Charms Southern of Japan The Spring Edition April 14-21, Okayama/Hiroshima/Miyajima/Kyoto/Nara/Osaka

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1 Charms Southern of Japan The Spring Edition April 14-21, 2018 Okayama/Hiroshima/Miyajima/Kyoto/Nara/Osaka 6nts/8days from: $2795 triple $2895 double $3295 single Reserve by October 1 st -Save $50 per person Spring is one of the most beautiful times to visit Japan. The Japanese celebrate by visiting temples, castles, and parks, forming impromptu viewing parties. They gather to indulge in food and drink, sometimes reveling deep into the night. Along with cherry blossoms, azalea, wisteria, camellia, and irises bloom in the spring, becoming the center of Japan s many festivals. Okayama is a city proud of its connection to Momotarō, the demon-quelling boy hero of one of Japan's best-known folk tales. You'll spot his face beaming out at you all over town. The most many travelers see of Okayama is the blur of color as they fly through on the shinkansen to Hiroshima. But it's worth the stop, if only to spend a few hours strolling around Kōraku-en, one of Japan s top three gardens, which is overlooked by the city's crow-black castle. Hiroshima is a prosperous and attractive city that will always be remembered for that terrible instant on August 6, 1945 when it became the world s first atomic-bomb target. Hiroshima is a far from depressing place; on the contrary, its citizens have recovered from the nuclear holocaust to build a thriving and internationally minded community. Miyajima Island, one of the most scenic spots in Japan, has long been regarded as an Island of Gods on the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. Its star attraction is the oft-photographed vermilion torii (shrine gate) of Itsukushima-jinja, which seems to float on the waves at high tide a scene that has traditionally been ranked as one of the three best views in Japan. Kyoto is unlike any other city in Japan. Considered one of the most beautiful cities in Japan, Kyoto brings historical Japan to life in a modern age. You can experience historical Japan throughout the city while still having access to modern amenities and transportation. Osaka is Japan s 3rd most populous city, known for having Japan s friendliest and most out-going people. Famous for its food, eating until you drop is common in Osaka. If shopping is on your list, Shinsaibashi Suji, a favorite with local folk will not disappoint. This covered shopping arcade is one of Osaka s oldest and busiest. Itinerary/Details Day 1 April 14 th, 2018 Saturday Depart from Honolulu Hawaiian Airlines #449 Departs Honolulu 2:20 pm Arrive Kansai 7:20 pm +1

2 International check in begins 3 hours prior to departure. Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines Terminal, Lobby 3, Makai side. Day 2 April 15 th, 2017 Sunday Kansai After clearing customs, our local guide will meet us for the walk over to the hotel for the evening, Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport. The hotel is ideally located on the airport grounds with a variety of restaurants as well as a 24-hour convenience store close by. Rest up for tomorrow we are off for a full day of touring. Accommodations: Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport Free WiFi Available Day 3 April 16 st, 2016 Monday Osaka Okayama (B) After breakfast at our hotel, please meet up by 8:00 am for a full day of touring. The day begins with a drive to Okayama, located half way between Osaka and Hiroshima. One of its main attractions is Korakuen Garden which we will be visiting later this afternoon. It is ranked in the top three of Japan's Great Gardens. On today s touring day, we will also be visiting the Manekineko Museum of Art as well enjoy time in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. The drive time will be approximately 3.5 hours and we will make a rest stop along the way. Our first visit is to the Manekineko Museum of Art, tucked away in the remote mountain village of Kanayamaji. The museum is dedicated to the maneki neko, "beckoning cat" or "lucky cat", and for the thousands of fans of kawaii and cats, the place is a genuine mecca. This private museum has a temple-like feeling with over 700 cats on display. Some are large and wooden while others are small and ceramic. The colors and poses of each cat are as fascinating as the cats themselves. You can use your imagination to decide what they mean. The dominant interior feature of the museum is the bamboo poles that form the corridors. They are covered in paper with wishes written by visitors who can jot down their dreams in a serene salon that looks out on the village. The artwork that hangs on the walls was done by local school children who worked together to bring their spirit into the space. Enjoy free time to explore the museum and if you like, there is a workshop area where, for a fee, you can paint their own, unique figurine to take with you. A gift shop selling a variety of manekineko products and figurines can also be found here. From here we are off to the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter to stroll her backstreets, a tiny but immaculately preserved section of its old rice-merchant quarter, which prospered in the Edo period. There are about 300 old houses and granaries. The oldest is about 300 years old. Old Kurashiki today consists of dozens of characteristic whitewashed, black-tiled kura, or rice granaries, centered around a willow-lined transport canal. Many have been converted into museums, shops, teahouses, and inns, injecting contemporary vitality into these relics of traditional Japan. It is considered one of the picturesque merchants quarter in Japan. The quaint charm of those times has been retained with white wooden houses with traditional black tiles & no electrical poles on the roads! Some families who have lived here for generations are still there! It is a must see traditional neighborhood where you will have time to enjoy the atmosphere, have lunch on your own and do some small kine shopping.

3 Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter We are now off to Okayama, a short 40-minute drive. Okayama s main attraction is Korakuen, a beautiful landscaped garden. Korakuen is ranked as one of Japan's three best landscape gardens. It is located just beside Okayama Castle. We will be visiting Korakuen, which incorporates the typical features of a Japanese landscape garden, including a large pond, streams, walking paths and a hill that serves as a lookout point. Rather unique for a Japanese garden, however, are its spacious lawns. Also, found in the garden are groves of plum, cherry and maple trees, tea and rice fields, an archery range and a crane aviary. Korakuen Garden From here we are off to our hotel for the evening, Hotel Granvia Okayama, with direct access to the JR Okayama Station. The hotel offers an indoor pool and sauna. There is a wide variety of dining and shopping options just steps away. Accommodations: Hotel Granvia Okayama Free WiFi Available Day 4 April 17 th, Tuesday Okayama Miyajima (B/D) After breakfast at our hotel, please meet your guide by 7:30am as we make our way to Miyajima Island via Hiroshima. The travel time is approximately 3 hours. Please prepare a small overnight bag for our stay in Miyajima Island and our will meet up with us in Kyoto the following evening. We will make a stop along the way. Once in Hiroshima, we will take a short 10-minute ferry ride to Miyajima Island, one of the most scenic spots in Japan. It has long been regarded as an Island of Gods on the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. It is a romantic and historical island where Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage site, is located, along with the Virgin Forest of Mt. Misen, and numerous preserved shrines, temples, and historical monuments. Its star attraction is the oft-photographed vermilion torii (shrine gate) of Itsukushima-jinja, which seems to float on the waves at high tide a scene that has traditionally been ranked as one of the three best views in Japan. From the ferry station, we will walk along Omote-Sando, the main street from the port to Itsukushima Shrine. There are many souvenir shops on both sides of the street. You will have time to enjoy souvenir shopping for a Shamoji (a rice scoop) or the well-known Momiji manju, a bun with a bean-jam filling made from maple leaves as well and other crafts.

4 We will now visit the cultural heritage site, called the "Itsukushima Shinto Shrine" that is dedicated to the God protecting people from sea disasters and wars. It is said that this shrine was constructed around 593; however, after the warlord Taira no Kiyomori ( ) rebuilt it in 1168, it became the magnificent vermilion-lacquered building it is today. The most interesting feature of this shrine is the Torii (a kind of gate symbolizing a shrine) and the Shaden (shrine pavilion) in the sea, which are both submerged at full tide, but at low tide the sea water recedes completely and it is possible to walk out to the gate. Floating torii and Itsukushima Shinto Shrine plenty to choose for lunch & shopping For those who don t mind the steps, our guide will also take you to Toyokuni Shrine, located close by. This shrine was built in 1599, a year after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, in commemoration to him. He is considered one of the three heroes of Japan, a preeminent samurai and warlord. The shrine was the first location of a tayama, or a Shinto altar used for ancestor worship, but was later destroyed by the clan of a clashing warlord, the Tokugawa Shogunate. The shrine was also closed in 1615 by the Tokugawa clan and later restored in 1868 by the Meiji Emperor. The construction of the hall was discontinued after 11 years when Hideyoshi passed away, and it remains unfinished today. If it had been completed, it would have shown us the great flamboyance of the Azuchi Momoyama era, as you can partly see in the gilded roof tiles of the hall, and the dynamic character of Hideoyoshi. The building is called Senjokaku (Hall of One Thousand Tatami Mats), reflecting its standing as the largest structure on Miyajima Island. The fact that this structure, unique among the buildings belonging to Itsukushima Shrine, is unpainted and that its exact date of founding is recorded makes it a valuable gauge of the passage of time. Countless votive picture tablets (ema) that had been hanging on the walls of Itsukushima Shrine buildings until the mid Meiji era decorate the walls inside the hall. Toyokuni Shrine votive picture tablets shrines alter views from the shrine After lunch on your own and some free shopping time, we will meet up with our guide and walk over to our onsen hotel here on the island, Miyajima Hotel Makoto. This Japanese-style inn connects guests with nature and ancient Japanese history. The hotel also offers a large public bath with relaxing views of a traditional Japanese garden. Arrival at the hotel will be by 4:00pm followed by a Japanese style dinner at 6:00pm. After dinner, the remainder of the evening is free.

5 Consider a walk with our guide after dinner as we stroll done to the waterfront area for the beautiful views of Itsukushima Shinto Shrine and the Torii lit up. It is beautiful and can only be seen when we stay overnight here in Miyajima. Miyajima Hotel Makoto room at onsen hotel dinner starter setting Accommodations: Miyajima Hotel Makoto (Japanese style rooms)- Free WiFi Available Day 5 April 18 th, Wednesday Miyajima Hiroshima -Kyoto (B/L) Please meet your guide by 8:30am as we are off on a full day of touring. The morning begins with a ferry ride back to Hiroshima where our bus will be waiting on us for the remainder of todays tour. The destination today is Kyoto. Our luggage will be sent separately by truck to Kyoto and meet up with us later arrival at the hotel. With six beautiful rivers flowing through it, Hiroshima is called the City of Water. The origins of the city date back to 1589 when Mori Terumoto, a feudal lord, built Hiroshima Castle at the large delta of the Ota-gawa River. Because the delta resembled a large island, the area was called "Hiroshima", or 'wide island' in Japanese. Although many only know it for the horrific split second on August 6, 1945, when it became the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack, it is now a modern, cosmopolitan city with excellent cuisine and a bustling nightlife. Our first stop will be at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, located in the center of Hiroshima City. It is difficult to imagine that this triangle shaped piece of land bordered by two rivers was once a busy commercial and residential downtown area. The atomic bomb eliminated everything in the town. After World War II, a group led by a Japanese architect Kenzo Tange designed the park to turn the land into the Peace Memorial Park It was completed in There are many buildings and monuments which commemorate people who lost their lives at that time and also represent the people's prayers for peace, such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Memorial Cenotaph and the Statue of the A- Bomb Children, etc. By imagining the contrast between the misery of the atomic bomb attack and the beauty and tranquility in the park while visiting spots in the park, you will be moved to appreciate how precious peace is. Our next stop is at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. By standing on the Peace Boulevard side, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Memorial Cenotaph, the Peace Flame, and the A-Bomb Dome can be seen along a straight line. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which opened in 1955, gives people an opportunity to learn of the outcome of the bomb attack and consider what peace really means through many reference materials. The East Wing exhibits photographs, panels, videos, and panorama models showing the actual history of Hiroshima before and after the bomb attack. The main building exhibits victims' belongings and references which show the misery of the bomb attack. You will see a burnt lunch box, a tricycle which a 3-year-old boy was riding, etc., which reflects the instantaneous destruction and strike right at the heart of visitors. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was designed by a group headed by Kenzo Tange, who also designed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The strength of humanity rising up from the ruins is expressed in the piloti-style space under the main building.

6 The last stop today will be at A-Bomb Dome, a symbol of peace which most people have at least seen at one time in a picture. The building, which was designed by a Czech architect in 1915, had been used as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. Hiroshima citizens back then loved so much European modern-style buildings of the time. In 1912, the National Confectionery Exposition was held in this place. From that exposition, Baumkuchen, which represented German cake, was manufactured, and sold in Japan for the first time. Since the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was located only around 160 meters from the hypocenter, the building was blown up, and all those inside the building died. However, the building was not destroyed completely because the blast of the atomic bomb, which was vaporized in the air, prevented it from totally collapsing. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and has been representing people's prayers for a lasting peace. A-Bomb Dome Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park For lunch, we will enjoy one of the region s most popular dishes, okonomiyaki, and a type of Japanese style pancake. Okonomiyaki is a popular pan fried food consisting of batter and cabbage. Selected toppings and ingredients are added which can vary (anything from meat and seafood to wasabi and cheese). This variability is reflected in the dish s name; okonomi literally means to one s likes. After lunch, we will transfer to the Hiroshima Station via local Hiroden for our Bullet Train ride to Kyoto on the Nozomi #32. The departure time is at 2:13pm and arrival in Kyoto will be 3:52pm. On arrival, it is a short walk to our hotel, The New Miyako Hotel, opposite the JR Station. okonomiyaki, and a type of Japanese style pancake Bullet Train ride to Kyoto Kyoto is old Japan, made up of quiet temples, grand gardens, and colorful shrines. While the rest of Japan has adopted modernity with abandon, the old ways remain in Kyoto. The remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. The location of our hotel is in a perfect spot for shopping and dining. There are two big shopping complexes in the JR Kyoto Station, JR Isetan, and Porta. Accommodations: New Miyako Hotel Kyoto - Free WiFi Available

7 Day 6 April 19 th, Thursday Kyoto (B/L) After breakfast please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we have a full day of touring ahead. The morning begins with a visit to Fushimi Inari Shrine, an important Shinto Shrine in Kyoto and famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. The approach to the shrine is lined with many colorful shop and food stalls. Grab a snack as you walk along or maybe some omiyage to bring home. Fushimi Inari Shrine From here we are off to Kodai Yuzen and Gallery for a hands-on handkerchief painting experience. You can really enjoy yourself here in Kodai Yuzen-en touching the heart of traditional beauty of Yuzen-Zome. Yuzen-Zome, a magnificent work of dyeing art with marvelous colors and patterns spread over Kimono, the Japanese national costume, is no doubt one of the best traditional arts Japan is proud of. Established about 330 years ago and named after the founder, Yuzen-sai Miyazaki. Yuzen-sai, first established himself as a famous painter of the pictures for beautiful Japanese fans, and the admirers praised his works. One day a kimono tailor encouraged him to expand his skill to paint beautiful pictures on Kimono and, after a tremendous effort, he established his unique style of hand-painting the figures on Kimono, and soon his art became very popular all over in Japan. Now, off to lunch at a local restaurant, buffet lunch. After lunch, we will be visiting Kyoto s famed Golden Pavilion. Be it capped by snow in winter or set against a lush green background in summer, nothing is as symbolic of Kyoto as Kinkaku-ji's golden reflection shimmering across the rippled surface of the pond before it. Kinkaku-ji is one of Japan's best-known sights. The original building was built in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. His son converted it into a temple. In 1950, a young monk consummated his obsession with the temple by burning it to the ground. The monk's story was fictionalized in Mishima Yukio's The Golden Pavilion. In 1955, a full reconstruction was completed that exactly followed the original design, but the gold-foil covering was extended to the lower floors. The temple is set in three stories. The 1st floor is Shinden-zukuri, the palace style. It is named Ho-sui-in. The 2nd floor is Buke-zukuri, the style of the samurai house and is called Cho-on-do. The 3rd floor is Karayo style or Zen temple style. It is called Kukkyo-cho. Both the 2nd and 3rd floors are covered with gold-leaf on Japanese lacquer. The roof, upon which the Chinese phoenix settles, is thatched with shingles. The entire temple is surrounded by a beautiful garden with a pond in the front called the Mirror Pond. The stones in the pond give a representation of the Buddhist era.

8 Golden Pavilion Next, we are off to visit Sanjusangendo Temple, originally built by Taira no Kiyamori for retired emperor Go-Shirakawa in 1164 and dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon. The temple features a huge hall containing 1,001 figures of Kannon carved in the 12th and 13th centuries. The original temple building was lost in a fire, but reconstructed in That structure has remained unchanged for 700 years since then with four great renovations during that time. The long temple hall, which is about 120 meters long, is made in the Wayo (Japanese) style. As there are 33 spaces between the columns, the temple came to be called Sanjusangen-do (a hall with 33 spaces between columns). The highlight of Sanjusangendo Temple is the 1001 statues of the Buddhist bodhisattva Juichimen-senju-sengen Kanzeon (eleven-headed, thousand-armed, thousand-eyed Kannon), usually simply called Kannon. One thousand standing statues of Kannon (Important Cultural Properties) and one gigantic seated statue (National Treasure) placed in the center are housed in the temple hall. The images are made of Japanese cypress. Among the standing statues, 124 were carved in the 12th century when the temple was founded, and the remaining 876 were made in the 13th century when the temple was renovated. Now, back to our hotel, arrival by approximately 5:00pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. Accommodations: New Miyako Hotel Kyoto- Free WiFi Available Day 7 April 20 th, Friday Kyoto Nara Osaka (B/L) After breakfast at our hotel we will head out for a full day of touring. Please be ready in the lobby area by 8:30am. The morning begins with a drive to Nara and will be approximately 1 hour. Our luggage will be transported by truck to our Osaka hotel and meet up with us later this afternoon at check-in. The morning begins with a drive to Nara for a visit to the Nara Deer Park and Todaiji Temple. The drive time is approximately 1.5 hours and between the visits, lunch is included, Japanese at a local restaurant. Nara, the ancient capital city in the Kansai region of Japan. Throughout 2010 the city celebrated its 1300th anniversary. Centuries before anyone had heard of Delhi or Shanghai or London or Paris and long before anywhere called Kyoto (let alone Tokyo) existed Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan, and the place where the country began to establish itself as a Buddhist kingdom. If you think of Japan as a land of bullet trains and J-pop in Shinjuku storefronts, come to Nara a city filled with rolling hills, ancient temples, and 1,200 entitled deer roaming its old streets. Our first stop will be at the Nara Deer Park, home to hundreds of freely roaming deer. Considered in Shinto to be messengers of the gods, Nara's nearly 1200 deer have become a symbol of the city and have been designated a natural treasure. You can purchase deer biscuits to feed them. The deer bow immediately when they see you have food.

9 From here we are off to visit Nara's premier attraction, Todaiji Temple, and its Great Buddha (Daibutsu), Japan's largest bronze Buddha. When Emperor Shomu ordered construction of both the temple and Daibutsu in the mid-700s, he intended to make Todaiji the headquarters of all Buddhist temples in the land. As part of his plans for a Buddhist utopia, he commissioned work for this huge bronze statue of Buddha. It took eight castings to complete this remarkable work of art. At a height of more than 15m (50 ft.), the Daibutsu is made of 437 tons of bronze, 286 pounds of pure gold, 165 pounds of mercury, and 7 tons of vegetable wax. However, thanks to Japan's frequent natural calamities, the Buddha of today isn't quite what it used to be. In 855, in what must have been a whopper of an earthquake, the statue lost its head. It was repaired in 861, but alas, the huge wooden building housing the Buddha was burned twice during wars, melting the Buddha's head. The present head dates from Be sure to walk in a circle around the Great Buddha to see it from all angles. Behind the statue is a model of how the Daibutsuden used to look, flanked by two massive pagodas. Behind the Great Buddha to the right is a huge wooden column with a small hole in it near the ground. According to popular belief, if you can manage to crawl through this opening, you'll be sure to reach enlightenment. You can also get your English-language fortune for 200 by shaking a bamboo canister until a wooden stick with a number comes out; the number corresponds to a piece of paper. The wooden structure housing the Great Buddha, called Daibutsuden, was also destroyed several times through the centuries; the present structure dates from It is the largest wooden structure in the world, but only two-thirds its original size. Nara Deer Park Todaiji Temple The Great Buddha Our last stop on today s tour is at Kasuga Shrine, built in 768 by Lord Fujiwara, a man of influence in those days, by the order of Emperor Shotoku. It is unique in that it enshrines four gods from important shrines around the country. The shrine itself features vermilion-colored pillars and an astounding 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns. They were donated over the years by common people as tokens of faith and thankfulness, and used to be lit every night. Now they are only lit a few days each year. We will now enjoy a Japanese style lunch at a local restaurant. Kasuga Shrine This afternoon a visit to Takidani Hana Shobuen, a garden that covers 33,000 square meters. Here at any time of the year, some type of flowers or trees will be in bloom. The fields bear roses and cosmos. Pools are filled with varied species of lotus. When blueberries are in season, you can, pick your own and make blueberry jam on the site.

10 The garden is planted with 600 species of iris million plants in all. In addition, the garden has a variety of other species, including cherry blossom trees, manjushage (Lycoris radiata), tessen (Clematis Florida), hydrangea, roses, and cosmos. Now off to Osaka and our hotel. The drive time is approximately 1.5 hours and arrive at the Cross Hotel Osaka will be at approximately 5:00pm. Our hotel ideally located, less than one block to the Dotonbori and right around the corner from the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade Street. Welcome to Osaka, Japan s 3rd most populous city and the working heart of Kansai. Famous for its down-to-earth citizens and the colorful Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect) they speak, it's a good counterpart to the refined atmosphere of Kyoto. Primarily, Osaka is famous for good eating: the phrase kuidaore (eat 'til you drop) was coined to describe Osakans' love for good food. Osaka is also a good place to experience a modern Japanese city. It's only surpassed by Tokyo as a showcase of the Japanese urban phenomenon. After checking in and having some time to freshen up, we are off to explore the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade. This covered arcade shopping street has a very long history, site of some of Osaka's historical bridges. It has been around in some form for hundreds of years, and is still one of the city's most popular and famous spots. Shinsaibashi is the perfect spot for window-shopping and strolling. There's no shortage of places to shop, especially flanked by Amerika-mura and the Dotonbori, and Crysta Naghori underground, but this shopping arcade has charm. Not only does it have a wide selection of stores sure to please anyone, but the southern end of the arcade is at the Dotonbori River, a great sightseeing spot and home to that famous 'eat-til-you-burst' Osakan cuisine. There are many choices for dinner as well as the endless streets for shopping. Consider a nice stroll along the river after dinner. Accommodations: Cross Hotel Osaka- Free WiFi Available Day 8 April 21 th, Saturday Osaka-Kansai (B) It is last day on tour, but still much to do and see. After breakfast, enjoy some free time this morning to do some last-minute shopping around our hotel. While many fo the shops do not open until 10:00am, there are 2 large Don Quijote stores, one literally across the street, open 24 hours a day. Check out from our hotel is by 12:00 noon. We will arrange for a bag pull from your room as our luggage will be sent separately later to meet up with us at the airport. Lunch is on your own today. Please meet your guide in the lobby by 1:00pm as we journey off on a half day tour, ending later at the Kansai Airport. We are off for a visit to Osaka Castle-the symbol of Osaka with it s over 400 years of history. Built as a display of power by Toyotomi Hideyoshi after he achieved his goal of unifying Japan. One hundred thousand workers toiled for three years to construct an 'impregnable' granite castle, finishing the job in It was destroyed 32 years later by the armies of Tokugawa Ieyasu, rebuilt within 10 years, and then suffered a further calamity when another generation of the Tokugawa clan razed it rather than let it fall to the forces of the Meiji Restoration in The present structure is a 1931 concrete reconstruction of the original, which was refurbished in The interior houses an excellent collection of displays relating to the castle, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the city of Osaka. On the 8th floor is an observation deck with 360-degree views. The castle and park are at their colorful best in the cherry-blossom and autumnfoliage seasons.

11 Osaka Castle & Moat around the castle Viewing area from the castle steeple We now begin making our way to Kansai and one always fun last-minute stop is at the AEON Mall. Enjoy free time to pick up some last-minute omiyage, a bento dinner at the supermarket or maybe just sit back and enjoy a leisurely early dinner at one of the many restaurant there. We are now off to the Kansai Airport, just a short 15-minute drive. Once there the check-in will begin 3 hours prior to the flight departure time. Hawaiian Airlines #450 Departs Kansai 9:20 pm Arrive Honolulu 9:55 am (same day)