Pop Japan Travel

We depart for our adventure and make our way towards Kansai!

We arrive at Kansai International Airport and head for our accommodations in Osaka! After taking a rest to fight the jetlag, we'll head to the shores of Lake Biwa to picnic, explore, and even rent a bicycle boat. After that, you can choose to take the Illuminated Temple Viewing option to see the beautiful gardens and bamboo grove at Kodaiji Temple, complete with blooming cherry trees!

After waking from our slumber, we head into the city of Kobe to check out the waterfront, shop in the vibrant Sannomiya Area, and admire breathtaking views from the mountains above the city. If you're in the mood for some extra relaxation, join us for a trip farther up the mountains to one of Japan's oldest hot spring recreational areas, Arima Onsen! After consuming lunch, we'll speed off to another famous Kansai City - Osaka - to scope out the bizarre-yet-charming Amerika Mura, eat some delicious food, and wander the famed streets of Dotonbori!

Our day begins at the Toei Movie Corporation's Eigamura, a theme park of sets that resemble feudal Japan. You'll see Samurai walking around, Ninjas climbing across wires, and more! Then, it's off to Nagahama for the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival, where you'll see hundreds of floats parade through the streets past the blooming cherry blossoms!

After two days of seeing ninja, are you ready to become one? You'll get your chance in Iga Ueno City, the traditional birthplace of ninjutsu, as we visit the city during its annual Ninja Festival! Get dressed up in Ninja garb and explore the catacombs of Ueno Castle before taking a few exercises in ninja training at the festival! By the end of the day, you'll be ready to take on an army - or at least look as if you could. We'll also take a little time for an anime excursion to the location of Kyoto Animation Store so you can get some goodies from series like K-On!, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Lucky Star, and Clannad. All that action is bound to make you a little tired - which is why we'll finish our day at a natural hot spring ("onsen") in the area!

Today, we head towards central Kyoto to see a set of real feudal accommodations: the famed golden pavilion of Kinkakuji, followed by a stop at Nijo Castle, where nightingale flooring kept the shogun aware of ninja like us sneaking in the back door! All this exploring will no doubt make you hungry, which is why we'll finish the day at the Ninja Sweets Cafe, enjoying a buffet of ninja-themed goodies before the brave amongst us
explore a ninja labyrinth! To wrap up the trip, we'll head out on the town for a little bit of karaoke.

If you want to spend some extra time in Japan with us, join us for a special detour to a far more modern destination: Tokyo! After we board a sleek shinkansen, we'll arrive at our accommodations, check in, and head out to explore the city. For starters, we'll hit the fashion-forward streets of Harajuku, where guests can shop for any fashion imaginable, pick up kitschy gifts at the world's largest 100 yen store, and see what's hip. Follow that with a stop in Shinjuku, where shops and restaurants offering a little of everything will be sure to impress.

We start day two of our extension at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, an awe-inspiring museum designed by Hayao Miyazaki himself. 

We'll follow that with a stop at Nakano Broadway, a large mall dedicated to otaku goods, manga, CDs, figurines and more from every era of anime fandom you could possibly imagine. Finally, we'll venture into the streets of otaku mecca Akihabara, where you can shop for the latest in anime goods and electronics, or just kill time at some of the world's finest video arcades!

We head back to the airport for our flight home, and to gloat to our friends about how much fun we had!