December 26, January 2017

December 26, 2016 – 01 January 2017 5nts/7days from: $2,495 dbl/tpl $2895 single Reserve by June 30th-Save $50 per person Tokyo/Kamakura/Yokohama/Mt. ...
Author: Meghan Lee
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December 26, 2016 – 01 January 2017 5nts/7days from: $2,495 dbl/tpl $2895 single Reserve by June 30th-Save $50 per person Tokyo/Kamakura/Yokohama/Mt. Fuji Celebrate New Year’s Day in Tokyo & Hawaii! Traveling to Japan during New Year’s is a great opportunity to capture a rare glimpse into the modernization of traditional Japanese culture. It is a time when most Japanese people return home to partake in traditional ceremonies and festivities. On this very special Omiyage Weekender Tour, experience and be part of that tradition. If shopping is on your list, we have it covered, with visits to Tsukiji Market, Ameyoko, Harajuku’s Takeshita Street and Komachi dori in Kamakura. We have also included a complete full day in Ikebukuro where all the favorites are located- Don Quijote, Daiso 100 yen Store, UNIQLO and sister store GU, Tokyu Hands, the Sunshine City Mall and Seibu Department Store. For sightseeing enjoy day trips to Kamakura to see the Great Buddha, Yokohama’s Cup Noodle Museum, Mt. Fuji area and local sights around Tokyo. New Years’ Eve includes a special dinner followed by a countdown celebration in Odaiba. On New Years’ Day it’s all about tradition beginning with hatsumode, the years’ first visit to a shrine. We will be visiting Nezu Shrine for the traditional prayer at the main hall and purchase lucky charms for a fortunate new year. After celebrating New Years’ Day in Tokyo, board your flight home and you get to do it all again, Hawaiian style with friends and family. It doesn’t get much better than this. Join us, won’t you.

Itinerary/Details Day 1 – December 26th, 2016- Monday – Departure from Honolulu Please meet your Panda Travel escort at the Korean Airlines check in counter located in the Main Terminal.

Korean Airlines #2 Departs Honolulu 10:40 am – Arrives Narita 3:20 pm + 1 Day 2 – December 27th, 2016 -Tuesday – Narita-Tokyo (D) After clearing customs we will be met by our local English speaking guide for the drive to our hotel for the next 3 nights, Sunshine City Prince Hotel, ideally situated in the Ikebukuro section of Tokyo. The hotel is less than a 10 minute walk from the Ikebukuro JR Station. The lobby of the hotel connects to a huge shopping and entertainment mecca with four towers, including a 240 meter high skyscraper with an observation deck on the top. Sunshine City is typically open from 10 am to 10 pm seven days a week. There is a 24 hour Family Mart located right off the lobby in case you would like beverages, some hot and cold food items or just a late snack.

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel

Day 3 – December 28th, 2016 -Wednesday – Tokyo-Kamakura-Yokohama-Tokyo (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:00am as we are off on a full day of touring beginning with a drive to Kamakura. The drive time is approximately 1.5hr and we will make a road stop along the way. Kamakura became the political center of Japan, when Minamoto Yoritomo chose the city as the seat for his new military government in 1192. The Kamakura government continued to rule Japan for over a century. It remained the center of Eastern Japan for some time before losing its position to other cities. Today, Kamakura is a very popular tourist destination. Sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments. Once here we will be visiting the Great Buddha of Kamakura, a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.

The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tidal wave in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since 1495, the Buddha has been standing in the open air. The Great Buddha rises serenely from its base, with gorgeously draped garments that you can hardly believe are forged from bronze. The serene expression is so evident; you feel the peace the artists intended to convey. The Great Buddha of Kotoku-in is an iconic image that represents Japanese culture. It is not just big, but beautiful. This Great Buddha or Daibutsu as is commonly called is a National Treasure and one of the centerpieces of the city's cultural heritages. For a small donation you are permitted enter the Buddha and see from the inside how it was cast. Take a few moments to enjoy this unique experience. Just steps away is Komachi dori shopping street where you will have free time to walk around, shop for souvenirs and enjoy some delicious snacks and foods. This is a good spot for lunch! One must stop here is at Kamakura’s famous cookie store for a sample. These dove-shaped butter cookies make for a great Kamakura souvenir and omiyage gift. The dove motif was inspired by the plaque above the main prayer hall at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine, where the character for "Hachi" is shaped to look like a dove.

Great Buddha

Komachi dori

Dove Cookie

From here we make our way to Yokohama for a special and always fun visit to the Cup Noodle Museum. The museum shows the history of instant ramen noodles using a combination of exhibits and hands-on workshops. It was opened by the Nissin Food Company, whose founder invented instant ramen noodles in 1958 as a fast and convenient food. Enjoy time to walk around, a short film introducing the history of instant noodles, together with unconventional exhibits such as a replica of the shed where instant noodles were invented and a visual timeline of instant noodle products from around the world. A small collection of modern art pieces are also on display.

No visit here is complete without experiencing the hand-on workshop where you can create your own original cup noodle by mixing and matching a variety of soup flavors and toppings as well as designing your own cup. Feeling a little hungry, drop by the Noodles Bazaar Food Court, designed to look like an Asian night market complete with the sounds hawkers and traffic. The noodles bazaar serves eight different noodle dishes and canned drinks from around the world. The small portions cost 300 yen and are a fun way to sample a variety of flavors.

Cup Noodle Designing Workshop

Noodles Bazaar Food Court

From here we make our way back to the hotel, arrival by 5pm. The remainder of the evening is free. For dining options, try the 3rd floor of the Sunshine City Mall where the whole floor is dedicated to restaurants. One recommendation is the tonkatsu restaurant, for some “heavenly pork cutlets”

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel Day 4 – December 29th, 2016 -Thursday – Tokyo (B) After breakfast, enjoy a complete free day in Tokyo to do whatever you please. There is still much to enjoy and quite a bit to do right at your door step. Ikebukuro offers plenty of entertainment, shopping and dining opportunities. It is the battle ground between the Tobu and Seibu conglomerates which operate large department stores on each side of the station. Recently it has also seen fierce competition from two of Japan's largest electronic retailers, Bic Camera and Yamada Denki. Enjoy time at Sunshine City, a huge shopping mall connected to our hotel. It has four towers including a 240 meter high skyscraper with an observation deck on the top. The main tower is actually the second highest building in Tokyo. The Sunshine City Prince Hotel is housed in one of the smaller towers at the complex. The lower levels of Sunshine City are a monstrous maze of shops and tourist attractions, as well as a theatre.

The tower’s elevator is an attraction in its self, being the fastest in the world it takes only thirty five seconds to reach the top. The highlight of the ride would have to be the illuminated dolphins and unicorns, ambient music and beautifully dressed lift operators making the trip to the top an interesting journey. The centre opened in 1978 and is Tokyo’s oldest “City within a City”. It sits on land that was once occupied by Sugamo Prison. The Sunshine International Aquarium is a popular attraction where there are plenty of great underwater exhibits to entertain the whole family. There are the usual sharks, stingrays, tropical fish and sea life, but the most popular exhibits are the penguins, seals and sea otters which are well worth the entry fee. The aquarium sits on the 10th Floor, which gives it the title of the world’s highest aquarium. There are feedings at the aquarium every hour and one of the largest tanks holds over 120 tons of water. The seals do performances during the day. Another great family attraction is the planetarium, where you can learn about the solar system and the universe. The Cosmic Safari takes visitors on a journey to see the wonders in outer-space. The Bunka Kaikan building is home to the Ancient Orient Museum which has an amazing collection of artifacts and is well worth a look. The Sunshine City complex is also home to the Namco Namja Town. Namja Town is a collection of food theme parks and other interesting dining establishments. The centre has a series of kittens as mascots and there are plenty of them to choose from in the gift shop. Some of the food parks include Ice Cream City and the Tokyo Dessert Republic. Then for the Gyoza lover, there is Ikebukuro Gyoza stadium, the list goes on with dozens of tasty attractions. There is a small fee to enter the complex and then the fun begins. There are various carnival amusements at Namja town too, like a haunted house, merry-go-round and video shooting games. Make sure you go hungry as there is so much to try across the two jammed packed floors of food and adventure. One store no visitor to Japan should miss is Tokyu Hands, a shop that can only be described as a cross between a hardware store and a hobby shop. It is a great place for gift shopping, as many of the items for sale can’t be found outside Japan. This store is one of their largest and also has a rather odd attraction. Also just steps from the Sunshine City Mall are the popular shops of UNIQLO, GU, Don Quijote and 100 yen store.

Accommodations: Sunshine Prince Hotel

Day 5 – December 30th, 2016 -Friday – Tokyo (B/L/D) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we are off for a full day of local touring and visiting some of the most popular spots for omiyage shopping.

We will also be saying good bye to the Sunshine City Price Hotel and for our last two nights’ accommodations will be at Grand Pacific Le Daiba, overlooking Tokyo Bay on the manmade island of Odaiba.

Our first stop today is at the Tsukiji Fish Market which has the distinct honor of being the world's largest seafood market. “Japan's kitchen” moves at a frenetic pace as thousands upon thousands of fish are processed, purchased and carted off to different corners of the country. The infamous tuna auction starts at 5am and peters out by 8am, when the day's catch has been purchased. By 11am the crowds have dwindled and the sprinkler trucks plough through to prep the empty market for tomorrow's sale. If you’re a foodie, love markets, enjoy photography – or simply like visiting unique places – then you’ll probably love Tsukiji. Little has changed at Tsukiji in its nearly 80 years. By the time we visit, the indoor market will have relocated as part of a modernization plan ahead of the 2020 Olympics. We will remain here for 1.5 hr. so that you have ample time to walk around and enjoy the outer market, visit knife-making artisan shops, tasting candies, nuts and spices, and learning more about seasonal produce in Tokyo. After a good stroll around the market, there’s nothing like a sushi breakfast to complete the experience. There are plenty of sushi shops – make sure to choose one where you see locals dining. If you don’t feel like sushi, there are other options including ramen, donburi and more. From here we are off to Ameyoko Shopping Street, famous throughout Japan for its wide variety of products. The name "Ameyoko" is a short form for "Ameya Yokocho" (candy store alley), as candies were traditionally sold there. Alternatively, "Ame" also stands for "America", because a lot of American products used to be available there when the street was the site of a black market in the years following WWII. You can get just about EVERYTHING here, clothes, bags, cosmetics, fresh fish, dried squid and spices are sold along Ameyoko. It is quite the scene to just walk around through the very crowded and narrow streets. An awesome place to sightsee, shop and eat! Enjoy some free time here to explore on your own. If you are looking for the best dried scallops, our guide will take you to our favorite shop in Ameyoko. It’s lunch time and we off to a local restaurant so that you can enjoy a buffet lunch.

After lunch we are off to the in Harajuku, the area around Tokyo's Harajuku Station. It is the center of Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles while also offering some historic sites and shopping for adults. The focal point is Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) and its side streets, which are lined by many trendy shops, fashion boutiques, used clothes stores, crepe stands and fast food outlets geared towards the fashion and trend conscious teens. In order to experience the teenage culture at its most extreme, visit Harajuku on a Sunday, when many young people gather around Harajuku Station and engage in cosplay ("costume play"), dressed up in eccentric costumes to resemble anime characters, punk musicians, etc. Enjoy some free time to stroll around and enjoy the area. The crepes are wonderful as a snack, do try one! Very close by is the Shibuya Shopping Area. It would be a shame to come to Tokyo and not take a walk across the famous intersection outside Shibuya Station. On sunny afternoons or clear evenings, the surrounding area is packed with shoppers, students, young couples and commuters. When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic stops completely and pedestrians surge into the intersection from all sides, like marbles spilling out of a box. While here in Shibuya we will stop and meet Tokyo's most famous pooch, Hachikō. This Akita dog came to Shibuya Station every day to meet his master, a professor, returning from work. The professor died in 1925, but Hachikō kept coming to the station until his own death 10 years later. The story became legend and a small statue was erected in the dog’s memory in front of Shibuya Station.

Ameyoko

Harajuku Takeshita Street

Shibuya Hachi Statue

From here we make our way to Odaiba and our hotel for the next two nights, Grand Pacific Le Daiba. Odaiba is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a manmade island in Tokyo Bay. It originated as a set of small manmade fort islands (daiba literally means "fort"), which were built towards the end of the Edo Period.

The center of Odaiba is Aquacity Odaiba. It includes a shopping mall with a 300-meter-long boutique street, a multi-flex cinema that employs the latest acoustic and screen technologies, and a gourmet zone that stretches over 15,000 square meters, which is obviously the largest such zone in Japan. Attractions here include the Odaiba Seaside Park that overlooks Rainbow Bridge, Fuji TV headquarters and studios where visitors can see the sets of popular TV programs, and Palette Town, a "theme park for women" with an interior modeled after a European city in the 18th century, and which accommodates over 150 shops. Arrival at out hotel will be approximately 5:00pm. Please meet your guide in the lobby by 6:00pm as we are off to dinner at a local restaurant.

Grand Pacific Le Daiba Hotel

Accommodations: Grand Pacific Le Daiba Hotel

Day 6 – December 31st, 2016 -Saturday – Tokyo-Mt. Fuji-Tokyo (B/L/D) After breakfast, please meet your guide by 8:00am as we journey off to the Mt. Fuji area. The drive will be approximately 2 hours. We will make a stop along the way. Our first stop today is at the Kubota Icchiku Kimono Museum, located near Lake Kawaguchi with majestic views of Mt. Fuji. The museum is actually an artist’s paradise. It was built by the artist Kubota Itchiku and showcases his priceless creations. He was a textile artist who dedicated his whole life to reviving and mastering the lost art of Tsujigahana silk dyeing, a traditional dye technique, used to decorate elaborate kimonos during the Muromachi period (1333-1573).

Itchiku Kubota was 20 years old when he first encountered tsujigahana. After suffering through a hard prison life in WWII he came back and began to study tsujigahana. He devoted the remainder of his life to this. 29 years later, in 1977, he had his first exhibition “Itchiku Tsujigahana" at the age of 60. Its beauty and high quality technique gained reputation and the exhibition was also held abroad. It went around cities like Paris, New York and London. He also has received various awards. In 1994, Itchiku Kubota Art Museum was opened. His works are exhibited in the main building of the museum. This building has a complicated wooden structure using Hiba trees (cypress family) more than 1000 years old. Both traditional artisanal techniques and modern log cabin methods are used to construct the building. The building has an open ceiling and the wooden structure is visible. There also are a Japanese tea house and a cafe where you can enjoy the view of a waterfall as well as tea and sweets, and a gallery with a collection of glass beads. Enjoy the beautiful traditional artworks, and enjoy walking in the garden and on the path to take full advantage of the beautiful natural environment of the museum.

Museum entrance

Main building and a sampling of the exhibits

From here we are off to Iyashino Sato Nenba for lunch and free time to explore the village. In the Nenba area, standing on the shores of Lake Sai with stunning Mt. Fuji as a backdrop was once a village of traditional thatch roofing classical farm houses. It was an actual productive farm village until 1966 when a big typhoon struck and destroyed the entire village. In 2006, with the aim of reviving that traditional Japanese scene of a thatched roof village, a new town, Fuji Kawaguchiko-cho was created. Also known as “Healing Village,” the community is comprised of 22 traditional thatched roof houses that depict old-time scenery of the Showa Period (1926-1989). Each house highlights traditional Japanese culture through hands-on experiences such as crafts, sampling of local produce, and an opportunity to dress up in armor or kimono. In winter, snowfall transforms the village into a magical, fairytale-like landscape that commands a magnificent view of Mt. Fuji like no other! We may just be in luck to capture this moment!

The village features not only beautiful scenery but also a variety of hands-on-activities, including Japanese paper making, hanging hina doll making. After lunch, enjoy time here and try your hand at one or more of the traditional craft making activities. Below is list of what each house features. 1. Wazenya Saiun. A local Japanese restaurant that specializes in seasonal local cuisine and homemade sweets, with a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji. 2. Water Mill. Rarely seen these days, buckwheat, wheat, or rice is grounded here. 3. General Information Desk. Tourist information and various bookings are available here. 4. Local Produce Processing and Marketing Center. Local specialties, pickles, miso (bean paste), rice cakes, etc. are sold here. Enjoy a complimentary cup of tea! 5. Kutsurogi-ya (House of Relaxation). Matrons from the local community cordially welcome guests. Sometimes used for special events. 6. Seseragi-ya (House of Babbling Brook). Rustic crafts indispensable for rural life are produced here. On Sundays of March to November, visitors can learn how to make a letter picture. 7. Erosion and Sediment Control Museum. An exhibit of anti-erosion works, documents, visual data, and dioramas related to the 1966 typhoon that devastated Nenba. 8. Charcoal Kiln: A reproduction to educate visitors on charcoal making. Charcoal was once the main industry of Nenba area. 9. Gorone-kan (House to lay down and doze off). A house comprised of a recreation room for small concerts and four inviting, cozy rooms. 10. Takumiya (House of Meisters). This house holds short-term exhibitions of remarkable industrial artists in Yamanashi Prefecture. 11. Miharashi-ya (House with a view). Distinctive or prize-winning craftworks from the town and the prefecture are on exhibition here with a splendid view of Mt. Fuji. 12. Hinomi-ya (Fire-watch house). The ground floor holds a special collection of armor and kimono called, “Armors and the Periods.” The second floor houses the armor of Civil War Period Commander, Takeda. For 500yen, try on kimono or samurai armor and take your own photos with Mt. Fuji as your backdrop. Arrive early to avoid the long lines. 13. Kayanuma House of Pottery and Incense. Hands on experience of pottery and incense making from fragrant pieces of wood. 14. Kami-ya Sakate Sanbo (Japanese paper workshop). 15. Rest station 16. House of Oishi-tsumugi & Fabrics. Hand-weaving of Yamanashi’s traditional craftwork, Oishi-tumugi, and making of trinkets using cocoons. 17. Pottery Workshop Fuji Roman-gama. Make an owl figure and paint on fired biscuits before it is glazed. Fun for all children. 18. Crepe-cloth Works & Hanging Decorations. Mobile ornaments are displayed here and visitors can try making fancy goods in Japanese cloths. 19. Omoide-ya (House of memories). Local specialties and handmade crafts are introduced and sold here. 20. Shokujidokoro Satoyama (Regional restaurant). Bright, flavorful, seasonal food with a hometown taste, made from local ingredients. Try Houtou, hand rolled Udon. 21. Stone-ground Soba Noodles – Shosen. This shop’s handmade noodles are highly ranked at a nation-wide soba popularity poll. Reservations for groups of up to 60 persons are available. 22. Old House of the Watanabes. A private folk dwelling was renovated to re-create the time when the silk cultivation was thriving.

Winter views of Mt. Fuji

Sample of village shops

From here we are off for a short visit the Mt. Fuji Visitor Center. This small museum offers exhibits and a movie about the formation and ecology of Mount Fuji as well as the cultural history of the mountain. On the second floor there is a restaurant and an observation deck with views onto Mount Fuji. We now make our way back to Tokyo and our hotel. In case you have forgotten, it’s New Year’s Eve and evening is just beginning! Arrival at our hotel will be approximately 6:30pm. After a little time to freshen up, please meet your guide in the lobby as we are off to dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, enjoy time around our area as people get ready for the countdown to the New Year. Japan is brimming with well-known New Year’s Eve attractions and numerous places to enjoy the fireworks displays. Our area of Odaiba provides a spectacular vantage point to witness the city’s fireworks.

Fireworks over Rainbow Bridge

Views from Odaiba

Accommodations: Grand Pacific Le Daiba Hotel

Day 7 – January 1st, 2017 -Sunday – Tokyo-Narita (B)

Shinnen Akemashite Omedetou Goziamasu! After breakfast at our hotel, please meet your guide by 9:00am as we are off on a very special New Year’s Day in Japan. The day begins with joining the crowds in the traditional celebration of doing hatsumode, the year’s first visit to a temple or shrine. At the shrine, there is the opportunity to pick up one’s official fortune and burn the important objects you picked up at the temple the previous year in a big bonfire. Some of the area’s most popular temples and shrines draw many thousands of visitors and therefore we have chosen a smaller shrine to visit, Nezu Shrine. Nezu Shrine near Ueno Park is one of Japan's oldest shrines, and certainly one of its most attractive. It is set in lush greenery, with ponds of carp, pathways that are tunnels of small shrine arches, and elegant, beautifully colored, wooden structures that reflect Japanese culture in all its age and beauty. Legend has it that what later became Nezu Shrine was first founded in Sendagi, just north of its current location in Nezu, by the fearsome Prince Osu, also known as "Yamato Takeru" who is said to have lived in the first century A.D. Nezu Shrine was relocated to the Nezu area in the mid-17th century on the occasion of Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa choosing his successor. Such is Nezu Shrine's status in history that it features not only in the doings of the Shoguns but of the Imperial family too. When the Emperor moved his seat from Kyoto to Tokyo in the late nineteenth century, he sent envoys to Nezu Shrine to have the Shrine intercede with the gods on his behalf.

Nezu Shrine is noted for bringing good luck and is an excellent place to do hatsumode. It is also a shrine devoted to the granting of impossible wishes. A particularly memorable feature of Nezu Shrine is its scores of small, vermilion torii Shinto shrine gates that cover the paths on the hillside above the main shrine, making for a tunnel effect. The torii-lined pathways lead to and from a viewing platform that is part of the smaller Otome Inari Shrine, a shrine-within-a-shrine that overlooks the main shrine buildings, and over a sizable pond directly below.

Waiting to pay respect

ritual cremation of last year’s charms & traditional dance

From here we are off to visit another popular spot on this day, Tokyo Tower. Standing 333 meters high in the center of Tokyo, Tokyo Tower is the world's tallest, self-supported steel tower and 13 meters taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower. A symbol of Japan's post-war rebirth as a major economic power, Tokyo Tower was the country's tallest structure from its completion in 1958 until 2012 when it was surpassed by Tokyo Skytree. Due to its central location, the observatory offers an interesting view of the city despite being only at a relatively moderate height. There are also some "look down windows" in the floor to stand on, a souvenir shop and a cafe where you can enjoy refreshments. There are a variety of options for lunch while we are here. Enjoy free time to look around and have lunch on your own.

View from the main observatory

From here we make our way towards Narita and a very important stop at AEON Mall close by to the Narita Airport. Shopping on New Year’s Day has become popular in Japan with many sales and bargains to be had. Be ready for a crowded event once we arrive here, but makes it all the more fun! We expect to remain for 2 hours so that you have ample time to shop for yourself as well as pick up some last minute omiyage to bring home to celebrate New Year’s Day all over again! We will depart the AEON Mall by 5:50pm for the short drive over to Narita Airport and begin the check in process for our flight home. Narita Airport also offers up opportunity for some great last minute duty free items.

Korean Airlines #1 Departs Narita 9:00 pm – Arrives Honolulu 8:35 am Don’t forget that its New Year’s Day here in Hawaii! Enjoy the day with friends & family!

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