Fly to Beijing from the USA.

Upon arriving at Beijing International Airport, you will be greeted by your tour guide and then transferred to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax. 

Free at leisure to explore Beijing at your own pace. Or you may choose an optional day-tour of Beijing highlights.

(Recommended Options US$75): 

After breakfast, visit 【Tiananmen Square】-the biggest city central square in the world, the area of the square is about 44 hectares and it can accommodate 1 million people. Explore the incredible 【Forbidden City】 with its best-preserved imperial palace complex. Experience Hutong, the old town of Beijing, on a man-powered pedicab to experience how natives live in their traditional lifestyle. Step in one of the local 【Siheyuan courtyard house】 to learn how to make Chinese dumplings and enjoy a real typical home-made lunch. Walk around the 【Lotus Market】.

(Recommended Options US$55): 

Visit the 【Summer Palace】& Visit the exterior of 【Bird's Nest】&【Water Cube】(2008 Olympic stadiums)

Being the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China, Summer Palace greatly influences Chinese horticulture and landscape with its famous natural views and cultural interests, which also has long been recognized as 'The Museum of Royal Gardens'.

After breakfast, explore the【Juyongguan Great Wall】, one of the seven greatest man-made wonders of the world and definitely the focal point of China. You will hike along the Great Wall. On the way there, visit Jade Store first. In Chinese, jade is pronounced as ‘Yu’, and it has a history in China of at least four thousand years. After that visit 【Chinese Herbal Institute】 to learn about traditional Chinese medicine which has existed for thousands of years.

(Recommended Options US$45):

Evening large scale dramatic musical performance 【Golden Mask Dynasty Show】.

Transfer to the airport for your early flight to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA). (Regional Airfare from Beijing to Shanghai is NOT provided with this package).

Note: A Flight ticket bundle includes all the regional flights( Beijing to Shanghai 【SHA】, Shanghai To Osaka and Tokyo to Shanghai 【PVG】/ Beijing ) is available for purchase via UTOvacation optional programs from $498 per person 【Early Bird Price $200 per person - Expired on Nov 05th,2021】 at least 150 days in advance of your trip or you can purchase on your own.

【If you are planning to purchase the air ticket on your own ,please arrange your flight to arrive at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA) before 11:00 am (Airport code is SHA ,not PVG).】

After arrival, transfer to Suzhou, This city, which dates back to 514 BC, is sometimes called the "Venice of the East". Visit【Lanli Garden】where you could treasure the exotic silk embroidery history. Visit the 【Garden of Master of the Nets】the smallest yet the most delicate landscape garden in Suzhou.

Today you will visit the Silk Spinning Factory and enjoy the Silk-making demonstration. Transfer to Wuxi. Wuxi is an ancient city richly endowed with nature due to its pleasantly warm and moist climate – it boasts a reputation of being the “Land of Fish and Rice”. Visit the famous 【Nanchang Street】.

(Recommended Options US$30):

Boat ride on the 【Grand Canal 】with walk around the local market.

After breakfast, enjoy the scenery as we pass by【 Lake Tai】, the third-largest freshwater lake in China.  Visit the【Lihu Park】, and the largest Fresh Water Pearl Center. Transfer to Hangzhou. Hangzhou, one of the six ancient capital cities, is the hometown for green tea. Visit【West Lake】- the most famous attraction in Hangzhou. West Lake was man-made and created after the Chinese love for garden-style parks for recreation. Visit【Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond】.

(Recommended Options US$30):

Boat ride on the 【West Lake】 the most renowned feature of Hangzhou noted for its scenic beauty which blends naturally with many famous historical and cultural sites.

The morning starts from an educational stop for a taste of Dragon Well Tea at the Longjing Green Tea village. Later drive back to Shanghai, the largest city by population in China. Appreciate scenery by walking along【the Bund】, a mile-long stretch along the Huangpu River. This area is the best place to capture the western influences of the old days.

(Recommended Options US$45):

Take a 【Cruise on the Huangpu River】, while on the cruise, you can take an outside view of the 【Oriental Pearl Tower】, the modern symbol of Shanghai City. 

Free at leisure for last-minute souvenir shopping or just relax at your hotel. Or you may choose an optional day-tour of Shanghai highlights.

(Recommended Options US$45):

【Shanghai maglev train 】is the fastest train in the world with an unbelievable top speed of 431km per hour. It is the only super high-speed bullet train with Magnetic technology in operation all over the world. Shop till you drop at knock-off market for your last minute shopping before exploring the famous【Xintiandi】, a stylish pedestrian street composed of Shikumen architecture and modern complex. 

(Recommended Options US$45):

【Shanghai Acrobatics Show】.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Osaka (Regional Airfare from Shanghai to Osaka is NOT provided with this package).

Note: A Flight ticket bundle includes all the regional flights( Beijing to Shanghai 【SHA】, Shanghai to Osaka and Tokyo to Shanghai 【PVG】/ Beijing) is available for purchase via UTOvacation optional programs from $498 per person 【Early Bird Price $200 per person - Expired on Nov 05th,2021】 at least 150 days in advance of your trip or you can purchase on your own.

Upon arrival at Osaka Airport; Find your own transportation to your hotel【Hotel Shuttle Bus】 or you can choose the optional private airport pick up service ($80 / Person--Minimum to 2 ppl ). Osaka is the second-largest city in Japan, Osaka has the nickname "Tenka no Daidokoro" (the Nation's Kitchen) thanks to its reputation as a culinary paradise, so be sure to sample some local cuisine.

*Please note that while we are doing our best to accommodate early arrivals, hotel check-in time is generally not before 3:00 pm. Baggage storage can be arranged at the hotel. Take the rest of the day to rest up.

Visit the famous landmark Osaka Castle Garden. Surrounded by greenery, the garden commands a beautiful view of the castle tower and the stone wall of a moat. Enjoy free time in Shinsaibashi, the premier shopping area in Osaka. Around 600 meters long, it’s filled with trendy boutiques, retail chains, and luxury department stores like Daimaru, UniQlo, H&M, Bulgari, and Zara. Crossing the street and out of the covered arcade, you’ll walk into this open area and see that large Glico man sign. That’s when you know you’re in Dotnobori. Originally installed in 1935, the giant Glico Man is Dotonbori’s most iconic landmark. It’s a symbol for the Glico candy company, makers of caramel candy, and Pocky.

Make your way to Nara, a city shrouded in legend and thronged with significant sites. Make a special visit to Nara Deer Park, home to the freely roaming deer. Considered in Shinto to be messengers of the gods, Nara's nearly 1200 deer have become a symbol of the city and have even been designated as a natural treasure. Nara's deer are surprisingly tame, although they can be aggressive if they think you will feed them. Deer crackers are for sale around the park, and some deer have learned to bow to visitors to ask to be fed.

In the afternoon drive to Kyoto and visit Yasaka Shrine and Gion. Yasaka is a Shinto Shrine (jinja) located in the heart of the famous district of Gion in Kyoto. In fact, it so much is that you can also refer to it as the "Gion Shrine", its former name. Built during the seventh century, it was modified in the seventeenth to reach its present form. Yasaka-Jinja is dedicated to Susano, the god of the oceans, one of the Japanese mythology protagonists.

The shrine is located east of the district, at the end of Shijo-Dori shopping avenue. Yasaka-Jinja is particularly famous for hosting the path of the famous Gion Matsuri every summer in July, as well as celebrations of new year's eve. The Japanese also go through Yasaka during April to get to Maruyama Park, in order to attend Ohanami (sakura cherry blossoms).

Today you will be free at your own leisure to explore this historical city. Alternatively, you can join an optional in-depth tour of Kyoto. 

Recommended Options:

Kyoto City In-Depth Tours【USD 79 Per Person】:

Highlights:

Nijo Castle: (http://nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp/)

Kiyomizu Shrine: (http://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/)

Kinkakuji Temple: (http://www.shokoku-ji.jp/k_access.html)

Fushimi Inari: (http://inari.jp/en/)

The optional tour will first make a stop at Nijo-jo Castle is one of Kyoto’s most popular and impressive sights. It shows the power that the Shoguns wielded over the emperors throughout the Edo Period. Nijo Castle is Kyoto's largest and best-preserved castle. It consists of two fortifications (kuruwa) in Japanese. The Ninomaru Palace, the main fortification of the castle, and the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, the second fortification, as well as support buildings and gardens. The castle is surrounded by stone walls and moats. It is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will, it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu's grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later. Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu's former retirement complex. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955.

Then visit the Kiyomizu Shrine, one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto and derives its name from the fall's pure waters. The temple was originally associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism, but formed its own Kita Hosso sect in 1965. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794.

Enjoy your journey back to Tokyo via the Tomei Expressway (470KM, appx. 6.5 hours). Alternatively, you can join an optional train ride to Tokyo on the "Shinkansen" - Japanese Bullet Train & half-day Tokyo city tour.

Recommended Options:

The Shinkansen Experience & Tokyo City Excursion【USD 249 Per Person】:

After arrival in Tokyo, Enjoy an orientation tour of Tokyo. First visit Meiji Shrine, a key Shinto religious site that was dedicated to the Imperial Family in 1926. Walk around the serene gardens that surround the shrine as you listen to more details about its importance from your guide. Then visit Nakamise Shopping Street, a brightly-colored thoroughfare of food vendors and souvenir stores that leads to Asakusa Kannon Temple (Senso-Ji), one of Japan’s most important Buddhist sites. Stay with your guide as you check out the elaborate gardens, architecture, and shrines that surround the site.

Enjoy a free day in Tokyo to explore this dynamic capital city, where over 11 million people live, making the population one of the largest in the world. Alternatively, you may want to join an optional tour:

Recommended Options:

Tokyo City Highlight Tours【USD 99 Per Person】:

Highlights:

• Imperial Palace

• Tsukiji Fish Market

• Akihabara

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Imperial Palace (Main residence of the Imperial Family), the current Imperial Palace is located on the former site of Edo Castle, a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in the center of Tokyo. Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and Imperial Residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo.

Tsukiji Outer Market (Market for fresh seafood and produce), is a district adjacent to the site of the former Tsukiji Wholesale Market. It consists of a few blocks of wholesale and retail shops, as well as restaurants crowded along narrow lanes. Here you can find fresh and processed seafood and produce alongside food-related goods such as knives.

Akihabara (District for electronic and otaku goods), also called Akiba after a former local shrine, is a district in central Tokyo that is famous for its many electronics shops. In more recent years, Akihabara has gained recognition as the center of Japan's otaku (diehard fan) culture, and many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are now dispersed among the electronic stores in the district.

Metropolitan Government Building (Twin tower with two free observation decks), in Shinjuku, is often visited by tourists for its free observation decks which provide good panoramic views of Tokyo and beyond. The 243-meter tall building has two towers, and each houses an observatory at a height of 202 meters. It had been the tallest building in Tokyo until it was overtaken by the Midtown Tower in 2007.

Free day at leisure. Alternatively, you can join a Full Day optional tour to sightseeing the Mt. Fuji, Japan's highest and most revered mountain.

Recommended Options:

Mount Fuji Excursion【USD 149 Per Person】:

Highlights:

• Mt. Fuji 5th Station

• Oshino Hakkai

• Lake Yamanakako Cruise

Mt. Fuji 5th Station: The bus will head up to the Mt. Fuji 5th Station along the Subaru Line. The 5th Station is situated at 2,300 meters (7,546 ft) above sea level. At this height, participants will be amazed at spectacular; breathtaking views from above the clouds.

Oshino Hakkai: It is a touristy set of eight ponds in Oshino, a small village in the Fuji Five Lake region, located between Lake Kawaguchiko and Lake Yamanakako on the site of a former sixth lake that dried out several hundred years ago. The eight ponds are fed by snowmelt from the slopes of nearby Mount Fuji that filters down the mountain through porous layers of lava for over 80 years, resulting in very clear spring water that is revered by the locals.

Lake Yamanakako is part of the Fuji Goko, five lakes sitting around the base of Mt. Fuji. Covering some 6.57 square kilometers, it's the largest of the five lakes and is also the closest to Mt. Fuji. The area surrounding the lake affords beautiful views of Mt. Fuji which is why it attracts so many visitors every year. One way of enjoying the lake is by a cruise. Lake Yamanakako has uniquely shaped boats from which passengers can enjoy views of Mt. Fuji. Today, you will board the Lake Yamanakako Pleasure Boat - "Swan Lake" to enjoy a leisurely cruise aboard a swan-shaped boat. The boat's interior has a warm wood-grain color scheme. and the on-deck seating is popular and allows riders to catch the pleasant lake breeze.

Today, passengers will take their own transportation to the Airport concluding your unforgettable journey of Japan or you can choose the optional private airport drop off service ( $80 / Person--Minimum to 2 ppl ).Please note: the Hotel room check-out time is 11:00 AM, later check out is available for an additional cost. 

(Regional Airfare from Tokyo to Shanghai 【PVG】/ Beijing is NOT provided with this package. If you book your own return flight from Japan to China, please make sure you reserve the early flight in order to have enough time set aside for check-in procedure for your same day flight back to USA. The departing city from China is Beijing or Shanghai and the confirmed information of such coupled with round trip flight information between the US and Asia will be provided around 150 days to trip departure upon request by email.).

Note: A Flight ticket bundle includes all the regional flights( Beijing to Shanghai 【SHA】, Shanghai to Osaka and Tokyo to Shanghai 【PVG】/ Beijing ) is available for purchase via UTOvacation optional programs from $498 per person 【Early Bird Price $200 per person - Expired on Nov 05th,2021】 at least 150 days in advance of your trip or you can purchase on your own.