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.

This day is designed around 3 different sakura viewing spots, each a different experience. On the first one, you will enjoy the hanami custom as the Japanese do, eating a light lunch under a cherry tree. For the second, you will visit either the East Garden of Tokyo Imperial Palace or Shinjuku Gyoen, both of which house different types of gardens that offer you great and uncompromised sakura views. Finally, you will see cherry blossoms light up during the evening at Chidorigafuchi.

The sakura appreciation will be interspersed with famous Tokyo spots along the Sumida River, Asakusa and Odaiba. You will see, among other things, the Senso-ji temple, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, a Gundam statue, and Rainbow Bridge over Tokyo Bay. You will also have an early dinner of delicious sushi at Tsukiji, the famous fish market. The best is yet to come, for you will be treated to even more marvelous sights on the next day.

Checking out of Tokyo in the morning, you will go on an excursion to Hakone and Odawara, both historically significant, but each with their own brand of sakura view. The main attraction in Hakone is its Mt. Fuji view beyond Lake Ashi, the best spot to see which is the Onshi Hakone Park. You will get a scenic panorama of incredible beauty on clear days, with mountains and the lake within one frame.

In the afternoon, you will visit Odawara Castle, presently the closest standing castle from Tokyo. This place is a popular spot for sakura viewing due to the staggering beauty of the castle rising above the pink clouds of petals. The rows of cherry trees by the moat are also an inspiring sight. Finally, you will be transferred to Izu Nagaoka. You will be staying in a premium hotel with hot springs and a great seafood dinner.

A bullet train will take you to Kyoto, a historic city of a thousand temples. Two of them you will visit today: Heian Jingu and Ginkaku-ji. In the former, you will see budding shidare-zakura blossoms, also known as the weeping cherry. From the latter, you will take a walk on the famous Philosopher’s Path, a 2-km stretch of blooming cherry trees. A canopy of flowers will filter the sunlight along the path, creating a breathtaking scene.

Throughout the day, you will experience the classic side of Japan that Kyoto epitomizes. For lunch, you will try authentic Kyoto cuisine, delectable for not only your palates but also all your senses. In the evening, you will enjoy a stay in a true ryokan in Kameoka, a hidden gem just west of Kyoto. In this atmospheric lodging, you can enjoy good food and refreshing onsen. Get plenty of quality rest after the long walk in Kyoto!

Today, you will see the highlight of the Sakura Express tour. In the morning, you will board the Sagano Romantic Train from Kameoka Station. The scenic railway runs slowly along the Hozu River, affording you an incredible view of the surrounding nature, including the rows of cherry trees and the beautiful mountains. Stopping at Arashiyama, you will then take in even more unbelievable sights, including the panorama from the Togetsukyo bridge and the bamboo grove.

After a delightful kaiseki lunch, you will return to the city of Kyoto and visit another of its iconic landmark: the golden pavilion. This temple will bedazzle you with its glittering exterior, reflected in the water along with the greens that surround it. It is also home to a less-known 600-year-old pine tree which has grown into a very peculiar shape. After this little revisit, you will bid Kyoto goodbye and leave for Nara, where you will be staying tonight.

You will start your day in the scenic Nara Park, where hundreds of deer roam under a forest of cherry trees. Afterward, you will visit the nearby Great Eastern Temple, Todai-ji, which houses the largest Daibutsu statue in the world, and the grand shrine Kasuga Taisha, which is known for its thousands of lanterns. You will also have authentic Japanese grill for lunch.

Your last stop is a botanical garden outside Kasuga Taisha which displays over 300 species of plants. It also has a large pond with many voracious koi fish swimming around that you can feed. This display of nature’s beauty is a fitting final attraction for this vernal adventure. At the end of the day, you will leave Nara for Kansai International Airport, and check into your hotel.

You have completed the Sakura Express 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!