Take a full-day guided tour of Tokyo on this day. In the morning, meet your guide at your hotel lobby, then take the Tokyo Metro to the Yanesen area, the collective name for the neighborhoods of Yanaka Ginza, Nezu, and Sendagi, which are filled with charming mom-and-pop shops, cafes and restaurants, and quaint traditional sights such as shrines and old houses.

After the Yanesen tour, return to Asakusa by late afternoon to explore the neighborhood around your hotel. Learn the difference between temples and shrines and how to worship at both as you visit one of Japan’s most famous temples: Sensoji. Browse the shops of Nakamise-dori, the approach leading to the temple, and let your guide introduce you to their favorite local spots.

Finally, in the early evening, walk with your guide to the Sumida River Park area, where you will board a traditional boat called a yakatabune for a dinner cruise that offers panoramic views of Tokyo’s vibrant nightscape.

This is a free day for you to enjoy Tokyo at your own leisure. Having visited areas of Tokyo with an old-school ambiance on the previous day, how about using this day to explore some of Tokyo’s more fast-paced urban districts such as Shibuya and Shinjuku, and/or the retro-futuristic Odaiba district, which is home to several museums and lifestyle complexes?

After having breakfast and checking out of your hotel, meet your driver at the lobby for your private transfer to Tokyo Station, where you will take the Shinkansen bullet train to Nagoya.

Upon arriving at Nagoya, head to your hotel, Nagoya JR Gate Tower Hotel, which is directly connected to the station. Leave your luggage at the front desk, freshen up a bit, then meet your guide for a Nagoya sightseeing and cuisine tour.

Nagoya boasts a rich food culture, with its cuisine being called Nagoya meshi (literally “Nagoya food”). Discover the main characteristics of Nagoya meshi and its representative dishes as you enjoy local specialties for lunch and sample street food as you walk down the Osu Kannon shopping arcade, located in a neighborhood rich in local charm.

You will also visit Nagoya Castle, one of Japan’s most historically significant castles. See if you can spot its distinctive symbol: a pair of golden statues of mythical fish-like creatures called shachihoko. If you’re lucky enough, you may be able  to catch a thrilling performance by the Nagoya Omotenashi Bushotai, a troupe of historical reenactors dressed as samurai warriors.

Your guide will drop you off at your hotel in Nagoya. Check into your hotel, and enjoy the entire evening as you like.

Your journey through the historical Nakasendo road, which connected Edo (the former name of Tokyo) and Tokyo in ancient times,  begins on this day. First, after breakfast and check-out, head to the Silver Clock, one of Nagoya Station’s landmarks, to meet your guide for the next two days. Together, you will take the Meitetsu railway from Nagoya to Mitake, one of the former post towns (towns where people traversing the Nakasendo could stop and rest in ancient times) along the Nakasendo.

Upon arrival at Mitake, meet your driver for your private transfer. Your Mitake tour will involve a combination of walking around town and transferring by car. For your convenience, leave your luggage in the car as you explore Mitake. You will visit local attractions such as a serene Zen temple with a minimalist rock garden and a historical building that was once used as an inn to host dignitaries, as well as enjoy Japanese cuisine for lunch at a local restaurant..

In the early evening, you will be dropped off at your accommodation for the night: a ryokan (Japanese-style inn) called Oniiwa Onsen Ryozan. Spend a relaxing evening with seasonal kaiseki haute cuisine for dinner, soothing hot-spring baths, and tranquil nature all around you.

Your Nakasendo tour continues on this day with an excursion to two less-explored post towns: Hosokute and Okute. As you hike these towns, your guide will introduce you to local attractions such as a statue of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy) in a cave—which is said to grant 99,000 blessings if you visit on an auspicious day—and a portion of the Nakasendo where the old paved roads from the Edo period have been preserved to this day.

In the early evening, you will be dropped off at your next accommodation: Oyado Onn, which is located in Nakatsugawa, a city that serves as the main gateway to the Nakasendo. Enjoy melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef and other seasonal dishes for dinner, and unwind in the communal bath.

Have breakfast and check out of your accommodation, then meet your guide to start your full-day Nakasendo hike. (Your luggage will be forwarded to your accommodation in Magome while you enjoy your hike.)

For this day, you will explore 3 Nakasendo towns as you hike the Nakatsugawa—Ochiai—Magome trail. You will not just hike from one town to another; there will also be enough time for you to stroll down each town as you learn about its history and culture.

Late in the afternoon, check into your ryokan in Magome. After a long day of hiking, you’ll be rewarded with a sumptuous dinner that features local specialties. A rejuvenating soak in the communal bath will make for the perfect end to your day..

After breakfast and check-out, set out to hike the Nakasendo’s most famous trail: Magome–Tsumago, covering this ancient road’s best-known post towns. (As with the previous day, your luggage will be forwarded to your next accommodation.)

Relatively beginner-friendly compared to other Nakasendo trails, the approximately 8-km-long Magome–Tsumago trail showcases the best of the Nakasendo, making it the perfect hike for those who do not have the time to visit other post towns. Along your hike, you will enjoy scenic countryside views such as old houses overlooking rice paddies and lush fields.

Once you reach Tsumago, take some time to walk around the town, then check into your ryokan for the night, where dinner and relaxing baths await.

After breakfast and check-out, meet your driver for your private transfer to Nagiso Station. There, take the Shinano Limited Express to Matsumoto, which will take approximately 1 hour.

At Matsumoto Station, a driver will be waiting to take you to your accommodation for the night: Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu, a hotel with over 130 years of history and a folk craft-themed aesthetic. Leave your luggage at the front desk, then meet your local guide for a tour of the area around Matsumoto Castle.

Visit a long-running miso brewery for lunch and an up-close look at how one of the essential ingredients in Japanese cuisine is made. Then, tour the grounds of Matsumoto Castle, one of the few remaining castles in Japan that retains its original structure, and stroll around Nawate-dori and Nakamachi-dori, local shopping streets lined with well-preserved traditional warehouses and houses. If time permits, your guide may also take you to other local attractions.

In the evening, check into your hotel, indulge in an exquisite dinner made with the finest local ingredients, and let the waters of your hotel’s onsen (hot springs) bath heal you.

Have breakfast and check out of your hotel, then take part in a soba-making workshop with an English-speaking guide near Matsumoto Castle (exact location to be provided upon confirmation of booking). Soba (buckwheat noodles) is a specialty of Nagano Prefecture, where buckwheat is abundant.

Guided by a master at soba making, you will learn to make noodles with the perfect texture: firm and chewy. You will also have the opportunity to grate fresh wasabi sourced from a local farm. After making and cooking the noodles, you will enjoy soba and seasonal side dishes for lunch.

After the workshop, return to your hotel to retrieve your luggage and meet your driver for your private transfer to Matsumoto Station. At Matsumoto Station, board the Azusa Limited Express for a 2.5-hour ride to Shinjuku. Upon arriving at Shinjuku, meet your private driver (exact location to be provided upon confirmation of booking), who will take you to your hotel for the next two days: Hotel Gracery Ginza.

Check in and freshen up, then meet your local guide at the lobby for a nightlife-themed tour of Tokyo tailored to your preferences. Whether you enjoy bar crawls and parties, or are looking for more low-key Tokyo nightlife activities, leave it to us to show you the best ways to enjoy Tokyo at night.

Your last full day in Japan will be another free day for you to explore Tokyo. Get the most out of this day by shopping for souvenirs for yourself and people back home, go sightseeing around parts of Tokyo that you haven’t visited yet, and/or revisit your favorite Tokyo districts.

Depending on your flight time, you may still have time to do some sightseeing on your last day in Japan. Please make sure to be at your hotel lobby approximately three hours before your flight to meet your driver for your private airport transfer. After meeting your driver, head to Narita or Haneda Airport for your return flight.