Japan – Steam, Volcanoes & Bullet Trains

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Flight to Tokyo

Overnight flight from London Heathrow to Tokyo.

Day 2 – Arrival in Tokyo

A morning arrival into Tokyo Haneda Airport and we transfer to our city centre hotel for a 2-night stay. The afternoon is free, and our hotel is located close to Shinagawa Station, a convenient transport hub for moving around Tokyo.

Day 3 – Sightseeing in Tokyo

A day sampling Japan’s vibrant capital. Either join a tour with your guide or strike out on your own on the immaculately clean and efficient metro and rail system.

Day 4 – Shinkansen

A morning departure by ‘Hikari’ Shinkansen to Himeji where we head for the historic Himeji Castle, acclaimed as the most spectacular original castle in Japan. We depart Himeji by ‘Sakura’ Shinkansen to Kokura, our home for the next 2 nights.

Day 5 – Yamaguchi Go Steam Train

We once again board the ‘Sakura’ Shinkansen for a short trip to Shin Yamaguchi, the starting point for the steam hauled ‘Yamaguchi Go’ train. We travel through rural Yamaguchi Prefecture to Tsuwano where there is some free time to enjoy this attractive mountain town.

Day 6 – Onwards to Beppu

A free morning in Kokura or you may opt to join the guide for a trip to one of Japan’s oldest and most historic stations, Mojiko Station. We also visit the Kyushu Railway Museum before heading back to Kokura where we depart on the ‘Sonic’ Limited Express for the journey to Beppu where we stay for 2 nights.

Day 7 – Free Day in Beppu

A free day in Beppu, perhaps Japan’s most famous Spa town. Several very worthwhile rail journeys are possible using your Japan Rail Pass.

Day 8 – Around the Coast of Kyushu

We head South by ‘Nichirin’ Limited Express train to Miyazaki where there is time for lunch before boarding the ‘Kirishima’ Limited Express service. After a particularly scenic section of the line, we arrive in Kagoshima for a 3-night stay.

Day 9 – Chiran & Kamikaze Museum

A full day’s sightseeing by coach, as we head further south down the Satsuma Peninsula. We visit Chiran with its wonderfully preserved Samurai Street and continue to the Kamikaze Peace Museum. We head on to Makurazaki, the most southerly railway line in Japan. Return to Kagoshima by coach or opt to return on the local coastal line.

Day 10 – Sakurajima

A free day to sightsee, ride the trams or simply relax. This afternoon there will be an optional trip by ferry to Sakurajima and the visitor centre on the edge of the lava flows.

Day 11 – Kumamoto & Aso Area

Depart by ‘Sakura’ Shinkansen and head to Kumamoto, our home for the next 2 nights. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we take the JR Kyushu’s Hohi Line to Tatento to travel on the Minami-Aso Railway, which has a ‘torokko’ (open) train operating through attractive scenery to its terminus at Takamori.

Day 12 – Free Time in Kumamoto

A free day for sightseeing, further rail travel or you can explore the city’s tram system. We recommend a trip on the local Kumamoto Electric Railway and/or the Misumi line to its coastal terminus to be rewarded with great views and seafood.

Day 13 – Ferry & Rail to Nagasaki

We take an unusual and interesting route to Nagasaki. First to Kumamoto Port and then by ferry to Shimabara. We join the third-sector Shimabara Railway and travel to Isahaya where we change to a JR ‘Kyushu’ train to our destination, Nagasaki for a 2-night stay.

Day 14 – Sightseeing in Nagasaki

A full day’s sightseeing today in vibrant Nagasaki and travel on the city’s tram system, with its mixture of historic and modern trams including a visit to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park.

Day 15 – To Kyoto

Travel by train via Fukuoka to Hiroshima where we break for lunch before continuing by rail via Shin-Osaka to Kyoto for a 3-night stay.

Day 16 – Nijo Castle & the Golden Temple

A full day’s sightseeing in Kyoto with its wonderful temples and unspoiled Japanese architecture. We visit Nijo Castle with its very attractive gardens before continuing to stunning Kinkau-Ji (Golden Temple), just one of over 2,000 in the city, but probably the most famous. You could choose to visit other cultural sites or make a visit to Kyoto Railway Museum, the largest in Japan, including a live roundhouse full of steam locomotives, several active and in full running order.

Day 17 – Nara Sightseeing & Aoniyoshi Luxury Train

We travel from Kyoto to Nara, one of the former capitals of Japan. While there, key attractions include Todaiji Temple, with its Daibutsuden Great Budda Hall, until recently the largest wooden building in the world, as well as the serene parkland with its numerous deer. We return to Kyoto on board the Aoniyoshi luxury sightseeing train.

Day 18 – Oigawa Railway & Sumatakyo Onsen

We depart from Kyoto by ‘Hikari’ Shinkansen to Hamamatsu and transfer to the old Tokaido main line (3ft 6in gauge) before continuing east to Kanaya. This is the point where we transfer to the famous Oigawa Railway for a super journey up the Oigawa Valley by steam. At Senzu, we transfer to the upper end of Oigawa Railway and travel as far as Okuoikojo over the Ikawa line, before arriving at Sumatakyo Onsen for a 1-night stay in a typical Japanese-style Onsen Hotel on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.

19 – Return to Shinagawa

Return by bus and train to Shin Kanaya, the headquarters of the Oigawa Railway where we have time to visit the locomotive depot and the ‘Plaza Loco’ Museum and shop. We continue to Kanaya, where we change to a local JR service for Shizuoka and onwards by ‘Kodama’ shinkansen for Odawara. We depart from Odawara on the Odakyu Electronic Railway and we expect to ride on one of their ‘Romance car’ services to the railway’s Tokyo terminus in busy Shinjuku. From there, it is a ride on the Yamanote Line round to Shinagawa.

Day 20 – Flight to London

Transfer to Haneda Airport using the Keikyu Electric Railway for our flight home, arriving London Heathrow same day.