The Samurai, Sumo & Sake Tour (2021)

Nothing in the world has prepared you for this...

Join us in late 2021 for one of our most fun tours to date as we spend a week exploring the exciting country of Japan! Our journey will take us into the heart of this truly fascinating nation as we head off the tourist trail to discover the crazy stuff that you won’t find anywhere else in the world! Weird bars, strange restaurants, samurai lessons, sumo lunches, crazy cosplay, mysterious museums, ninja training, Geisha arm wrestling, traditional Japanese baths as well as plenty of beer, sake and whisky tastings!

Dates may be subject to change due to the Japanese government's response to Covid-19.

DAY ONE

• Guests arrive at leisure in Tokyo.
• For early arrivals we will drop our bags off at the hotel and head to a very special Sumo experience!
• Learning about the ancient sport of Sumo we will also have a chance to challenge a wrestler and then join them for a Chanko lunch scoffing down a big hot pot. You will soon find out how much food these warriors need to consume in a day!
• After checking into our hotel, we will visit the Harajyuku area to discover the cosplay and fashion freaks in Yoyogi Park. Dressing up is optional but recommended!
• Visit to a Maid Cafe - you have to see it to believe it!
• After a few hours free time relaxing we head out for a ‘Night Time Photography Tutorial’! Tokyo is a photographers dream with its crazy neon lights so we will spend a few hours with a photographer learning about how to get the perfect shot.
• Dinner and bar hopping through Yurakucho, Shimbashi and Ginza.

DAY TWO

• Breakfast at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. At 230m high, the views are dramatic.
• After breakfast we head out on a Ninja Tour! Dressing up as deadly assassins we will roam the neighbourhood of Asakusa learning about Ninja life and how deadly chopsticks can be...
• Lunch in Shinjuku where we can check out the pachinko parlours and try to work out what this strange game is all about. We will avoid the parlours run by the Yakuza - look out for the tattoos!
• We can either spend the afternoon on an "Adventurous Japanese Food Tour" or a "Tokyo Bay Cruise with All-You-Can-Drink Beer"...
• Dinner at the Harajuku Kawaii Monster Café.
• Koenji Izakaya and Bar Hopping Tour with a local guide.

DAY THREE

• We catch the Shinkansen Nozomi bullet train to Osaka.
• Drop our bags of at the hotel and enjoy a Kushikatsu (deep fried mystery meat) lunch in a local restaurant.
• City tour of Osaka with local guide.
• We spend the evening with an "Adventurous Evening Tour of Local Food And Drinks".

DAY FOUR

• Early morning train to Suntory Yamazaki Distillery for a whisky tour and tasting!
• Lunch at the Kizakura Kappa Country restaurant with copious amounts of beer and sake.
• A three hour tour of the Fushimi Sake District visiting many sake breweries and sampling as we go!
• Check in to hotel.
• Dinner and Maiko (apprentice Geisha) experience.

DAY FIVE

• Bullet train to Kobe.
• We enjoy a fascinating tour of Kobe with local guide and more sake tastings!
• Lunch enjoying the famous Kobe beef.
• Train to Tokyo.
• Dinner and bar hopping throughout Shinbashi.

DAY SIX

• An early start as we head to Fukushima for a guided tour of the tsunami and nuclear disaster area.
• We will see the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from a distance and learn about how the tsunami damaged the nuclear reactor.
• Visit to an abandoned hospital and learn how severe the evacuation was for patients and caretakers
• We will meet some of the locals who have returned to the area and listen to their stories of the fateful day in 2011.
• Train back to Tokyo.
• Farewell dinner, drinks and dancing with cyborgs at Shinjuku's Robot Restaurant!

DAY SEVEN

• End of tour.
• International flights home.

TOUR PRICE: £1895.00

What's included

• Accommodations for 6 nights
• Local English speaking guide (Day 2: Tokyo night tour / Day3: Osaka tour, Osaka night tour / Day 4: Kyoto tour / Day 5: Kobe tour / Day 6: Fukushima tour),
• Entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary,
• Transportation fees (mentioned in the itinerary)
• JR Train Pass
• Smiling Grape guides

What's excluded

• International flights
• Visa (if required)
• Drinks
• Meals
• Gifts from home for the local guides

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