Welcome to Japan! Upon arrival at Narita, exchange your JR Pass and proceed to Ikebukuro by Narita Express Train. Check into your hotel and enjoy free time at leisure until this evening, when you will meet your Arigato Japan expert foodie and head to a local community close to Shibuya. Explore local Yokocho (alleys) and try delicious Japanese street food. Learn why Japanese ramen is amongst the best in the world and enjoy two very different types of seasonal and regionally inspired ramen

Hotel:  Sunshine City Prince Hotel, or similar
Meals: Dinner

After breakfast at your hotel, head to the world’s most famous market neighbourhood, Tsukiji, accompanied by your Arigato Japan expert foodie. Learn about the market’s 80-plus year history and discover why it is renowned as the place for the freshest fish and most amazing ingredients that are the cornerstones of Japanese cuisine. End your foodie day with a step back in time to the ‘Showa’ post-war era. Explore the retro side of Shibuya, including views of the famous crossing.

Hotel:  Sunshine City Prince Hotel, or similar
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before meeting your Arigato Japan expert foodie in Sugamo, a local area where you will enjoy five food stops and lunch. Afterwards, try your hand at creating your own Kanji characters using traditional Japanese calligraphy techniques. Come away with a high-quality t-shirt transfer of your artwork. Next, cross town with your guide to explore the Tokyo bar scene and local watering holes, including the vintage bars of Shimbashi. In the evening, visit the luxury mecca of Ginza for high-end sake and cocktails. This evening’s tour includes drinks and bar snacks and concludes with pre-dinner drinks by 7:30 pm.

Hotel:  Sunshine City Prince Hotel, or similar
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch 

After breakfast at your hotel, depart Tokyo with your Arigato Japan expert foodie for a journey and overnight stay in the beautiful countryside. Use your JR Pass to travel by Bullet Train to Fujinomiya. Explore the World Heritage museum, visit a shrine with over 1,000 years of history and learn about Japan’s beloved Mt. Fuji. Enjoy a beautiful lunch of local regional snacks, before a behind-the-scenes tour and tasting session at a historical sake brewery. This evening, check into your overnight accommodation in a charming town at the base of Mt. Fuji. Then enjoy a dinner inspired by seasonal and regional ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers.

Hotel:  Fujinomiya Fujikyu Hotel, or similar
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Following breakfast at your hotel, enjoy some free time this morning; take some final photos, go shopping or soak up the views of Mt. Fuji before departing by bullet train for Osaka with your Arigato Japan expert foodie. Today, you will learn about the tradition of Ekiben (train station bento lunch) before arriving in Osaka. Spend the afternoon at leisure before meeting your guide for an early evening exploration of the retro area of Osaka Shinsekai. Indulge in the best and most famous Osaka soul food, in the neighbourhood where many of the most famous local dishes were invented.

Hotel:  Hearton Hotel Nishi Umeda, or similar
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Following breakfast at your hotel, experience the Osaka food market scene with your Arigato Japan expert foodie. First, head to Kuromon Market. Originally a fishermen’s market, it now includes a wide variety of other stores. Next, head to nearby Sennichimae Doguyasuji, Osaka’s ‘Kitchen Town’, where you will find every kind of Japanese kitchen item imaginable, as well as a huge range of Japan’s famous plastic replica food. Spend the afternoon at leisure before meeting your guide for a ‘bar hopping, local craft beer and Izakaya tour’ in the Umeda district of Osaka. Your guide will introduce you to some of the best places for craft beer in Kansai, along with some ‘hidden gem’ bars. The tour concludes on a high note, as your last evening is spent at a wonderful mixology bar with amazing cocktails.

Hotel:  Hearton Hotel Nishi Umeda, or similar
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Following breakfast at your hotel, spend the morning at leisure until it is time to head to Kansai Airport by train using your JR Pass.

Meals: Breakfast