The first day is a standard affair. Your guide will pick you up at the airport and assist you with preparations for the tour. A private coach will take you to your hotel in the heart of the city. After the check-in procedures are completed, you will have the rest of the day to yourselves.

Classic Japan at its best, Tokyo is your starting point for the Silver Ring loop. The attractions and activities included on this day were selected to give you a brief overview of the classic Japanese things in every traveler’s checklist. Asakusa is your first destination, and it encapsulates the many facets of this city -- 1400 years of history in its temple, uniquely modern buildings and landmarks, and an exciting rickshaw ride to explore them all with. The Nakamise shopping street is also brimming with traditional and modern Japanese food and souvenirs.

The first included lunch is another classic Japanese menu. Enjoy a serving of high-quality sushi in Ginza, an upscale neighborhood that used to be a silver mint during the Edo period. The ever-evolving district has several points of interest including the iconic Wako building and the Kabuki-za theater, among others. Tsukiji, which is nearby, offers you a glimpse into the world’s most famous fish market. Complete your appreciation of Tokyo’s architecture with a drive around the Marunouchi and Otemachi area, circling around the immediately recognizable features of Tokyo Imperial Palace. Afterward, you will take the famously fast bullet train toward Kanazawa on the other side of the island.

The combo of Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go is the most requested set of destinations in the Hokuriku region, and for a good reason. Kanazawa holds the beauty of samurai legacy, both castle and garden, and embodies Japanese aesthetics in a succinct and yet comprehensive manner. Shirakawa-go, on the other hand, is about Japanese ingenuity and know-how, with an architectural style passed down from many centuries ago.

Your lunch today will be a different style of seafood dish called kaisen-don, which you will enjoy in the biggest fish market this side of Tsukiji. Fresh fish and other delicacies straight from the Sea of Japan will be served on top of a bowl of rice in colorful arrangements for your enjoyment. Your lodging, on the other hand, is a ryokan situated deep in the Hida Mountains in the city of Takayama. As such, you can expect a dinner menu of delicious mountain produce.

Takayama is an important city in Gifu Prefecture, being under the Edo government’s direct control despite its rather remote location. The government office, Takayama Jinya, is the only one of its kind that survives to this date. You will get to explore this historic building to study the timberwork and various samurai artifacts. Afterward, you will visit the folk museum that displays local crafts for further appreciation of Takayama’s culture.

But there are three main reasons Takayama is a highly popular destination. First is its signature delicacy, the delicious Hida beef, prepared with miso on magnolia leaf. Second is its old town district, which offers inexhaustible shopping options amid rows of well-preserved merchant houses. Third is its bi-annual Takayama Matsuri, one of the greatest festivals in the country. Depending on your time of visit, you may actually be able to experience all three! And finally, in the afternoon, you will be transferred to Matsumoto.

The famous woodblock prints of Japan enter the spotlight today, as you explore the largest collection of this Edo-period art form in the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum. Behold the meticulous attention to detail that went into the creation of each ukiyo-e displayed, and procure your own collection of reproduced prints in its gift shop! Next to the museum is a wooden courthouse, the only of its kind remaining in Japan. The exhibits include information on judicial processes from different eras, police tools and equipment, and other law-enforcement-related displays that you may find interesting.

After a serving of local buckwheat noodles, you will explore one of the top three castles in Japan, which earned its nickname of "black raven fortress" due to its black exterior. Matsumoto Castle is one of the few surviving original castles in Japan, having retained its wooden interior instead of being rebuilt and repurposed as many other castles have in Japan. Climb up its main keep and experience the view from atop this National Treasure! Last but not least, you will be sightseeing around the Nakamachi Street, lined with white-painted merchant houses, which gives it a different vibe and atmosphere from other preserved merchant towns such as the one you saw in Takayama yesterday.

Leaving Matsumoto and taking the bullet train back to Tokyo, you will finally close the loop that your trails have formed during your journey around Honshu. To celebrate your completion of the Silver Ring, you will have an authentic washoku lunch in the iconic Kill Bill restaurant. Afterward, you will be brought to your hotel in Haneda/Narita, depending on your airport of departure.

You have completed the Silver Ring tour! We hope that you enjoyed your trip with ILJT! On the last day, you will check out of your hotel and conduct an independent transfer to the airport. Have a safe flight back home, and see you again soon!