More information to catch a look Sakura in Japan.
Japan Cherry Blossom Viewing Tours 2016
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If
you are interested in joining one of our Cherry Blossom Tours, you
can use the contact
us form or email us at admin@japancustomtours.co.nz.
Cherry blossom is a busy time of year in Japan and our April tours
are currently fully booked, and we only have a couple of spaces
left for our March 2016 tour. If you would like to reserve a
spot for 2017, please get in touch.
March and April 2016 Japan Cherry Blossom Tours
For
the 2016 cherry blossom (sakura) season in Japan we have put
together a sequence series of tours covering the main cherry
blossom season. These commence early in March and run through to
the end of April and are designed to maximise the opportunities to
view the different types of sakura (blossom) as it progresses from
south to north. (More information on the forecast blossom timing
can be found here.)
Each
tour starts and ends in Tokyo, staying Friday, Saturday and Sunday
nights. This allows people flexibility to easily join or leave a
tour on any one of these days. For example, arriving on Saturday
19th March and departing the tour on Monday 4th April. In addition,
the proposed schedules cater for shorter or longer journeys.
Having a wide date range allows you to join one of our
cherry/sakura tours part way through, selecting the parts that most
interest you, or suit your own schedule, so you can enjoy a short
one week excursion, or a four week journey from one end of the
country to the other.
We
have designed the tour schedules taking into account the dates for
cherry blossom viewing in each location. These dates are based on
the flowering times from the last ten years and are a guide only.
The actual dates are out of our control. However, there are a
couple of things that make chasing the blossom a little
easier. Firstly, the early part of the season is when plum
blossom flowers, providing an alternative offering of spectacular
colours. Secondly, the cherry blossom forecast refers
specifically to the five petal bloom type, and there are many
different types of cherry that flower earlier and later, extending
the season.
Joining a tour: We try to meet you at
your preferred arrival airport, but due to different schedules,
that might not always be possible. If we are unable to meet you at
the airport we will provide you with detailed instructions on how
to join the tour.
Departing a tour: Activities on a day
where you are departing a tour will be adjusted to take into
account travel time to the airport. We can assist you as
required.
cherry blossom tour schedules
To
download a brochure with additional details please
click here.
Early Cherry Tour 10th March to 3rd April - [a few places
left]
Starting in Tokyo, the tour heads north to Sendai to visit
Matsushima, the Zao fox village and the Aquamarine Fukushima.
Heading to the mountain town of Nikko to visit the famous temples
and shrines, and the Edo Wonderland theme park before taking
a journey south to Kumano, the site of many pilgrim paths in
the Kii peninsula area and its dense temperate forests.
To
enjoy the early part of the cherry blossom season we head south to
Kagoshima at the bottom of Kyushu (stopping at Okayama on the
way). This section includes a stay on Yakushima Island and
its 1,000 year old cedar trees.
We
then travel to Kyoto for four nights, including a day trip to the
World Heritage sites at Nara. Heading north from Kyoto, we
visit Matsumoto castle before arriving and staying at Togura in the
mountains at a traditional Japanese inn.
Returning to Tokyo on the 31st of March gives a chance to have some
time at FujiQ Highland and some more time in the capital city
before the end of the tour.
Cherry Blossom Tour 2 April to 17 April -
[sorry, fully booked]
The
peak period for cherry blossom viewing starts in Tokyo before
heading to Hiroshima and then Kyoto. This affords many locations
where the cherry flowers should be in full bloom and at their
best.
Leaving Kyoto, we then head to Kanazawa to enjoy its gardens and
castle before heading into the mountains for two nights: We will
stay at a traditional Japanese inn at Togura before visiting the
northern city of Sendai (including Matsushima and Ogawara). Return
to Tokyo is on Friday 15th April for the weekend.
Late Cherry Blossom Tour 16 April to 1 May - [sorry, fully
booked]
To
capture the late part of the cherry blossom season, we travel north
of Tokyo to Sendai, seeking the peak part of their local season.
Then we head east into the mountains, where the blooms are also a
little later than those on the east coast. We then take the train
to Kyoto for three nights, to take in the unique sights that this
city has to offer.
Leaving Kyoto, we take high-speed trains to north to Aomori and
visit Hirosaki—one of the best spots in Japan for cherry viewing
because of its thousands of trees. Finally we head to Sapporo in
Hokkaido for two days of sightseeing before flying back to Tokyo or
Osaka. An alternate route takes in the west coast city of
Akita and the scenic train journey around the coastline towards
Hirosaki and Aomori.
Price inclusions/exclusions
Please let us know the dates that you are wanting to travel.
The following tour prices are based on a sixteen day (fifteen
night) tour. Pricing is adjusted for longer or shorter
duration tours. Also, the price that we charge depends on the
the cost of accommodation, and hotel availability can be limited as
cherry blossom season is the peak tourist season in
Japan. We have estimated the price of each tour based on the
time of year assuming advance bookings (as these are typically
cheaper).
Early Cherry Tour:
From Y590,000 per person share
twin/double (AUD6,200 / USD4,800 /
GBP3,100).
Cherry Blossom
Tour: From Y490,000 per person share
twin/double (AUD5,100 / USD4,100 /
GBP2,600).
Late Cherry Blossom
Tour: From Y440,000 per person share
twin/double (AUD4,600 / USD3,700 /
GBP2,350).
Prices include rail transfers
from Narita to Tokyo and 14 day rail pass, entrance fees and tour
fees. Prices generally exclude meals and
incidental costs unless specifically included. As a guide for
budgeting, Y7,000 per day per person would cover breakfast, lunch
and dinner as well as a range of tea/coffee, snacks and vending
machine drinks during the day.
Please let us know if you would like breakfast included in your
hotel bookings and options of twin/double beds. The price of meals
is generally not included as Japan offers a huge range of dining
options, and our guests are free to choose alternatives. If
you would like an all inclusive package covering incidental taxis,
entrance fees and meals, please add Y10,000 per person per day to
the above prices.
If
there are specific events that you want to be included (such as a
visit to FujiQ Highland or Universal Studios Osaka), please let us
know and we can build this into your customised tour package.
Bookings and Inquiries
If
you are interested in joining one of these tours, please contact
us or email us directly at admin@japancustomtours.co.n