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.

It just seems appropriate to kick off an alpine-themed adventure from the highest spot in Tokyo. After a short stop in Asakusa and its famous temple, you will visit the observation deck of the 634-meter Tokyo Skytree. From its observation deck at 350 meters high, you will get an impressive view of Tokyo in all directions, including the mountains to the west of the city and possibly even Mt. Fuji. There are also great views of the Imperial Palace to the south, and of Tokyo Bay to the east, which connects to the Pacific Ocean.

Your afternoon will be spent around that very Tokyo Bay. The beautiful Rainbow Bridge, the awesome Gundam statue, and the vibrant Tokyo Tower from afar are but a few of the interesting views you will see in Odaiba. You will also visit an onsen theme park nearby, which offers many creative ways to indulge, including of course a selection of different hot spring waters to soak in! Finally, you will take the fully automated train back to the city center. The soaring observatory, the warm baths, and the exciting ride in Tokyo conclude your introduction to the alpine course, and you will experience them again in spades once you get to the main dish.

This morning, you will be heading toward the very mountains you saw from Skytree yesterday, beyond which stands the greatest and most sacred of them all, Mt. Fuji. Get one of the finest panoramic views of the mountain from beyond the Chureito Pagoda in Arakura Sengen Shrine. Behold its snow-capped peak beyond the icy Lake Kawaguchi. Enjoy the signature dish of the area, a bowl of udon cooked with locally harvested vegetables.

The main highlights of the day are the two caves in the Sea of Trees at the foot of Mt. Fuji. These perpetually cold grottos are natural wonders of interesting variety. Explore the ice and wind caves, and check out the icicles and lava ropes that form within, and the faintly glowing moss. After the exciting excursion, you will return to Tokyo for another stay.

Checking out of Tokyo in the morning, you will take the famous bullet train to Nagano Prefecture, a region at the heart of the Japanese Alps. As soon as you arrive, you will enjoy a serving of Shinshu soba, the trademark buckwheat noodles from this mountainous region. After that, you will be brought to the Jigokudani -- literally Hell’s Valley -- in Yamanouchi, which is today’s main attraction.

You will be trekking into the valley to the Monkey Park. Along the way are spectacular views formed by the combination of the volcanic activity and the abundant snow of this region, which lingers even sometime after spring. At the end of the walk is a curious wildlife situation, where Japanese Macaques soak themselves in onsen baths. Observe the monkeys as they blissfully enjoy nature’s luxury and play with each other. After the exciting excursion, you will return to Nagano, whereupon you will check into your hotel.

Matsumoto is surrounded by mountains, and is best known for its ironically flatland castle. Also known as the “black raven fortress”, Matsumoto Castle is one of the top three castles in Japan, its wooden structures having survived since its construction in the 16th century. This unique castle will be your first destination today.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy lunch in a wasabi farm just outside Matsumoto. The Daio Wasabi Farm is the largest in the world. The Japanese horseradish in this farm is grown with clear water flowing from the mountains, and it is a great example of mountain harvest. Apart from trying out and buying different wasabi products, the farm also offers very scenic walking trail along the river and between the fields. After a pleasant time in this farm, you will return to Nagano.

It is time to bid goodbye to Nagano. From the central station, you will take another shinkansen, this time to Kanazawa, a city by the Sea of Japan. Your first destination upon arrival is the fish market, which serves the freshest kaisen-don from the western coast of Honshu. Afterward, you will be brought to Myoryu-ji, a temple better known as Ninja-dera due to its surprising tricks and traps that are bound to impress you.

Your last stop today is the famous castle-and-garden set of this city. As one of the three most beautiful Japanese gardens, Kenroku-en not only offers a dreamlike scenery within its premises, but also overlooks the entire city.of Kanazawa. Kanazawa Castle on the other hand displays the impressive aspects of Japanese architecture and carpentry. Behold and experience the best of Kanazawa before you check into your hotel!

Today, you will go on an excursion to three different settlements in the Hida Mountains, also called the Northern Alps. First is the Historic Village of Shirakawa-go, a remote village known for its traditional gassho-zukuri architecture, which refers to the houses’ steep thatched roofs designed to withstand the heavy snowfall of the region. Enjoy a serving of local Hida beef for lunch in one of the quaint restaurants in this location.

The second alpine settlement is Takayama, a city that boasts a beautifully preserved old town district. Explore its many rows of wooden storefronts and visit one of its sake breweries before you leave for the third and the last: a hot spring town at the mouth of Kurobe Valley called Unazuki Onsen. Check into your hotel here and enjoy a luxurious bath overlooking the gorgeous Kurobe Gorge!

The apex of this tour takes you to unprecedented heights -- an exciting day on various forms of transportation across the beautiful mountains of the Northern Alps! Take the cable car and a bus from your starting point in Tateyama. As you make your way up, you will be able to walk one of the peak highlights of this itinerary: the Tateyama Snow Corridor, which indeed is a veritable wall of snow. At this altitude, the vestiges of winter tower over you well into spring, sometimes reaching a height of 20 meters. Your stop at Murodo offers you an impressive mountain panorama to go with your lunch.

Continuing with a trolley bus tunneling through the sacred mountain of Tateyama itself, and the longest ropeway in the entire country, you will get another breathtaking view of the mountain range around you. On the other side of the alpine route is the Kurobe Dam, which is Japan's tallest. Walk across its observation deck and take in the majestic view of the entirety of its icy surface, a sight that you will remember. Finally, you will exit the Kurobe Alpine Route on the other side, where your driver will pick you up and take you back to Nagano Station. Board the bullet train and return once more to Tokyo, where you will stay for your last night in the country.

You have completed the Alpine Adventures 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!