October 5 - 12, 2012
Price TBA
(based on double occupancy)
Price subject to change

Tour Includes:
• Tour Escort from Hawaii
• Hotel Accommodations at one hotel for duration of tour
• Airfare from Honolulu to Japan roundtrip
• Ground Transportation as indicated in the Itinerary
• Daily Breakfast and Dinner
• Admission to all sights, attractions, and tours as indicated by itinerary

A late morning flight takes us to Nagoya.

We arrive in the afternoon and after passing through immigration and customs formalities we will press onward to Takayama.

On our first day we will tour the city.  We will explore their local morning market, where we can see the foods produced in the area along with various handcrafts.  We will then walk around the old town district and look at the various buildings.  Among them is the Takayama Jinya, a government building dating back to the Edo period (1603 - 1868).  Time permitting we will also visit the Takayama Yatai Kaikan, a museum that houses some of the ornately decorated floats used during Takayama's two annual festivals.  During the Edo period, instead of sending rice, Takayama would send skilled artisans to work on various government public work projects.  The floats that you will see here are a testament to their skill and artistry.

In the afternoon we will go to Furukawa.  This small town is famous for its spring festival that heavily features drums.  We can enjoy the slow pace of the town along with its old fashioned architecture.  There is also a museum about the festival.

One of the most famous battles in Japanese history is the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.  This was a battle between the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and those loyal to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.  Tokugawa's victory is considered the turning point in history, which would lead to his becoming the Shogun.  We will visit the battlefield and Sekigahara Warland, a theme park that re-enacts parts of the battle with statues.  We will also visit the Sakai Homono Museum, which specializes in cutlery, both knives and scissors.  Here we will learn about knives and their forging.

Takayama has two annual festivals, one in April and the other in October.  The first festival is held in hopes of having a good harvest and the second is in thanks of having a good harvest.  Both festivals are similar and heavily feature the ornate yatai or floats that the city is famous for.  The autumn festival is also noted for the presence of mikoshi or portable shrines that are also paraded in the streets.  This a two day event with the majority of the events occurring on the first day.  There are katakuri performances and a parade.  In addition to the ornate decorations several of the yatai also contain katakuri, or mechanical dolls, that put on performances during the festival.

Takayama is in a mountainous region of Japan known as the Japan Alps and the third tallest mountain in Japan is found nearby.  Mount Hotaka has a ropeway or enclosed lift system that will take us to the top to enjoy the view below.  The ropeway is actually set up in two stages and the second stage uses a rare double decker car.

The nearby village of Shirakawa is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is known for its preservation of the particular type of architecture found in the area.  The homes have thatched roofs and are three to four stories tall.  Coming to the area is like stepping back in time and seeing the area as it was over a century ago.

On our last day we will depart Takayama and visit the town of Gujo Hachiman.  Also known as Japan's Fake Food capital,  we will go to a Japanese Food Sample factory, where we will have a chance to make our own sample food as seen at the front of many Japanese restaurants.

From there we will return to Nagoya to catch our flight back to Hawaii.  Upon our return we must pass through immigrations and customs.