Deluxe Taiwan & Japan 13 Days (code: TGB13E)

Upon arriving in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), you will see our receptionist at the Arrival Hall and will enjoy the free shuttle bus to the hotel. Please be noticed that if the flight is rescheduled or delayed, please contact your Taiwan emergency contact in advanced or the tourist center at the terminal after arrival. Guests can check in hotel after 3pm.  

National Palace Museum is on the top of  today’s visiting list. It houses the largest collection of Chinese art treasures. A large number of them were brought to Taiwan when Kuomingtang government fled to Taiwan in 1949.
Enjoy famous Taiwanese beef noodle as lunch and then proceed to Taroko National Park. The road is carved into sheer walls of rock and winds its way past forested peaks and cliffs towering thousands of feets above. Hundreds of feets below a river roars past gigantic marble boulders. Join indigenous Amis people singing and dancing in Amis Folk Center.  
Important Information:
If Taroko National Park is closed (for example due to bad weather),  the group would visit its Administration Service, and also Seven Star Lake instead

Visit Yeh-liu Geopark this morning for its world-famous marine erosion topography. Walk on the stone steps of Jiufeng Old Street which was once the hub of gold mines. . Now visitors come here for delicious local food and also the view of the civil residences mostly untouched since its colonized days by Japanese. Lunch will be served at a famous local restaurant.
Proceed to Pingxi after lunch, another popular neighborhood with obsolete coal mines, old streets and residences. Dinner will be enjoyed at Ding Tai Feng, which is selected by New York Times as one of the top 10 restaurants in the world. The restaurant you have dinner has been titled 5 times as Michelin Star Restaurant.

 Free day at your own leisure. No guide or transfer or meal.

Hotel check-out after breakfast. Make your own way to airport. Shuttle bus ticket to Taoyuan Airport costs around AUD10/p.  
You are suggested to book flight departing from Taipei Taoyuan Airport between 9:30am and 17:00pm, with arrival at Osaka Kansai Airport Terminal 1 between 11:00am to 21:00pm. A local staff will wait at Terminal 1 of Osaka Kansai Airport during this period.  He/she will assist you to find the bus/train.
Important Information:

1. Please let us know your flight details at least one week ahead of the arrival day.

2. Assembly point at Kansai Airport: South Arrival Gate-Terminal 1

3. Hotel check-in is available after 3PM.
4. Passengers arriving at Kansai Airport at other time take shuttle bus/train to the hotel on their own (ticket not included, which is around AUD30/p).  

Drive to Hiroshima in the morning. Upon arrival, take a short ferry trip to Miyajima Island, one of the most visited areas in Hiroshima. It's definitely photogenic with a combination of mountains, primeval forest, free-roaming deers, and ancient shrines.

Visit Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, the biggest draw on the island and also a national treasure of Japan. Firstly built some 1400 years ago, the shrine appears to float on water when the tide is in. Grand Torii Gate has been regarded as one of the three most scenic spots in Japan since long time ago.

Important Information:

Grand Torii Gate will be under maintenance till August 2020 (according to official statement). 

Spend the morning exploring Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with dozens of monuments and memorials, including Atomic Bomb Dome. Used to be the Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, Atomic Bomb Dome is the only structure that barely survived in the devestating nuclear bomb attack in 1945. It is completely preserved to its after-attack appreance by local people dedicated to promote peace.

Find more information of this historic event in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Get back to Osaka hotel after Hiroshima trip. 

Visit a traditional market - Kuromon Market in the morning. It is dubbed as the larder for Osaka’s  kitchens, housing 170 shops vending fish, meat and produce. Find the less common aspect of Japanese people in Osaka Castle Park where they immerse in a laidback atmosphere. Admission ticket to Tenshukaku (Osaka Castle) is not included.

Take Shinkansen (high-speed train) to Kyoto. Take care of your own luggage during train ride.
Step back in time at  Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the oldest temple of Kyoto.  Standing on the its veranda,  you could have a commanding view of Kyoto city.  Do not skip Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka on the way to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. They are two famous narrow streets lined with shops of local souvenirs and snacks.  
This afternoon, you would also visit Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head of all these roughly 9000 Inari shrines. The imposing Senbo Torri clearly tells the shrine’s popularity among worshippers praying for good harvest and prosperous business. 

After breakfast, head for Arashiyama, the most scenic area of Kyoto. Dubbed as the Best Scenery of Kyoto, much of its fame owns to the blooming cherry blossoms in spring time and vibrant maple leaves in autumn. Walk across Togetsukyo Bridge straddling Katsura River, and stroll along a living emerald-green tunnel - Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Board on Sagano Romantic Train, a retro locomotive train which leisurely takes you through mountains during a 25-minute journey.  
Leave this amazing natural wonderland for a man-made masterpiece - Nijo Castle. It was the home of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun (warlord) of Tokugawa Shogunate which was the most powerful military organization in Japan's history. The whole complex was built in a showy way on purpose to snub the weakening emperor of the time in the nearby Imperial Palace.  Move on to Gion,  an entertainment district, particularly famous for geisha performance. With lovingly preserved scenes, Gion is also an ideal place for visitors tracing past times. Stroll along Hanami Lane at dusk, you might run into geishas passing by.
 The nearby Yasaka-jinja Shrine is the most revered shrine among the over 3000 Shinto shrines across Japan, attracting a large number of devout worshippers praying for good fortune.
Dinner is on your own. You are recommended to try a traditional dining at a townhouse on Hanami Lane.

Travel to Hakone after breakfast and stop by a jewelry store en route for shopping, and aslo a tea house at Shizuoka for knowledge of Japanese tea culture.

Then check in Hakone hotel for overnight. Free for the rest of the day.

Take a boat tour on Lake Ashinoko, a must-see of Hakone. On a clear sunny day, the lake is a perfect place to get impressive view of Mt.Fuji in a distance. Get closer to Mt.Fuji by bus which would stop at Mt.Fuji 5^th Station at an altitude of 2305 meters.
After the mountain trip, visit Oshino Hakkai for distinctive Japanese countryside view. Proceed to Tokyo city and some time will be availble for you to take photo at Tokyo Tower (no admission).  Feel the beating of Tokyo’s youth heart  at Shibuya. It is the best place in Tokyo for nightlife and trendy youth culture. The pedestrian walkway there is said to be the busiest in the world, making the sight of world-famous Shibuya Crossing.
Important Information:
If it’s not accessible on bad-whether day, Mt.Fuji 5^th Station  will be replaced by Mt.Fuji World Heritage Centre.

After breakfast, head to Imperial Palace Outer Garden. Meander around  this scenic area highlighted by the visit to Nijubashi Bridge, which is widely regarded as the emblem of the Imperial Palace. View from afar the world’s tallest free-standing tower - Tokyo Skytree.
Proceed to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo and definitely the must-visit for tourists to Tokyo. In front of the temple is Nakamise Dori - a narrow street flanked by stands selling a variety of souvenir. Enjoy some leisure time in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a tranquil retreat in this metropolitan city. Used to be reserved for royalty, now the garden offers the public amazing greenery and view of English, French and Japanese gardening styles.
The last stop today is Ginza Tokyu Plaza, a new landmark in the bustling Ginza area.

Check out of hotel after breakfast.  Make your own way to airport.