Kyoto to Hiroshima: A Cultural Odyssey

Privatr transfer service between Kyoto and KIX airport.

Filled with over 1000 years of history and culture, Arashiyama used to be a place of Japanese aristocracy, and has remained a highly relevant destination while keeping its pristine natural beauty. In this half day walking tour, get to visit different important spots in Arashiyama, such as the Tenryuji Temple, recognized for its sprawling gardens and stunning views.Drop by the iconic Sagano Bamboo Forest and listen to the unique sounds of the wind before your last stop at the Togetsukyo Bridge.Okochi-Sanso The main house here is one of the finest examples of traditional Japanese residential architecture anywhere and the teahouse is a wabi-sabi gem.

Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama:If you want to check out Japan's famous monkeys, we strongly recommend this great little monkey park in Arashiyama. It's a short walk from central Arashiyama and it's great. If you want to see Japan's famous monkeys, you can easily do so at the Arashiyama Monkey Park in Kyoto's Arashiyama district.

Fushimi Inari Shrine/Red Torii Gates is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto.  It is 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. Nara Park it is also home to hundreds of freely roaming deer.  Considered the messengers of the gods, Nara's over 1000 deer have become a symbol of the city and have even been designated as a natural treasure.   Deer crackers are for sale around the park, and some deer have learned to bow to visitors to ask to be fed. Nara's deer are surprisingly tame, although they can be aggressive if they think you will feed them, so make sure not to tease them with food.Todaiji is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara. The temple was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan and grew so powerful that the capital was moved away from Nara in 784 in order to lower the temple's influence on government affairs.Until recently, Todaiji's main hall, the Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall).Kasuga Taisha is Nara's most celebrated shrine. It was established at the same time as the capital and is dedicated to the deity responsible for the protection of the city. Kasuga Taisha was also the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara, Japan's most powerful family clan during most of the Nara and Heian Periods. Like the Ise Shrines, Kasuga Taisha had been periodically rebuilt every 20 years for many centuries. In the case of Kasuga Taisha, however, the custom was discontinued at the end of the Edo Period.

Himeji Castle:Himeji Castle, also known as White Heron Castle (Shirasagijo) due to its elegant, white appearance, is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle for its imposing size and beauty and its well preserved, complex castle grounds. The castle is both a national treasure and a world heritage site. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of the country's twelve original castles.

Okayama Castle:Okayama Castle, also known as "crow castle" due to its black exterior, was built in 1597 in the style of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. The original castle was destroyed in the last year of World War 2, but a reconstruction was made in 1966. The castle is located on the Asahi River, which was used as a moat. Korakuen Garden is located just across the river.

Okayama Korakuen Garden:Korakuen is a beautiful landscape garden and Okayama's main attraction. Along with Kanazawa's Kenrokuen and Mito's Kairakuen, Korakuen is ranked as one of Japan's three best landscape gardens.

Atomic Bomb Dome:In December 1996, it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site as a building that conveys the devastation of nuclear weapons at the 20th UNESCO World Heritage Committee Merida Conference.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park:Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park ( Heiwa Kinen Kōen) is one of the most prominent features of the city. Even visitors not looking for it will likely stumble upon the large park of over 120,000 square meters. Its trees, lawns, and walking paths are in stark contrast to the surrounding downtown area. Before the bomb, the area of what is now the Peace Park was the political and commercial heart of the city. For this reason, it was chosen as the pilot's target. Four years to the day after the bomb was dropped, it was decided that the area would not be redeveloped but instead devoted to peace memorial facilities.

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine:The centuries-old Itsukushima Shrine (Itsukushima Jinja) on Miyajima is the source of both the island's fame and its name. Formally named Itsukushima, the island is more popularly known as "Miyajima", literally "shrine island" in Japanese, thanks to its star attraction. The shrine is known worldwide for its iconic "floating" torii gate.

Kintai Bridge:A HISTORICAL WOODEN ARCH BRIDGE in the city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, the Kintai Bridge was built in 1673. With a series of five wooden arches, the bridge spans the Nishiki River. It is located at the foot of Mt. Yokotama, which is topped with the famous Iwakuni Castle. The castle was built in 1601 and overlooked a series of wooden bridges, all destroyed by spring floods before the Kintai bridge was completed.

Shukkeien Garden:Shukkeien can be translated into English as "shrunken-scenery garden", which is also a good description of the garden itself. Valleys, mountains and forests are represented in miniature in the garden's landscapes. Through careful cultivation of the land and vegetation, the garden mimics a variety of natural formations and scenic views.

Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter:Canals were built to allow boats and barges to navigate between the city's storehouses and the nearby port. A central section of the city's former canal system has been preserved in the Bikan Historical Quarter.The weeping willow trees that line the canal and the stone bridges that cross over the water make for a picturesque scene.

Ohara Museum of Art:The Ohara Museum of Art was Japan's first museum of Western art. It is a private museum consisting of three adjacent buildings next to the canal and a separate building located in Ivy Square.The Main Gallery building was constructed when the museum was founded, and features most of the museum's highlights. On display are masterpieces of Western art by Picasso, El Greco, Gauguin, Modigliani, Rodin, Klee, Pollock and Kandinsky among others. The artists in the collection span a wide variety of periods and nationalities.

Cupnoodles Museum:This interactive museum is designed to stir the creativity and curiosity within every child and provide a rich educational experience.Through the museum’s many exhibits you can learn.about the creative thinking of Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Food Products and inventor of Chicken Ramen, the world’s first instant ramen that revolutionized eating customs all over the world.Here you will gather the knowledge.that inspires invention and discovery and find the creativity .within you by seeing, touching, playing, eating, and having fun.

Port of Kobe:Kobe is rich in history as the first port in Japan to open to foreign trade. This is evident in the western style architecture of some neighborhoods. Recent history is displayed at the Kobe City Museum and the Earthquake Museum.

Hamafukutsuru Ginjo Brewery:where you can see the entire sake brewing process with the thought of broadly sharing the traditional culture of Japanese sake making with many people. One of the features of the Ginjo Kobo is that you can watch the brewing process in real time throughout the four seasons. This is an “exploration space for fermentation culture” that can be enjoyed by everyone from adults to children.

Paris was chosen as the model for Shinsekai's northern half, while the southern portion was built to imitate Coney Island in New York.Tsutenkaku Tower was constructed in 1912 after Paris' Eiffel Tower.   Although it was scrapped during WWII, the tower was reconstructed soon afterwards in 1956.   The current tower is 103 meters high, with the main observatory at a height of 91 meters.   In addition, the tower offers an open-air deck on top of the main observatory and a 60 meter long slide at the base of the tower.Shitennoji is one of Japan's oldest temples and the first ever to be built by the state. It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism into Japan. Although the temple's buildings burned down several times throughout the centuries, they were always carefully reconstructed to reflect the original 6th century design.The construction of Osaka Castle started in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which had been destroyed by Oda Nobunaga thirteen years earlier. Toyotomi Hideyoshi intended the castle to become the center of a new, unified Japan under Toyotomi rule. It was the largest castle at the time.In one of the liveliest areas of Osaka, Dotonburi, lays the Tombori River Cruise.    A 20-minute cruise along Dotonburi River.  Through joining the Tombori River Cruise you can travel under 9 different bridges seeing various amazing landmarks along the way.

Privatr transfer service between Osaka and KIX airport.