat up. Mt. Aso, on Kyushu is one of Japan's largest active volcanoes and (weather permitting) we'll take the cable car up to the summit for a look down into the Nakadake crater (caldera). The area around the top stands in stark contrast to the verdant grasslands at the base. You may even see some Japanese "cowboys" at work with their herds.

ASO-KARATSU or SAGA
We head West today to Yame one of Southern Japan's major tea producing areas. We'll tour a tea garden and factory and taste the local teas. After lunch we continue on to the historic city of Saga which is as famous for pottery as it is tea. We'll also step back a few hundred years in time with a visit to the Saga or Karatsu Castle before retiring for the night.

SAGA or KARATSU-TOKYO
This area is a large producer of Sen Cha and supplies around half of the country's Gyokuro tea. So, this morning we'll enjoy one final sip of fun and visit a tea farmer to pick/make/taste his award-winning teas. Our final stop is the provincial capital of Fukuoka for a meeting with the local tea producers association. Fine tune your palate at a tea tasting of a variety of South Japan teas. With memories and cameras filled with our unforgettable adventures, we fly back to Tokyo to rest for the night before heading for home in the morning.