Experience Japan: Kansai, Hokuriku & Niigata

Day 00 (Wed, 23 Sep’26)

Assemble at Singapore Changi Airport for flight to Kansai 

Day 01 (Thu, 24 Sep’26)
Singapore – Kansai – Kyoto
(-/Lunch/Dinner)
Hotel: Rihga Royal Hotel Kyoto or similar 

Arriving in Osaka this morning, head up to the observation deck atop the Umeda Sky Building for sweeping views over the city. Then, enjoy tea time aboard Osaka’s only tram line, the nostalgic Hankai Tramway. Chartered just for you, enjoy a ride through Osaka’s streets along with chindon, a traditional street music performance. Later, visit a shine muscat farm to learn how it is grown and try some of the delicious fruit. 

Day 02 (Fri, 25 Sep’26)
Kyoto
(Breakfast/Lunch/-)
Hotel: Rihga Royal Hotel Kyoto or similar 

Create your own masterpiece today with a shiborizome experience. Using tie-dyeing methods to create beautiful patterns and colours on fabric, make your original, practical souvenir. In the afternoon, take a scenic rickshaw ride through the famed bamboo groves of Arashiyama before enjoying a private maiko performance. Experience the cultural essence of Japan as you watch the elegant dance of apprentice geishas on a Noh stage. 

Day 03 (Sat, 26 Sep’26)
Kyoto – Omi Hachiman – Awara Onsen
(Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
Hotel: Grandia Housen (Hot Spring) or similar 

Heading north today, take a break for tea at La Collina Omihachiman. Set amid open fields and mountains with even the building itself covered with grass, enjoy the natural scenery along with their signature Baumkuchen. After lunch, stop by a pear and chestnut farm where they are lovingly hand grown, and taste these autumn treats which are in season now. 

Day 04 (Sun, 27 Sep’26)
Awara Onsen – Toyama
(Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton Toyama or similar 

Take a scenic ride on Belles Montagnes et Mer, a sightseeing train touted as a ‘gallery on wheels’. Admire artworks onboard and views of the stunning Amaharashi coast and Tateyama Mountains out the windows as you travel along the Toyama Bay. Complete your experience with a meal of Toyama Bay sushi made fresh onboard. Afterwards, get a glimpse of Toyama’s traditions with an Owara Kaze no Bon performance. A 300-year-old festival held annually along the streets of Yatsuo, watch dancers clad in iconic kimono and straw hats perform the elegant yet melancholic dance in a private performance. Finally, stop by the Toyama Glass Art Museum to see some of the amazing glass art pieces housed in a building that is itself a work of art. 

Day 05 (Mon, 28 Sep’26)
Toyama – Minami Uonuma
(Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
Hotel: Ryugon (Hot Spring) or similar 

Travelling deeper into the countryside, take in coastal sceneries and golden rice fields ready for harvest. Make a stop to see some rice field art – unique designs created on the rice paddy by growing different varieties of rice. Then, have a homemade lunch of locally harvested produce at Ubusuna no Ie, a century old thatched-roof farmhouse transformed by ceramics into an art installation for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field. 

Day 06 (Tue, 29 Sep’26)
Minami Uonuma – Tokyo
(Breakfast/Lunch/-)
Hotel: Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier or similar 

This morning, drop by Uonuma no Sato, a small village preserving the tradition and tranquillity of countryside life. Visit the Hakkaisan sake brewery and its unique snow storage building where sake and food are chilled naturally using the area’s abundant snow. 

Take part in a specially arranged FMJ Local Activity later and visit a top local rice producer, Kayamori Farm. Learn about the passion and effort that goes into growing some of Japan’s best koshihikari rice from a farmer sustaining an over 300-year legacy, and experience local hospitality in a delicious homecooked meal. 

Bid the countryside goodbye as you take the shinkansen to Tokyo where you will be treated to a private performance of nostalgic Showa tunes by Emoh Les, a soulful Japanese singer and songwriter. 

Day 07 (Wed, 30 Sep’26)
Tokyo
(Breakfast/-/-)
Hotel: Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Premier or similar 

Free and easy 

Day 08 (Thu, 01 Oct’26)
Tokyo – Singapore
(Breakfast/-/-) 

Explore the cultural offerings of Tokyo before your flight home today, first with a rousing Japanese drum performance at Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten, renowned drum makers who will share the art of Japanese taiko drums. Spend some time wandering the historic district of Asakusa, known for its famous red lantern, Sensoji Temple and Nakamise shopping street, before getting the perfect send-off with a special marching street band performance of classic Showa-era Japanese pop songs by Asakusa Jinta.