Around the World Series
From
Istanbul to Tokyo In 14-days : Turkey and Japan
From
Istanbul to Tokyo .Your
Istanbul stay is filled with enough exotic sights,
sounds, scenes and scents to make it seem like weeks.
Enjoy Japanese onsen/hot springs during your stay
This
tour eases your way into the very essence
of Japan, through encounters ranging from the mundane to the sublime.
You'll experience the serenity of a family inn, where you'll be greeted
with slippers at the door, and soak in the comfort of a steaming tub.
You'll join the Japanese as they get about by steam train, subway, taxi,
and Bullet Train, We'll even arranged for you to share real-life experiences
and pastimes, ranging from a campfire to a farm stay to gathering edible
plants. And of course, we won't pass up the perfect beauty of Mount
Fuji.
DAY
1 - ISTANBUL - Wednesday : Weekly : March thru end of Oct
You're met at the airport by our representative, who sees you to your
hotel, and answers any questions you may have about getting to know
the city. As you ride into the great metropolis from the airport, two
thousand years of history are revealed: towering Roman walls, ancient
Byzantine churches, slender minarets framing the bulbous domes of graceful
mosques. These ancient monuments float on the skyline of a bustling
modern metropolis of ten million people. Welcome fruit basket in your
hotel room awaits you with our compliments.(Inter.continental or similar)
DAY 2 - ISTANBUL- Thursday (BL) The center
of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul was on Seraglio Point, framed
by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We visit the
Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet III to challenge the architectural
primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia. We then walk next door
to compare achievements in Justinian's great Sancta Sophia. Right behind
Sancta Sophia is our next stop, sumptuous Topkapi Palace, the
sultans seraglio for centuries, filled with breathtaking exhibits of
priceless jewels, golden thrones, delicate colored tiles, and lavish
court costumes. We finish up in the bustling Grand Bazaar, where
you can find jewelry, carpets, goat-hair rugs, hand-painted ceramics,
copper and brass in labyrinthine streets holding nearly 4000 shops.
DAY
3 - BOSPHORUS - Friday (B)
Istanbul's history was formed by the Bosphorus, the winding strait
that separates Europe and Asia, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea
of Marmara. Now, as in ancient times, it is a maritime vital link between
the countries bordering the Black Sea and those in the rest of the world.
Today we take a leisurely cruise northward along this historic waterway.
Along its shores are ranged palaces great and small-Topkapi, Dolmabahçe,
Beylerbeyi, Küçüksu, Hünkar Iskelesi. Four
great fortresses rise on the hills, reminding us that to control the
Bosphorus was to control the destinies of nations. Our afternoon cruise
of two continents, crossing from Europe to Asia and back, includes visits
to the Military Museum, the Bosphorus Bridge, Çamlica Hill lookout,
and stupendous Dolmabahçe Palace.
Complimentary
plate of Turkish Lokoom pastries (Hotel room)
DAY
4 - ISTANBUL- Saturday (B)
Istanbul is all yours, day at leisure, any way you like it.
Grab your Lonely Planet guidebook to Istanbul and stroll along the restored
19th-century thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, once known as
the Grand Rue de Péra. Search for spices and folk remedies in the Egyptian
Bazaar. Admire the medieval mosaics in the city's many Byzantine
churches. Shop in the chic boutiques around Taksim Square. Climb
the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese six centuries ago, for
a panoramic view of Old Istanbul.
Day
5 - Sunday"Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque"
(late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:"
Sunday (BL)
Morning walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where
the foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then
take the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish
tekke, and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates),
and point out the architecture. Stop for tea (included) at the
famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in
the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and
be picked up for the afternoon tour.
In the afternoon the tour visit Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri,
a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a visit to the Military
History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman military
band (mid-afternoon).
DAY
6 - ISTANBUL Monday (B)
There are many more things to see and do in this fascinating city, but
they will have to wait for your next visit. After breakfast, our representative
escorts you to the airport for your Tokyo bound flight--until next time!
Dinner is served on board. Overnight flying over Asia.
DAY
7 - ARRIVAL - TOKYO - Tue
You'll land today at ultramodern Narita International Airport, after
your introduction to the serene ways of the Orient aboard your transpacific
flight. Of course, our Tokyo-based representative will be on hand to
greet you at the customs exit, and make sure that you get on the right
bus for your downtown hotel. Though Narita is a fair distance from Tokyo,
everything moves quickly and efficiently in Japan, and in only ninety
minutes, you'll be at your hotel (the New Takanawa Prince or a similar
establishment). After you settle in, you can have a look around, and
appreciate the small marvels of Japanese urban life: spotless streets,
a pace that's fast but always in control, bicycles left unlocked, vending
machines dispensing superb hot coffee in cans (or whiskey, if you wish),
and signs in English. Everything's the same, but a little bit different.
You'll be comfortable in, and fascinated by, Tokyo.
DAY 8 - TOKYO - Wed (BL)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, with the option to please your palate
with Japanese specialties, as well as more familiar Western fare.
Your
tour voucher will specify the time at which to meet your English-speaking
guide in your hotel lobby. Board the coach to get to know Tokyo, but
don't think that this is an ordinary bus tour! You'll see the essential
sights, including the sky-piercing Tokyo Tower, the extensive Imperial
Palace and its gardens, and the national legislature, the Diet.
But you'll also attend a traditional tea ceremony at Happoen Garden,
and gain an insight into the tranquil yet solid spiritual life of the
Japanese at the Asakusa Kannon Temple. The avant garde of Japanese products-many
not yet on sale elsewhere-will be found in the Nakamise shopping arcade.
Of course, you'll rub shoulders with the locals on the streets of ultramodern
Ginza, where restaurants and boutiques offer services and wares from
street level upward. Lunch will be a Japanese-style barbecue (vegetarian
food available) at the Chinzanso Garden restaurant. We'll even manage
to fit in a waterside view of Tokyo from the
Sumida River. You'll glide under thirteen bridges, and feast on
sights that include the Rainbow Bridge over Tokyo Bay, the Tsukiji fish
market, a sumo stadium, and other spots both interesting and offbeat.
At dusk, we'll offer a courtesy shuttle back to your hotel, though of
course, you're free to continue to explore, shop, and taste on your
own.
DAY
9 - TOKYO, MOTEGI, TOCHIGI Thu (BLD)
Ride into the countryside alongside the locals today! We take pride
in affording you this experience, entirely by public transportation,
with orientation by our English-speaking representative. You'll get
to Tokyo station by subway or taxi, to board the futuristic Tohoku Shinkansen,
or Bullet Train. Your 45-minute ride speeds you through an assortment
of neat neighborhoods with narrow streets, and onward through the countryside
to Oyama, where you'll transfer to a train for Shimonodate.
Now, it's time for a change of pace, as you go back into time for a
journey of more than an hour aboard a vintage train with fully restored
steam locomotive. By now, you'll have mastered the polite bow of greeting,
and will find that many Japanese are eager to practice their English-especially
with someone who has wandered off the standard tourist routes! At Motegi-Cho
station, you'll be warmly greeted and invited to lunch at the family
inn (minshuku tabata) that will be your home and base for the next few
days. You'll appreciate your unusual accommodations, along with the
rural setting of small farms, and a steady, slow pace. To enhance your
experience, Travel in Style offers a range of activities that may include
a tea ceremony, harvesting garden-fresh vegetables, preparing a traditional
barbecue dinner, a campfire, and stargazing. Take advantage of this
unusual chance to experience Japanese country life!
DAY
10 - TOCHIGI Fri (BLD)
After a farm-style breakfast in Japanese style, it's time for still
more traditional experiences. Depending on the season, you might take
part in the harvest of rice. Or join the locals in identifying and picking
edible wild plants for your lunch, or making buckwheat noodles by hand.
For a change of pace, we'll take time in the afternoon to visit Honda's
twin racing oval, the largest in the world, and the adjacent museum,
before returning to dinner at your family inn.
DAY
11 - TOCHIGI, TOKYO Sat (BL)
After breakfast, you'll be seen from your family inn to the Motegi-Cho
station, where you'll be briefed for your return trip to Tokyo with
a change of train at Oyama. Our Tokyo representative will be on hand
to greet you on the platform, and escort you to your hotel taxi. You'll
have time to continue your explorations of Tokyo on your own. Take a
walk through the exciting Ginza district where the street action never
ceases, or wonder at consumer electronic marvels in Akihabara.
DAY 12 - TOKYO, MOUNT FUJI, HAKONE Sun (BL)
We'll depart in the morning by motor coach, passing through Tokyo's
orderly outlying communities and, later, carefully tended fields and
orchards. Majestic Mount Fuji will come into view, increasingly imposing
as we approach. We'll ascend all the way to the 2300-meter level mountain
for both an unsurpassed experience of the perfect mountain and an appreciation
of the countryside. Surrounded by ordered beauty, we'll proceed to lunch
at a Western-style resort in Hakone, followed by a cruise on placid
Lake Ashi and a visit to the Owakudani Valley, a remnant volcanic crater.
Evening will see your departure by rail for Tokyo station. With instructions
from your guide, you'll find that you can make it back to your hotel
entirely on your own.
DAY
13 - TOKYO Mon (B)
You've learned many of the ropes during your stay in Japan up to now-how
to manage the public transport system, ordering food, greeting people
and communicating with just a very few words and gestures. Now you're
ready for a day exploring on your own! With guidebook in hand, you'll
visit shopping areas filled with items both familiar and marvelous.
You'll explore the parks of Tokyo, or perhaps ascend the Tokyo Tower
for a farewell view, or visit shrines, or charming slow-paced neighborhoods
surprisingly close to the city center. We also offer a range of optional
tours to take advantage of your time exactly in the way you choose.
DAY
14 - TOKYO, DEPARTURE Tue (B)
It's sayonara today! After breakfast, you'll have time for last-minute
shopping and sightseeing, until you board your coach for Narita International
Airport, where you'll embark with new insights and pleasant memories
of eternal Japan.
Rate
per person in double $ 9,600
Rate per person in single : $ 11,950
Rate
includes:
- Japan:
Accommodations with tax and service charges in Tokyo ( 5 stars hotels)
and at minshuku family inn
- Air
fare one way between Istanbul & Tokyo.
- Guided
sightseeing as per itinerary in Istanbul, including all entrance fees
as per itinerary.
- All
ground transportation in Istanbul & Japan as mentioned, including
transfer to and from airport, train tickets, and taxis
- City
coach tours and tours outside Tokyo as mentioned, including all entrance
fees
- Services
of English-speaking guides and representatives on tours and to assist
with transportation as listed.
- Meals
specifically mentioned with pre-set menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch,
D = dinner)
Not
included:
Please
note: This tour includes a rural experience. If you are allergic
or sensitive to plants, animals, or insects, please consult your health
professional for advice on whether this itinerary is suitable for you.
A
32- Day Grand Tour of the Near East and the former Ottoman Empire
This
dream vacation Includes an in-depth tour of Istanbul and Anatolia.
A one week Nile Cruise on a deluxe Dahabiya, Alexandria , Cairo , Giza
in Egypt .
Petra and even camping with the Bedouins in Wadi Rum in Jordan
Arrive weekly in Cairo . April though end of Oct
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