3-Day Mt Fuji, Kyoto and Nara Rail Tour by Bullet Train from Tokyo

Your 3-day tour includes all transportation, two nights in Kyoto in your choice of tourist class or first class accommodations, a professional guide in the daytime, and the evenings free to spend at your leisure. Your guide and hotel are happy to offer recommendations for restaurants and other places to see in your free time. Have the option to return to Tokyo late on the third day or remain in Kyoto, the choice is yours.

Occasionally weather conditions at Mt Fuji may necessitate itinerary changes. If an activity is not possible, a substitution will be provided. If any sites in Kyoto or Nara are closed on the day of your visit, a substitute site will be visited. Both cities have a wealth of amazing places to see.

Day 1: Tokyo – Kyoto (L)
After morning pickup, enjoy a scenic 2.5-hour drive by deluxe coach to the Mt Fuji. Spend approximately 20 minutes learning from your guide about the history and geological details of Japan’s highest mountain. Browse informational displays about the revered mountain and get amazing views from the second floor observation deck.

Then continue halfway up the mountain to Mt Fuji’s 5th Station at 7,545 feet (2,300m). Follow your guide on a stroll around the area’s shrines, torii gates and souvenir shops as you take in more views of Mt Fuji and nearby lakes (visibility is weather dependent). Afterward, enjoy a typical Japanese-style lunch at a restaurant that looks out on Mt Fuji.

Continue to nearby Lake Ashi in Hakone National Park for a boat cruise on a pirate ship! Relax as you glide across the water, taking in views of Mt Fuji, Mt Komagatake and other mountains that surround the lake. Then, take the Hakone Ropeway, an aerial tram with amazing vistas over sparkling Lake Ashi, the Izu islands and majestic Mount Fuji.

After visiting Hakone, your guide transfers you to a Shinkansen train (bullet train) bound for Kyoto. When you arrive in Kyoto, a driver takes you to your hotel where you have the evening free to spend at your leisure.

Overnight: Kyoto (tourist class: New Miyako Hotel, Rihga Royal Hotel or similar; first class: Kyoto Hotel Okura, Hotel Monterey Kyoto or similar)

Day 2: Kyoto and Nara (L)
After morning pickup from your hotel, experience Kyoto on a guided morning tour of the highlights of this beautiful city. First, stop to peruse Nijo Castle, built in 1603 for the Tokugawa Shogun. Continue to one of the most popular Kyoto temples, Kinkakuji Temple, where you see the celebrated Golden Pavilion and exquisite gardens. Then head to the ancient Kyoto Imperial Palace and learn from your guide about the architecturally stunning complex where the Emperor of Japan once lived with his family.

Have a Japanese-style lunch at the Kyoto Handicraft Center before proceeding to Nara, where the first permanent capital of Japan was established in 710. Visit one of Japan’s most beloved and historically significant temples, the 8th-century Todai-ji Temple. Follow your guide to the Daibutsu-den (Great Buddha Hall) and marvel at the enormous bronze Buddha statue. Next, visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine, a famous Shinto shrine with 3,000 glowing antique bronze and stone lanterns. Wrap up your afternoon at the Nara Park (Deer Park) where hundreds of tame deer freely roam; you can even feed them if you wish! Then return to your Kyoto hotel for an evening at your leisure.

Overnight: Kyoto (tourist class: New Miyako Hotel, Rihga Royal Hotel or similar; first class: Kyoto Hotel Okura, Hotel Monterey Kyoto or similar)

Day 3: Kyoto or Kyoto – Tokyo (depending on the tour option you select)
If you select one way option:
The tour is concluded upon your hotel check-out.

If you select round-trip option:
Spend the day sightseeing in Kyoto at your leisure and return to Tokyo by bullet train in the evening.