9D8N Japan Alpine Snow Wall & Kurobe Gorge (Nagoya)
Day 01 – NAGOYA CHUBU CENTRAIR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – NAGOYA
On arrival at Nagoya Airport, head to your hotel in
Nagoya. Nagoya is the 4th most populated city in Japan (after Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka), and a major economic centre – home to car manufacturing giants Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors. Major attractions in Nagoya include the
Nagoya Castle, an ancient
Atsuta Shrine (housing a sacred sword, one of only three in Japan), the
Nagoya TV Tower (the oldest TV tower in Japan), various museums and historic temples, and a bustling entertainment scene. Enjoy Nagoya at your own pace today.
Day 02 – NAGOYA – TAKAYAMA [B]
Train from Nagoya to
Takayama. Takayama is located in the mountainous region of Hida in the Gifu Prefecture and has retained its traditional rural charm through the decades. Beginning in the feudal ages as a town with high quality timber and highly skilled carpenters, Takayama enjoyed considerable prosperity. The very charming old town has various attractions including the
Sanmachi Suji District (a picturesque collection of three streets with quaint houses, shops, breweries and cafes), the
Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall (with exhibits of lavishly decorated floats used during the Takayama Matsuri festival), the
Yoshijima Heritage House (showing off its superb carpentry), the
Takayama Jinya (charming traditional administrative offices), the
Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine, and the
Higashiyama Yuhodo (a historic walkway passing several old shrines and temples). Time permitting, you may opt to visit the
Hida Folk Village (otherwise known as
Hida no Sato) outside of Takayama’s downtown, and see a collection of traditional thatched roof houses taken from all around Central Japan and carefully reconstructed here.
Day 03 – TAKAYAMA – SHIRAKAWA-GO – TOYAMA [B]
From Takayama, go on a guided visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of
Shirakawa-go. Shirakawa-go is a village with more than 100 traditional thatched roof houses, some of which are more than 250 years old. These traditional
gassho-zukuri (meaning constructed like hands in prayer) farmhouses have very steep thatched roofs bearing semblance of hands in prayer, and were constructed in this architectural style so as to withstand the weight of heavy snow on the roofs during the winter months. Next, train from Takayama to
Toyama, where you will be based to enjoy the Kurobe Gorge and the Tateyama Kurobe region.
Day 04 – TOYAMA: KUROBE GORGE [B]
From Toyama, make a trip to see the hidden scenic
Kurobe Gorge, voted as one of the three great gorges in Japan. Ride the small railway that brings you slowly into the deep gorge with non-stop picturesque views, and into the steep V-shaped ravines plunging dozens of metres deep. The magnificent views that unfold during the train ride through this precipitous natural gorge are simply sights to behold.
Day 05 – TOYAMA – TATEYAMA KUROBE ALPINE ROUTE – MATSUMOTO [B]
From Toyama, travel (luggage free!) in the
Tateyama Kurobe region and experience different modes of mountain transport from one end of the route to the other. This famous mountain sightseeing route weaving through the 3,015m high mountains (
Mount Tate) avails stunning vistas and unique landscapes throughout the journey, and some of the highlights include the towering
snow corridor “Yuki no Otani”, the 2,450m high
Murodo Station (highest point of the alpine route) with stunning views of the Tateyama Mountain Range, the longest unsupported aerial lift
“Tateyama Ropeway”, and the 186m high
Kurobe dam (Japan’s tallest dam). Exiting the alpine route at Shinano-Omachi, continue to train to Matsumoto.
Day 06 – MATSUMOTO – NAGOYA [B]
Matsumoto is a mountain city best known for its castle –
Matsumoto Castle, also nicknamed the “Crow Castle” on account of its distinctive black walls. In and around the castle area, in particular
Nakamachi Street, also lies a bygone era setting with old merchant houses and warehouses. Enjoy Matsumoto in the morning, and train to
Nagoya in the afternoon.
Day 07 – NAGOYA [B]
Make your way to a food-replica creation workshop in
Nagoya and get involved in making your own Tempura replicas. Enjoy Nagoya at your own pace and leisure for the rest of the day.
Day 08 – NAGOYA [B]
Enjoy Nagoya at leisure and sample some of Nagoya’s famous food such as barbecued eel, miso-katsu pork cutlet and flat udon.
Day 09 – NAGOYA – NAGOYA CHUBU CENTRAIR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT [B]
Head to Nagoya Chubu Centair International Airport for your flight home.
Whether you prefer the above itinerary “as-is” or have it customised, if you will indicate the start/end dates of your intended travel and provide your contact details, we will get in touch with you to discuss the itinerary on a no-obligations basis on your part.
