Discover the gracious spirit of Old Japan on this full-day tour to three of Kyoto's most alluring sites. The imperial capital of Japan for over a thousand years, Kyoto is the cultural and artistic heart of the nation, best known for its Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, beautiful gardens and historically priceless buildings.

Following an approximately 90-minute scenic drive to Kyoto, you arrive at the magnificent Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), Kyoto's world-renowned and most photographed temple and garden. Built in 1394, the original Kinkakuji was a retirement villa for a former Shogun. The three-story Chinese-influenced Golden Pavilion has delicately curving roofs, with the walls and eaves of the second and third stories covered in shimmering gold leaf.

After lunch at a local restaurant, you'll visit Nijo Castle, with its immense walls and moat. Completed in 1603, the castle is famous for its nightingale floors, designed to detect the footsteps of ninja assassins and warn the residents of invaders. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nijo Castle is one of the world's great historical buildings.

Another stop in your tour is Sanjusangendo, famous for its 1,001 12th-century statues of the Buddhist deity Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. Sanjusangendo translates to hall with 33 bays and the 33 alcoves display 1,000 awe-inspiring statues and a single gigantic sitting image of Kannon. Carved from Japanese cypress and painted with gold leaf, each of the multi-armed figures stands five and a half feet tall, and has subtle differences in expression and accoutrements, testimony to the skill and originality of the Momoyama wood carvers.

Visit a serene shrine and one of Japan's most stunningly natural seaside settings, both lying in the shadow of majestic Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain. Settle in for a drive into the beautiful countryside that lies in the foothills of Mount Fuji. Japan's national symbol and one of its most extraordinary settings, Mount Fuji has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a sacred place and source of artistic inspiration. Prior to ascending Mount Fuji, climbers often pray at Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine, which you'll visit. The shrine has been considered a guardian deity that prevents natural disasters and ensures easy childbirth. More than 500 cherry trees grace the surrounding grounds. Inside, there is a pond fed by melting snow and ice from Mount Fuji. The pond has been designated a Special Natural Monument and attracts pilgrims that come to purify themselves in the clear water. Next stop is the Mt. Fuji's 2th Station, at approximately 4,700 feet. You will have chance to see dynamic view of Mt. Fuji. The 2th Station offers stellar views of the mountain's magnificence. Last stop is the Mt.Fuji World Heritage Centre. This is newly openen in December 2017 and consists of three buildings. The central building is covered with the wood lattice and characteristic shaped of the inverted cone. This wood lattice is made from Fuji cypress. From the top floor, you will enjoy magnificent view of Mt. Fuji as picturesque.

Spend hours shopping in Dotonbori, a vibrant entertainment district in downtown Osaka that boasts a seemingly endless number of stores and restaurants in a compact, easy-to-walk eight-block area. After being dropping off in the heart of the district, you will be free to explore for about three hours. You can stay longer if you wish and then return to the ship on your own. Either way, you will be awed by the dazzling visuals, as Dotonbori is known for its giant, often three-dimensional billboards adorned with everything from a giant crab with moving legs to Uncle Karl, the wide-mouthed mascot for a popular brand of cheese puffs. The sights couldn't be more flamboyant and over-the-top. The collection of stores is just as spectacular. Most every imaginable type of merchandise can be found in Dotonbori, from exquisite designer fashions to quirky souvenirs. Sushi is a great choice if you are dining.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Spend hours browsing the energetic, visually stunning Dotonbori shopping district.
• Snap photos of the outlandish, oversized and inescapable billboards in Dotonbori.
• Be awed by the huge variety of merchandise and dining options.

Sample a selection of sake made with water from Mount Fuji and then visit a heritage center dedicated to the mountain and its influence throughout Japan.

A scenic drive through the countryside will bring you to Fuji Takasago, a sake brewery founded in 1831 at the foot of Mount Fuji, where its groundwater is most abundant. The water from the snow melt that runs off the mountain takes nearly 100 years to filter through the earth's underground layers, leaving the water extraordinarily pure.

Following an enlightening tour of the brewery, where you will watch rice being turned into sake, you will be offered a selection of Fuji Takasago's rice wines. During the sampling, you may notice that the Mount Fuji water imparts a mild taste to the sake. Being high in amino acids, these sakes are also rich in umami, a flavor associated with rice wine.

You will gain a different perspective of Japan's most celebrated peak at the Mount Fuji World Heritage Center nearby. Its exhibitions include Japanese art and literature that the mountain has inspired and paper screens that show Mount Fuji changing with the seasons. Another highlight is the building's inverted lattice cone sculpture that mimics the shape of Mount Fuji when viewed in the reflecting pool.

The center was named to recognize UNESCO declaring Mount Fuji to be a World Heritage site for its solitary beauty, iconic shape and deep impact on Western art. It may well be the world's most famous stratovolcano.

See how the clear mountain spring water that originates on Mt. Fuji is used for rainbow trout farming and to grow wasabi. After about 50 years of underground filtering, the water emerges in natural springs or is extracted to supply the people of the Shizuoka Prefecture with water of extraordinary quality. The area supports more rainbow trout farms than anywhere else in Japan, one of which you will visit. It will be an enlightening experience as you will discover how these beautifully colored fish are cultivated in great numbers. The majority of the wasabi consumed in Japan also comes from the prefecture. After observing how it is grown, you will sample a rice ball that contains freshly ground wasabi and rainbow trout. Few foods are so emblematic of the area and the obsession with the pure water from Mt. Fuji. At Jimba Waterfall, you will watch that water gently cascade into a pool below.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Gain insight into how rainbow trout are farmed in water that originates on Mt. Fuji.
• Visit a farm that relies on that same pure water to grow wasabi or Japanese horseradish.
• Sample a traditional rice ball made with wasabi and rainbow trout.
• Behold the beauty of Jimba Waterfall, whose water comes from Mt. Fuji.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

This mostly panoramic tour affords you magnificent views of Mount Fuji from both a hilltop outlook and a beautiful coastal pine grove so stunningly scenic that artists have captured its beauty for centuries.

Head to Nihondaira Park Outlook, which offers a glorious view of Suruga Bay and majestic Mount Fuji. You might also catch a glimpse of Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, perched high above the outlook.

Your scenic drive takes you to the seaside pine grove - Miho no Matsubara. The grove consists of more than 50,000 pine trees, including a 650-year-old tree thought to have mythical powers. The view from the shore with Mount Fuji lording over the scenery has been rated one of the top three views in Japan.

Delve into Japanese culture by visiting an art museum, enjoying a ritualistic tea ceremony and admiring one of the most spectacular views of sacred Mount Fuji.

Visit the Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum in the fishing village of Yui. More than a thousand woodblock prints from Utagawa Hiroshige, a 19th-century master of the ukiyo-e genre, are beautifully displayed here. As you will discover while browsing the works of art, the ukiyo-e genre typically depicts subjects of everyday life that include landscapes, birds and flowers.

Hiroshige’s genius for landscape composition and color in works such as The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido influenced European painters such as Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

At a tearoom in a nearby park, you'll enjoy a tea ceremony. You will be served traditional green tea, but the ceremony involves more than merely the beverage. It is a ritualistic art form in which the tea must be prepared and presented in a certain manner known as the Way of Tea.

Drive to the seaside pine grove Miho no Matsubara. The grove consists of more than 50,000 pine trees, including a 650-year-old tree thought to have mythical powers. The view from the shore with Mount Fuji lording over the scenery has been rated one of the top three views in Japan.

OVERVIEW

Marvel at glorious Mount Fuji while riding a cable car to a hilltop Shintō shrine and then delve into the Japanese culture by making chopsticks. While some people climb the 1,000 or so steps leading to the Kunozan Toishogu shrine, you will ride to the summit. The higher you ascend, the greater the views of the city below and majestic Mount Fuji beyond. No other sight in Japan is more iconic than the snow-capped mountain, the tallest peak in Japan. More wonders await you within the shrine complex, a collection of brightly painted ornate buildings dedicated to the shōgun that unified Japan in the early 17th century. Be sure to notice the well-armed guardian statue near the Romon gate. You will experience Japan's creativity at Sumpu Takumi Shuku, a cultural workshop where artisans produce traditional crafts using centuries-old techniques. There you will have the opportunity to produce your own pair of lacquered chopsticks hands-on.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ride a cable car to hilltop Shintō shrine while admiring the views of Mount Fuji.
• Browse the shrine, which is dedicated to a revered shōgun that brought peace to Japan.
• Create your own lacquered chopsticks at a workshop for traditional artisans.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Enjoy the unrivaled charm of Nara and Osaka, two of Japan's most historic cities, on this full-day tour.

It’s a scenic 90-minute drive to Nara, the oldest capital of Japan (710-784), and the cradle of Japanese arts, literature and crafts with temples and shrines that pre-date those found in Kyoto. Modeled after Changan, capital of Tang Dynasty China, the exquisite city of Nara is home to eight World Heritage Sites, and numerous art and architectural relics classified as National Treasures and Important Cultural Assets by the Japanese government.

Visit the incredible Todaiji Temple, founded in 752, and best known for its Daibutsu, a colossal statue sitting 49 feet tall, making it the world's largest Buddha statue. The eighth century statue is housed in an all-wood building, the Daibutsu-den, considered the largest wooden building in the world. Stroll through Nara Park, commonly referred to as Deer Park. The tranquil park covers 1,295 acres of woodland and is home to over 1,000 free roaming deer. Considered messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, Nara's deer are a symbol of the city and are designated a National Natural Monument. Also visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

Following lunch at a nearby restaurant, you'll drive to Osaka, with a stop to visit the imposing Osaka Castle. One of Japan's most famous castles, it has massive stone foundations, wing-tipped roofs with gilded decorations.

Explore two of Kyoto's marquee attractions: the impressive Golden Pavilion and formidable Nijo Castle, a quintessential example of Momoyama architecture, which flourished 400 years ago.

An approximately 90-minute scenic drive inland introduces you to Kyoto, an immensely historical city renowned for spectacular architecture, which includes thousands of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Upon arrival, you'll have an exterior visit of Kyoto's most famous landmark, Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion). Built by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as a villa in 1397, the three-story home was converted to a temple by Yoshimitsu's son. The Golden Pavilion follows the Shinden style of the Heian Period by being positioned at the edge of a tranquil pond. The three-story Chinese-influenced Golden Pavilion has delicately curving roofs, with the walls and eaves of the second and third stories covered in shimmering gold leaf. View the exterior of the pavilion and walk through the peaceful gardens, marveling at the mirror reflection of the temple on the still pond.

After a stop for lunch at a local restaurant, you'll head for Nijo Castle where more history awaits. This impressive fortification made of cypress wood was built in 1603 as the residence of the Tokugawa clan. An esteemed UNESCO World Heritage site, the castle is protected by a moat, stone walls, and ingenious nightingale floors, which chirp like a bird when walked upon to alert the guards of potential intruders. Despite its defensive elements, the castle was primarily a home. It's adorned with wooden carvings, artistically painted sliding doors and expansive tatami rooms, decorated in the traditional style at the time.

Enjoy a stunning view of Mount Fuji from a beautiful shrine complex built to honor one of Japan's feudal lords and savor a seafood lunch at a bustling fresh fish market. Head to the Nihondaira Park Outlook, which offers a glorious view of Suruga Bay and majestic Mount Fuji. Kunozan Toshogu Shrine perches above the outlook, which you will reach via cable car. Dedicated to the feudal lord Tokugawa Ieyasu, who unified Japan in the early 1600s, the shrine is a complex of ornate bright-red buildings constructed in the Shinto style. While browsing, be sure to notice the guardian statue near the Romon Gate and the drum tower. The three main halls within the complex are elaborately decorated, but vary architecturally. The carved ceiling in Honden Hall is particularly interesting. For a bit of entertainment, you might select a random paper fortune from a box and then tie it to a string in hopes that the fortune will come true. This common practice at Japanese shrines is known as omikuji. Stroll through Kashi-no-Ichi, a large fish market on Shimizu's waterfront. While the signage will be in Japanese, the guide will translate the names of the seafood that you may not recognize. Afterwards, you will enjoy lunch at a restaurant within the market before returning to the pier.

Explore the most important Shinto Shrine in Osaka on this scenic and memorable visit to the Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine.

This shrine is believed to have been founded in the 3rd century by Empress Jingu to enshrine three guardian gods for seafarers. In ancient times, messengers departing for China's Tang Dynasty would stop here first to pray for safe passage.

The approach to the shrine is lined with many stone lanterns. Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his consort, Yodogimi, are believed to have donated the arched bridge during the Keicho Era (1596-1615). The four main buildings were built in the Sumiyoshi architectural style.