US to Osaka

Today we depart from your home city and travel to the land of the Rising Sun.  Welcome to Osaka, Japan! After clearing arrival formalities, we will be met and escorted to the waiting coach for transfer to the hotel.  If rooms are ready you can check in and rest from our travels or, go out and explore.  The balance of the day is at your leisure.  Tonight, we will transfer to a local church house (TBD) and have our first meet up with Randy Boothe and the BYU Young Ambassadors to celebrate where it all started. Join them for devotional rehearsal at 6pm, and participate in the devotional at 7pm.

Osaka

After breakfast at the hotel, we will begin our Osaka discovery with a visit to the Osaka Castle, which was originally constructed in 1583, destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times through the centuries. The current castle tower is quite modern inside and offers an elevator for easy access. The entire Osaka Castle Park covers about two square kilometers with lots of green space, sport facilities, a multi-purpose arena (Osakajo Hall) and a shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Head to the Shinsaibashi area, Osaka’s largest shopping area with a history of over 380 years of offering shops of all kinds and for all ages. Amerikamura is the city's best-known center of youth fashion and contains hundreds of small boutiques. We will enjoy an Okonomiyaki lunch, which is a savory pancake famous for its roots in Osaka. The name literally means “grilled anything you want” and features a wide variety of toppings, including pork belly, octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, rice cake and cheese.   After lunch, we will visit the Aerial Garden Observatory. Located at the top of the Umeda Sky building, this skyscraper is 173 meters tall and features a “Floating Garden Observatory” on the 39th floor that is reached by an outdoor escalator. The views of the Osaka skyline from this observatory are breath-taking. Next, we drive to the Umeda area, which is known as Osaka’s “second city center” and offers more wonderful shopping opportunities, including the Yodobashi Camera Electronics department store and a number of other major department stores. Tonight, dinner will be on your own to enjoy the local fare.   

Osaka - Excursion to Nara

Today we will meet our guide at the hotel and head to historic Nara. Enjoy the natural beauty of this area as we explore shrines and temples tucked away down winding forest paths and in beautifully landscaped traditional gardens, and see the semi-wild deer roaming through the streets and park. We will see the highlights that the city is famed for like the Todai-ji Temple, the Kasuga-Taisha Shrine and Isui-en Garden as well as discovering hidden local gems that you wouldn’t necessarily find in a guidebook, but our guide will share with us.  We will stop for lunch at an authentic neighborhood eatery and try some of the region’s traditional Japanese cuisine. The tour will conclude at the hotel in enough time to clean up, enjoy a quick dinner and head out to the BYU Young Ambassador concert tonight.

Osaka - Nagoya

Today we will check out of our hotel after breakfast, say goodbye to your luggage that will be transported by truck to our next hotel, as we are transferred to Nagoya by our first bullet train.  When we arrive in the afternoon, we will enjoy the beauty of one of Japan’s largest castles; Nagoya Castle. This castle is famous for Kinshachi (golden roof ornaments) built by Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun. Ieyasu Tokugawa is one of the Three Feudal Lords who are from this region and significant figures in the history of Japan. The castle has the breathtakingly gorgeous Hommaru Palace, which was restored with the same materials and techniques as the Edo Period’s. We will also enjoy the beauty and calmness of an authentic Japanese garden at Tokugawa Garden. We will feel relaxed, and get deeper knowledge about the Tokugawa Family at the samurai art museum.  At the end of the tour we will all be expert in samurai culture.  

Nagoya

We start our day with breakfast at the hotel and then head out to experience a slice of traditional Japanese culture during this full day of touring, combining Shirakawago and Hida Takayama. We will get to wander the streets of Hida Takayama, a town affectionately known to locals as ‘Little Tokyo.’ After free time for lunch on our own, we’ll visit the traditional architecture of Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage site to admire the traditional farmhouses of Shirakawago learn about the 'Gassho-zukuri' architectural style—a great introduction to the architecture of traditional Japan.

Nagoya - Hiroshima

Today we again get to travel by bullet train to Hiroshima Station with our overnight bags while our main luggage goes ahead of us to help us travel light.  Upon arrival, we take a 10-minute ferry ride to Miyajima Island and enjoy the beautiful views of both Hiroshima city and the “Floating shrine.” We’ll take a leisurely stroll along the seaside through to reach the famous Itsukushima-jinja Shrine (hopefully spotting some of the island’s sacred deer along the way). We then walk through a forest of maple trees and have a look at a historical ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). We will enjoy lunch in a traditional restaurant on the island and then return to Hiroshima and our guide will take us to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.  The A-bomb Dome is the structure that remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.  When the bomb exploded, it was one of the few buildings to remain standing, and remains so today. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the A-Bomb Dome is a tangible link to Hiroshima's unique past. We will take our time exploring the Peace Park, where our guide can give us the insights into what we are seeing and a chance to hear the story from a Japanese perspective. Tonight we will have our 2nd devotional with the Young Ambassadors at a local church building TBD. 

Kiroshima - Kyoto

After breakfast this morning we are back on the bullet train to Kyoto. On arrival we meet our coach to begin our Kyoto discovery. First up is the Heian Shinto Shrine with its inner garden. Built in 1895 on the occasion of the 1,100th anniversary of the Heian Capital Foundation, the shrine was dedicated to the first and last emperors that reigned from Kyoto. The shrine buildings are a partial replica of the Imperial Palace of the Heian Period, but only about two thirds of the original buildings in scale. We continue to Nishiki Market, which is a narrow, five block long shopping street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants. Known as "Kyoto's Kitchen," this lively retail market specializes in all things food related, like fresh seafood, produce, knives and cookware, and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood and sushi. We will have some free time for lunch on our own before continuing onto Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former residence of Tokugawa Leyasu, the founder of the Edo Shogunate. The next stop is the Kinkakuji Temple, a Zen temple formally known as Rokuonji.  In 1397 the construction started on the Golden Pavilion as part of a new residence for the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Kinkakuji. It was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimitsu's death in 1408. We end the day with a stroll through the geisha district of Gion before our tour concludes at our new hotel. 

Kyoto

This morning we’ll pay a visit to the second most famous temple in Kyōto and little brother of Kinkaku-ji -  Ginkaku-ji  (Silver Pavilion)- on the eastern hills of Kyōto. It was built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the grandson of the founder of Kinkaku-ji. While Kinkaku-ji sparkles brightly in its golden coating, Ginkaku-ji was planned to be covered completely in leaf silver. It is enjoyed by walking along a circular route around its grounds, from which the gardens and buildings can be viewed. Next we are on to the Ryoanji Temple Rock Garden, which  is one of Kyoto's most famous attractions. So famous, in fact, that the name has become synonymous with Japanese rock gardens worldwide. This iconic temple and gardens are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and should be part of any visit to Kyoto. Our tour will continue to the Arashiyama Mountains, which is an area of remarkable beauty that was favored by the noble classes 1,200 years ago. Visit the Arashiyama Monkey Park and lookout. The 10-minute uphill hike leads us to an open area, where over a hundred monkeys roam freely. From this vantage, we can marvel at the stunning vistas of the city below. Our tour continues with a visit to Tenryuji Temple, which ranks among Kyoto’s five great Zen temples and is the largest and most impressive in Arashiyama. This UNESCO World Heritage site is graced with attractive gardens and walking paths. These paths traverse through a small bamboo forest (Sagano Bamboo Grove) that sway in the wind and make a pleasant clacking sound that can have a calming effect on the mind and soul. The bamboo from the groves is used to fashion local crafts that can found in nearby gift shops. There will be time this afternoon for lunch and dinner on your own to take in the last night in this extraordinary country.

Kyoto to Home

This morning we transfer back to the airport for our journey home with wonderful memories to last a lifetime.