Our first full day in Tokyo! We start by meeting our first guide, Ai, who was my exchange student 25 years ago!  You get a bit of free time to explore the shops at the train station (while the rail passes are sorted), then we walk to a nearby department store where everyone picks up her own lunch.  The small-but-extensive food hall has plenty of options for all tastes from Japanese to Western-style food.  There is an emphasis on special Hanami treats which are only available during cherry blossom season.  Once we've chosen our lunches, we’re off to a garden for a sakura picnic.  Once we’ve explored the gardens, we head to the charming Yushima Shrine (my favorite shrine in all Japan).  Dinner that night is at a ramen restaurant in Ueno.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner.

Photo: Sarah B. Hodge (IG/Twitter @japantravelbug) taken for Thanks for the Meal (www.thanksforthemeal.net).   Used with permission.

We begin our second full day in Tokyo by meeting our official Tokyo guide, Naomi, and some of her English teacher friends at Sensoji Temple.  Starting at the imposing Thunder Gate (probably the most-photographed site in the city), Naomi leads us down Nakamise Street, lined with stalls selling snacks and souvenirs, on our way to the temple and shrine complex. We have lunch at a nearby tempura restaurant then stroll along ‘Kitchen Street’ where specialty shops sell amazingly-detailed resin food replicas like those you see at restaurants. Then we experience indigo textile dying at Wanariya, where each of us makes a unique piece of art to take with us. We end our day wandering the Tokyo Sky Tree shopping center where we get dinner at their food court.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.

On our last day in Tokyo, we meet with Ai, Naomi, and the English teachers once again for a walking tour of the Yanasen district.  We start at a Buddhist cemetery, then visit the Asakura Sculpture Museum (housed in what had been the artist’s home).  Lunch is at the Yanaka Beer Hall which is owned by Naomi’s husband. Afterward, we see a delightful puppet show where the puppeteer also created the puppets. It's in Japanese (as this isn't a tourist place) but is so visual that no language skills are needed to enjoy it. Dinner that evening is street food from one of the many options on Ameyoko Street, near our hotel.  Be sure to leave room for some yummy dessert!
Meals included: breakfast and lunch. 

We bid goodbye to Tokyo this morning to head to the mountain spa town of Hakone  famous for its stunning views of Mt. Fuji. We cross Lake Ashi by ‘pirate’ ship then take a cable car high over a valley filled with volcanic vents. At dusk, we visit the magical Venetian Glass Museum with its rooms of delicate blown glass and a garden filled with glittering crystal trees. Once we reach our hotel, everyone selects which colorful yukata (cotton kimono) she wants to wear to dinner and breakfast. (Note: You don’t *have* to wear a yukata, but it’s really fun!)  Dinner is a delicious multi-course experience, and the evening is free to enjoy the in-hotel onsen (spa).  Two local hot springs provide different soaking options for our relaxing pleasure.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

We begin our only full day in Hakone with an amazing breakfast at the hotel. Then we head to the Open-Air Museum, which features whimsical outdoor sculptures, a multi-story stained-glass tower, a Picasso Museum, and a soothing footbath. From there, we visit the Rene Lalique Museum to have an elegant afternoon tea in an  Orient Express train car and drool over the Art Nouveau jewelry.  Dinner is another multi-course feast at the hotel in our yukatas followed by more time relaxing in the onsen.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner.

Today, we leave the splendor of Hakone for the ancient city of Kyoto. We will buy our lunches in the train station or from a conbini (convenience store) and eat them on the Shinkansen while traveling at 200+ miles per hour.  We are greeted by Tatsuya (another former exchange student) at Kyoto Station.  Our first stop will be to get dressed in kimonos!  Once we’re all decked out, we visit iconic Kiyumizu-dera and spend the rest of the day exploring the temple and shrine complex. There are also many fascinating shops and places to grab snacks if we get peckish.  Once we return our kimonos, we head to dinner at one of Kyoto’s best tofu restaurants.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

We start our first full day in Kyoto by meeting our new guide, Tomoko.  Our first stop is Fushimi Inar Shrinei, said to be one of the most beautiful spots in the country.  The trails up the mountain are covered by thousands of scarlet torii gates. This custom started in the early 1600s and has shown no sign of letting up.  We return to the city to enjoy some free time and a chance to do some shopping at the many covered arcades.  Our evening starts with an abbreviated tea ceremony demonstration followed by dinner at a yakiniku (cook-your-own BBQ) restaurant.  
Meals included: breakfast and dinner.

Today is our last day in Kyoto and we meet up with Tomoko again. This time she takes us on a walk through Arashiyama’s famed bamboo forest before having a soba noodle lunch. In the afternoon we return to the city via the Sagano Scenic Railway and a leisurely Hozugawa River Cruise. Dinner is at a kushikatsu restaurant. (Kushikatsu is, basically, fried food on sticks and oh-so-delicious!)
Meals included: breakfast and lunch. 

This morning we leave for Hiroshima, the first city on earth to experience an atomic explosion.  Our local guide will meet us at our hotel before we all walk to the nearby Peace Park.  A sobering visit to the museum, the children’s memorial, and the Atomic Bomb Dome (ground zero for the blast) makes us ready for the tranquility of Shukkei-en Garden. Dinner is our chance to try a local specialty – okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki (a veggie/meat filled pancake) comes in two varieties – Hiroshima style and Osaka style. In Hiroshima style, the ingredients are layered (often with fried noodles) whereas Osaka style has all the ingredients mixed together. Which is best? We’ll try both and you can decide for yourself!
Meals included: breakfast and dinner.

This morning, we’re off to nearby Miajima Island with its famous ‘Floating Torii Gate,’ free-roaming deer, and beautiful views from Mt. Misen.  Our time there is free to encourage roaming.  There are plenty of places to grab a snack or lunch (while dodging the cheeky deer) and lots of shopping opportunities are available.  If you want, you can take a cable car up the mountain for views of the harbor and Hiroshima in the distance. (You can either walk down through the trees or take the cable car back to the town.) We return to the city to have our dinner.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

We’re taking our last Shinkansen ride this morning.  The motto of Osaka is “kuidaore,” meaning “eat yourself broke,” and that’s an appropriate slogan for the ‘Kitchen of Japan.’  We’re met at the train station by Yayoi who was my youngest son’s host mother when he visited Japan at age 15.  (He’s nearly 40 now!)  We start by trying out Osaka-style okonomiyaki. After an afternoon of sightseeing, we enjoy a special dinner with a group of ladies from the local ex-pat group. Last time we met women from Australia, Canada, and China all of whom had been living in Japan for years.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

This morning we meet with an English chat group for brunch.  These are locals who get together each week to practice their English.  In the afternoon, we have a special surprise experience!  That evening, we take a walk along through the glittering Namba district (which, conveniently, is right by our hotel).
Meals included: breakfast and dinner.

After a leisurely breakfast, we walk back to Namba for a short cruise down the Dotombori Canal.  Wandering is good for the soul and we’ll have the afternoon to do just that.  There  might be shopping involved...  There will also be some time to, possibly, try to figure out how to pack everything into our bags for the trip home! That evening, we have dinner at Ochiali Oga where Chef Hiroyuki is Ai’s brother-in-law.  We’ll have the whole restaurant to ourselves for a great last meal - and enjoy some of the city’s famous ‘wobbly cheesecake’ for dessert.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

This is the last day of the tour and we’ll sadly say goodbye to Japan and our new friends as we depart for the airport and home.
Meal included: Breakfast.