Alpine Route Adventure plus Tokyo Explore Japan's Northern Alps

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1 Alpine Route Adventure plus Tokyo Explore Japan's Northern Alps Small Group Tour-Maximum of 25 Members! April 15 TH 24 th, nts/10days fr: $3695 dbl/tpl & $4095 single Open annually from mid-april through November, the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route draws huge numbers of visitors from around the world, all eager to navigate the majestic and wild beauty of Japan s Northern Alps. Also referred to as the "Roof of Japan", the Alpine Route is renowned for the many highlights interspersed throughout each leg of the journey. Of, which we will be visiting is the Tateyama Snow Corridor, an expanse of road flanked by massive walls of snow reaching up to 20 meters in height. Despite its rugged terrain the Alpine Route is also quite friendly to all ages and activity levels, due to the various means of transportation which make traversing the Alps easier. The list of vehicles used to make the journey through the mountains includes trains, buses, a ropeway, cable cars, and even a trolley bus (the only one of its kind in Japan!). But, there is more, much more as we have also included two nights in Tokyo at the beginning and returning for three days at the end. It is truly a perfectly blended tour, the very best of country and city. We have also included visits to the Ishii Miso Factory, Shichiekn Sake Brewery, Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, 2 flower festivals, the Azalea Festival and the Fuji Shibazakura Festival, and the Ninja Village complete with show. What more you ask? How about 2 onsen stays, one at the luxurious Kuroyon Royal Hotel Nagano and the other, Hotel Mifujien, its onsen offers stunning views of nearby Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi. Lastly, an evening at the historic Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu, established in Itinerary/Details Day 1 April 15 th, Monday Depart from Honolulu Hawaiian Airlines #821 Departs Honolulu 2:45 pm Arrive Narita 7:00 pm +1 Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines International check-in counters in Terminal 1, formally known as the Hawaiian Airlines Terminal, Lobby 3, Makai side at least 3 hours prior to the flight departure time. Day 2 April 16 th, Tuesday Narita-Tokyo

2 On arrival in Tokyo, please make your way to the baggage claim area and then proceed to customs clearing. On exiting customs, our local guide will be there to meet us for the drive to our recently renovated hale for the next 5 nights, The Sunshine City Prince Hotel. 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 8 pm seven days a week. We are also less than a 10-minute walk from the Ikebukuro JR Station. The third floor of the mall is practically all restaurants and stays open until 9:30pm. There is 24-hour Family Mart convenience store right off the lobby in case you would like to pick up food, snacks, or beverages. Within a 5-minute walk is a 24-hour super market, Seiyu, in case all you want is a light dinner bento to bring back to the room. While most of the mall stores will be closing by 8:00pm, the third floor offers a variety of dining and the restaurants are typically open until 9:30pm. Newly remodeled Sunshine City Prince Hotel & lobby Family Mart in hotel lobby Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel free Day 3 April 17 th, Wednesday Tokyo (B/L) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we are off on a full day of touring. Our touring day begins with a visit to Nezu Shrine, believed to have been established more than 1,900 years ago. For 11 months, out of the year it does not attract that much attention from the outside world, then spring rolls around, and its remarkable crop of azaleas burst into bloom. It is home to some 3,000 azalea plants roughly 100 varieties in total, including rare breeds such as the black karafune flower and must find space for at least as many flower aficionados during the month-long Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri. Nezu Shrine is always worth a visit, thanks to its wonderful historical buildings nestled down in the hilly landscape, the torii path, and the beautiful and detailed decorations of the main hall, but the highlight of the year is the Azalea Festival. Enjoy free time to explore and enjoy the scenery.

3 . Azalea Festival 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! We will remain here for 1.5 hr., so you can shop at leisure. Ameyoko- best spot to find omiyage items Now, lunch time and we will enjoy a buffet at a local restaurant. This afternoon we are off to Asakusa, the traditional, low-rise, down, and dirty Tokyo of yesteryear. Although on the surface it s ye olde Japan, this was the first part of the capital to have significant western influence. It was even the site of Japan s first cinema. Attractions in the area include one of Tokyo s most historic temples Sensoji, and the impressive Kaminarimon Gate that marks the entranceway to the temple. Also, you can t miss Phillip Stark s Golden Poo on the roof of the nearby Asahi Breweries headquarters. Sensoji Temple dates to 645, but with the original destroyed in the air raids of 1945, today s building is a 1958 reconstruction. At the top of the steps, as a mark of respect, clap twice and bow your head. It s also customary to make a small offering by tossing coins into the wooden rack.

4 The Five Storied Pagoda was built in 1973 and amongst others; it stands in honor of comedians! Standing 54 meters high, reinforced with concrete and steel, and like all pagodas, running down the center is a giant pillar of Japanese Cypress tree wood. Once through the gate you ll be in Nakamise Shopping Arcade. The street is lined with colorful, lively stalls selling traditional knick- knacks, festival foods, and rice crackers. There are over 50 shops along this shopping street. We will remain here for 1.5 hrs. to allow you time to enjoy the area as well as shop. Asakusa and Nakamise Shopping Arcade We now make our way back to Ikebukuro and our hotel, arrival by 3:30pm. The remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel free Day 4 April 18 th, Thursday Tokyo-Kanazawa-Toyama (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:00am as we are off on a full day of touring, ending the day in Toyama. Please pack a small overnight bag for 2 days as our luggage will be sent by truck to Matsumoto. The morning begins with a short drive to Tokyo Station for our bullet train ride to Kanazawa Station. Kagayaki #507 departs at 9:20am and arrives at 11:54am. Kanazawa's array of cultural attractions makes it the drawcard of the Hokuriku region. Best known for Kenroku-en, a castle garden dating from the 17th century, it also boasts beautifully preserved samurai and geisha districts, attractive temples, a wealth of museums and a wonderful market. Once here we will be first visiting Omicho Market, established in the middle of the 18 th century. This market has been Kanazawa s largest fresh food market since the Edo Period. Today, it is a busy and colorful network of covered streets lined by about 200 shops and stalls. While most shops specialize in excellent local seafood and produce, you can also find flowers, clothing, kitchen tools and more on sale. Unique Kaga vegetables have been grown and eaten here since the olden days and have come to be considered the world-class brand name vegetables of Kanazawa. There are 15 varieties certified as Kaga Vegetables including Satsuma imo (sweet potato), Kagarenkon (lotus root), takenoko (bamboo shoot), Kaga futo kyuri (fat cucumber), kinjisou (leaf vegetable), Kaga tsuru mame (wild soybean), and gensuke daikon (daikon radish). Enjoy free time here to explore and have lunch on your own. Lunch time is very busy here, a favorite with tourists and locals alike. The most popular lunch item is a rice bowl topped with fresh Kanazawa seafood.

5 Now, off to visit the Higashi Chayagai District, a beautifully preserved historical area of Kanazawa with many traditional wooden buildings. This area was established in 1820 as an entertainment district for rich merchants and nobility. The name Higashi Chaya-gai literally means Eastern Teahouse District, because the chaya, or teahouses, were where wealthy customers would be entertained by geisha with traditional music, dancing, and drinking games. Many of these buildings have today been converted into restaurants or souvenir craft shops Some of the highlights here include: Ochaya Shima, a historical geisha house which has been preserved as a museum and it is an essential stop when visiting here. You can see how the geisha lived and worked and enjoy a cup of green tea with a sweet. Kaikaro is a working geisha house that is open to the public during the day. At night it is an exclusive house of entertainment for wealthy patrons only. Gold Leaf Sakuda sells many goods decorated with gold leaf, which is a traditional craft dating back 400 years in Kanazawa. Kanazawa has a long tradition of sweet making which was first sponsored by the ruling Maeda family. These wagashi, or traditional sweets, developed together with the tea ceremony because the bitter tea is always served with something sweet. Kintsuba Nakataya is a traditional sweets shop in Higashi Chaya-gai which sells a range of such traditional confectionery. The shop s specialty is kintsuba, a special confection of sweet adzuki beans wrapped in a wheat flour dough. A little further down the street from Kintsuba Nakataya is Hakuichi, a souvenir shop specializing in gold leaf products. This shop has become quite well known recently for selling ice cream coated in edible gold leaf. The gold leaf itself doesn t have much taste, but it does look impressive and the ice cream is delicious. If you go down the narrow alleyway behind Hakuichi you can find a striking red building. This is Kanazawa Sushi, where you can learn to make oshi-zushi or pressed sushi. Pressed sushi is a local specialty made with a mold, that was traditionally made and eaten by the whole family on festival days. If you are interested in traditional Japanese music, then you may want to pay a visit to the Fukushima Sangenten shop (also called Shamisen no Fukushima). This is the only shop in the Hokuriku area that specializes in making and selling the shamisen, a three stringed instrument which is similar in appearance to the banjo. The shamisen is a beautiful instrument which geisha must learn to play to entertain their clients. From here we are off to Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan's "three most beautiful landscaped gardens" alongside Mito's Kairakuen and Okayama s Korakuen. The spacious grounds used to be the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle and were constructed by the ruling Maeda family over a period of nearly two centuries. Opened to the public in 1871, Kenrokuen features a variety of flowering trees which provide the garden with a different look for each season. The name Kenrokuen literally means "Garden of the Six Sublimities", refers to spaciousness, seclusion, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water, and broad views, which according to Chinese landscape theory are the six essential attributes that make up a perfect garden. A stroll around Kenrokuen will help with understanding this landscape theory as the grounds are teeming with water features, bridges, teahouses, trees, flowers, stones, viewpoints, and hidden nooks to discover.

6 Water is diverted from a distant river by a sophisticated water system constructed in 1632 to feed Kenrokuen's various streams and ponds including the two main ponds in the garden, Kasumigaike and Hisagoike. The over two-meter tall Kotojitoro Lantern, uniquely built with two legs instead of one, stands at the northern bank of Kasumigaike Pond and is an iconic symbol of Kenrokuen. In addition, a fountain below Kasumigaike Pond is one of Japan's oldest, and is powered by the drop in elevation from the pond which causes water to shoot out 3.5 meters high. Meanwhile, nearby Hisagoike Pond features a small waterfall. Enjoy free time here to walk around and take in the beauty of the azaleas and irises which should be in full bloom during this time. From here, off to our hotel, ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Toyama, ideally located in the center of the city, by the train station. Our arrival will be by 6:00pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. A variety of shops and restaurants are steps away. Accommodations: ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Toyama free Day 5 April 19 th, Friday Toyama-Alpine-Omachi (B/L/D) After breakfast, we will be meeting in the lobby as a designated time to be determined as we get closer to the date. The time we are permitted is drawn by a lottery. We have included lunch will helps us in securing a morning slot. Please keep in mind that the opening day each year is April 15 th ; however, weather conditions are the final determination on whether we can proceed. For this reason, we have planned it a few days after the scheduled opening as a buffer. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine (pronounced Alpen ) Route is known as the Roof of Japan. The route passes through the dynamic scenery of Mt. Tateyama in the Japan Alps. It is a unique and spectacular route through the Northern Japan Alps, traveling by various means of transportation including cable cars, trolley buses and a ropeway. Completed in 1971, the route connects Toyama City with Omachi Town. It is completely inaccessible from December to mid-april. The beauty of the Alps fascinates many people, not only mountaineers but also tourists are able to experience their stunning enormity. Impressive views can be seen just after the road is opened at the mid-april until May. After June the walls of snow become shorter, but some snow remains even in August. Please remember that you will need to come prepare with winter clothes for this day.

7 Kurobe Dam Tateyama Cable Car Tateyama Ropeway Shomyo Falls After a full day out, we will check into our hotel for the evening, Kuroyon Royal Hotel, close by to the Kurobe Dam. Set amidst a forest, this is a secluded onsen hotel with amazing facilities that include a giant swimming pool, indoor and outdoor onsen. After time to freshen up, please meet up for dinner at 6:00pm. After dinner, take time to enjoy the onsen Accommodations: Kuroyon Royal Hotel free Day 6 April 20 th, Saturday Omachi-Matsumoto (B/L) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we are off on a full day of touring. The morning begins with a visit to the Daio Wasabi Farm some shopping. It is one of Japan's largest wasabi farms and a popular tourist destination. The farm has multiple large fields with a meticulously maintained network of small streams that constantly provides each wasabi plant with clear, flowing water from the Northern Alps. Next, a visit to the Japan Ukiyo-E, a privately owned Japanese art museum in Matsumoto. The museum is a print maker's dream, holding the largest private collection of ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), paintings screens and old books in the world. One of Matsumoto s wealthiest merchants of his time, Sakai Yoshiaki started collecting ukiyoe and other pieces of art roughly 300 years ago. His descendants have been enlarging the collection to over 100,000 pieces, making it one of the world's largest private art collections. The prints on exhibition continuedly change by the season. Enjoy time to explore and visit their giftshop. Our next stop on the touring day is at the Ishii Miso Factory, founded in 1868 at the end of the Edo era. They still produce miso by a unique traditional and natural method. Miso, soybean paste, is an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine. We have miso soup every day and sometimes use it for other dishes. Miso is a fermented food that is very healthy. Nagano Prefecture, where Matsumoto is located, is the top producer of miso in Japan, 46%. A specialty of this brewery is that they ferment the miso for over three years. Normal, cheap mass-produced miso is fermented only a few months in a factory. The taste of Ishii's three-year-old miso is much deeper and tastier than normal miso. We will also enjoy lunch during our visit here which includes miso soup, salad with miso dressing, rice balls, and even miso flavored ice cream.

8 From here we make our way to Matsumoto. Embraced by seven great peaks to the west and three smaller sentinels to the east, Matsumoto occupies a protected position in a fertile valley no more than 20km across, at its widest. Views of the regal Alps are never far away, and sunsets are breathtaking. Formerly known as Fukashi, Nagano prefecture's second-largest city has been here since the 8th century. In the 14th and 15 th centuries, it was the castle town of the Ogasawara clan and continued to prosper through the Edo period, to the present. Today, Matsumoto is one of Japan's finest cities an attractive, cosmopolitan place loved by its residents. Admirers from around the world come to enjoy its superb castle, pretty streets, galleries, cafes and endearing vistas. Once here, a visit to Matsumoto Castle, one of the most complete and beautiful among Japan's original castles. It is a "hirajiro" - a castle built on plains rather than on a hill or mountain. Matsumoto Castle is unique for having both a secondary donjon and a turret adjoined to its main keep. The castle structures, in combination with their characteristic black wainscoting, give off an air of grandeur and poise. The wooden interior of Matsumoto Castle provides an authentic experience unlike that felt at many other castles rebuilt of ferro-concrete. Interesting features of the castle include steep wooden stairs, openings to drop stones onto invaders, openings for archers, as well as an observation deck at the top, sixth floor of the main keep with nice views over the surrounding city. Now, off to our hotel for the evening, Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu, a classic old-fashioned hotel established in It is conveniently located within walking distance to Matsumoto Castle. The hotel s exterior features a traditional Japanese appearance with white plaster facade and black clay roof tiles. The interior features Matsumoto's traditional folkcraft furniture for a classic feel that is popular with the guests. You will have time to enjoy the common bath, available 24 hours a day and utilizes a natural spring source located on the premise. The hotel is simple, but tasteful, offering a calm and relaxing atmosphere created by the Mingei furniture found in every room. The art of Mingei is not owned by any specific artist but was born and cultivated through an everyday lifestyle and refers to items designed with that purpose in mind. Our arrival will be by 4:30pm and after checking in, the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. The hotel is a short walk to Matsumoto Castle. Also, close by is Nawate-dori, a shopping street that offer the feel of the city's history as a castle town. Lined with around 50 shops that vary from antique dealers and 'dagashi' candy stores to stylish bakeries and designer boutiques, the frog-themed street makes a great place to stroll when seeing the castle. There is also Nakamachi Street which has a variety of shops including folk art shops, craft shops and restaurants, and cafes, as well as the Kurassic-kan, which was once a sake brewery building, and the Scale Museum which is housed in a former scale shop. Many of the restaurants allow you to try more local fare. Many of the shops are open into the early evening. Don t forget to pick up a frog trinket. It is said that a frog will help things return to you. For the ladies, this is especially valuable in or on your purse, as it will bring you money. Accommodations: Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu free Day 7 April 21 st, Sunday Matsumoto-Lake Kawaguchi (B/L/D) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we are off on a full day of touring.

9 The morning begins with a visit to Takato Castle Park Site, one of the three best locations to see cherry blossoms in Japan. About 1500 cherry trees of the pinkish Kohigan variety stand across the park's compound, providing great cherry blossom views each spring. The Kohigan cherry trees are said to have been planted here in 1875, when the park was first opened to the public. A cherry blossom festival is held annually, usually for the whole month of April, during which many festival stalls are set up around the park. While the peak viewing period is usually from mid to late April, we will keep our fingers crossed that our timing is perfect. Being that it is a Sunday, the area will be busy. From here, lunch at a local restaurant. Our afternoon begins with a fun stop at the Shichiken Sake Brewery, a hidden gem in the middle of the mountains. The Kitahara family established their sake brewery Onakaya in Takato in the early 17th century. It is now in their twelfth generation of ownership. The water of Ojiro River, one of the 100 best sources of water in Japan, originates in the Kai-Komagatake area. After it travels through a cleansing layer of granite then it enters the Daigahara area where it becomes even more pure under the clean air and severe cold of winter. The water, air and natural features were the prime reasons why they choose this region for brewing sake. Enjoy a tour, tastings, and a visit their giftshop. Now, off to our hotel for the evening, Hotel Mifujien, an onsen property located in front of Lake Ashi offering specular views of Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi from every room. Enjoy this Japanese style inn and its view. Our arrival will be by 4:30pm and after time to freshen up and/or enjoy the onsen, please meet in the lobby by 6:00pm for dinner. Accommodations: Hotel Mifujien free. Japanese style rooms Day 8 April 22 nd, Monday Kawaguchiko-Tokyo (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:30am as we begin our journey back where we began, Japan s capital, Tokyo. On our drive back, we will be making several touring stops. The morning begins with a visit to the Kubota Icchiku Kimono Museum, located near Lake Kawaguchi with majestic views of Mt. Fuji. Built by the artist, Kubota Itchiku, the museum is an artist s paradise highlighting 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 ( ). 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.

10 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 a walk in the garden and along the path to take full advantage of the beautiful natural environment of the museum. If we are lucky to have a clear weather day, you can enjoy views of Mt. Fuji in the distance. Kubota Icchiku Kimono Museum From here, a visit to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival. With its stunning scenery and fragrant beauty, this is one spring festival you do not want to miss! While Japan s sakura cherry blossoms make headlines throughout April, there s another type of sakura that s adored by the masses, only this one blooms up from the ground beneath your feet. Enjoy this most specular display of shibazakura, otherwise known as moss phlix, right here at the base of Mt. Fuki. Shibazakura is a flower that grows thickly, covering the ground like a lawn. The shape of its pretty flower petals looks like that of sakura (cherry blossoms) and it comes in a variety of colors including different shades of pink, white, and light purple, with some petals having striped patterns. We will remain her for two hours so that you can enjoy leisurely time here and lunch on your own. Fuji Shibazakura Festival

11 From here, a visit at the Ninja Village Oshino Shinobi no sato as we travel back to old Japanese times-the times of ninja and samurai and of old Japanese houses with hidden doors and traps. Ninjas are famous worldwide for being the silent assassins of feudal Japan. The ninja played a role in the warring states period of Japanese history, infiltrating and assassinating top targets. Enjoy time here to explore, learn about ninja life and maybe even experience how to throw a shuriken! While here we will also be enjoying a Ninja show. While it is unclear when the first ninjas emerged in Japanese history, it is believed to be during the Sengoku period in the 15th century. During this time, ninjas were trained and worked in the Iga and Koka regions of Japan for almost one hundred years before being invaded and almost wiped out by Oda Nobunaga, a powerful samurai warlord during that time. The survivors fled into the mountains or to the rival Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun during that period and were hired to protect Edo castle and to patrol its walls. The Oshino area around Mount Fuji is famous for its clear waters and stunning views. Enjoy their stunning gardens planted with azaleas and irises as you walk around. Lastly, don t forget to stop by the gift shop for that one of a kind unique item. From here we make our way back to Tokyo, arriving by 6:00pm. Once back, the remainder of the evening is free. Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel Day 9 April 23 rd, Tuesday 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 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 center 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.

12 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 center 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 has a rather odd attraction. Do you just love finding the latest Kit Kat flavors? Take time to visit the recently opened Kit-Kat Chocolatey, at the Seibu Department Store, Ikebukuro train station and shop at the world's first Kit-Kat boutique. Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel Day 10 April 24 th, Wednesday Tokyo-Narita (B After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:30am. It may be our last day on tour, but we are off to enjoy every moment before our flight home later this evening. We begin the morning with a visit to the iconic Tokyo Tower. While it is no longer the tallest structure in Japan, nor a full-fledged broadcasting tower, it is still one of the most popular places for tourists to visit and an icon of the capital, attracting about 2 million visitors annually. Opened in Opened in 1958, Tokyo Tower will be standing for a second Olympics when Tokyo hosts the games in Perhaps most known for its distinctive steel framework, this self-supported steel structure, modeled after the Eiffel Tower in France is lighter and taller. At night, the tower is lit up by 176 floodlights, orange in winter and white in summer.

13 Tokyo Tower We now make our way towards Narita with a stop at Narita-san Omotesando, the closest place to the airport where the good old days of Japan remain. This charming street offers all the flavors of a temple town. Take a leisurely stroll and peek into souvenir shops and food vendors that strike your fancy. The first thing you notice as you walk along the street is the great number of establishments selling eel. Eel has been a Narita delicacy since the Edo Era. Just past the middle of the street is Kawatoyo where you can see staff filleting eel at the storefront. Walking through that smoky sweet aroma is also one of the things to look forward to. Nagomi-no-Yoneya, an establishment opened in 1899 dealing in kuri-yokan (chestnut bean jelly) also operates a yokan museum at the back. The yokan with added fortune slips is quite unique. Elsewhere, there is the Saheiji Kawamura Store which has the famous Teppo-zuke pickles, the lone sake brewery on the street, Chomeisen, and other shops which have many of the most famous products in Japan. As you walk around notice that some of the buildings here have existed since their construction in the Edo Era and which are still operating in the forms of the Onoya Inn and the Mitsuhashi Pharmacy. Finally, right at the end of Omotesando, you will arrive at the 1,000-year-old Naritasan temple. Narita-san Omotesando Our last stop before the airport is for last minute shopping at the Narita Aeon Mall. This is also a good spot to pick up a dinner bento to enjoy before the flight home this evening. Hawaiian Airlines #822 Departs Narita 9:00 pm Arrive Honolulu 9:00 am