SAKURA IN JAPAN
9 DAYS
18 PEOPLE
3890 EURO
Let’s set off to fairytale Japan during the cherry blossom season.
Here we will learn to enjoy the ancient custom of hanami - admiring the blossoms and reflecting on the fleeting nature of life. We will get to know the everyday life and traditions of this ancient country.
We will stroll through old and modern streets, temples, and castles of Kyoto, Nara, and Himeji, and see the modern marvels of Osaka and Tokyo. We will admire the legendary spring Mount Fuji.
We will feel like Japanese, if only for a moment, so we can carry a piece of the "Land of the Rising Sun" home in our hearts.
We have carefully thought through every detail of the trip. Comfortable, beautiful, tried-and-tested, cozy 4-star hotels. Delicious included breakfasts and, in part, lunches featuring authentic Japanese dishes and surprising local delicacies you will be telling your friends about for a long time.
Special moments that will stay with you forever:
• meditation together with the abbot of an ancient Zen Buddhist temple;
• strolling in authentic kimono among blooming cherry blossoms through the streets of Kyoto;
• a private lesson in Japanese calligraphy (shodo);
• a performance by famous geisha and maiko at a festival
• thousands of incredible photographs and the feeling that you have become part of a new Japanese story.
Japan is, above all, a country of traditions. One of the most revered national traditions is the cult of the cherry blossom. According to Japanese legend, the custom of hanami, or admiring the blooming sakura, extends life to a hundred years.
OUR FILM ABOUT MAGICAL JAPAN
EXPEDITION LEADER
ROUTE THREAD
1. Tokyo
2. Tokyo→ Mount Fuji
3. Mount Fuji → Osaka
4. Osaka → Himeji → Osaka
5. Osaka → Kyoto
6. Kyoto
7. Nara
8. Kyoto → Tokyo
9. Tokyo
• tickets for the high-speed Bullet Train - Shinkansen (2nd class)
• private comfortable buses -along the route;
• excursions with professional local guides fluent in Japanese and Russian;
• the services of a Ukrainian, Ukrainian-speaking group leader from the Paganel Studio team.
• accommodation at vetted 4-star hotels with double occupancy (single occupancy available on request for an additional fee);
• all entrance tickets to museums and national landmarks listed in the program:
Excursions:
- Tokyo: Ginza, Nihonbashi, and Marunouchi, the Asakusa district, Sensoji Temple, Kaminarimon Gate, Nakamise Street, Shibuya Crossing, and the statue of the loyal dog Hachiko;
- Fuji - Kawaguchiko: Chureito Pagoda, a traditional village with views of Mount Fuji, Shiraito Falls ("White Threads");
- Himeji: a visit to the White Heron Castle - Himeji Castle.
- Osaka: the new Osaka Station and its observation decks, the Umeda and Namba districts -the Dotonbori district, Ebisu Bridge; the park by Osaka Castle
- Kyoto: the "Golden Pavilion" Kinkaku-ji, the rock garden of Ryoan-ji Temple, the Gion geisha district, the traditional streets of Kyoto - Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, Yasaka Pagoda, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a visit to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine with its corridor of red torii gates;
- Nara: Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shinto shrine, the park of tame deer;
• a sumo experience in Tokyo - dinner with sumo wrestlers;
• a private lesson in Japanese calligraphy;
• tickets to a spring geisha concert in the Kamishichiken district;
• meditation at an ancient Zen Buddhist temple together with the temple's abbot, with tea afterward as his guests;
• meals: all breakfasts and, in part, lunches, and dinner.
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the flight from your city to Tokyo and back;
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meals not specified in the program;
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the single-occupancy supplement;
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additional excursions and travel on free days;
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visa processing costs;
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personal insurance;
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airport transfer
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Price for citizens of Ukraine: 120-170 USD.
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How it is obtained: through a visa agency, by courier, in Warsaw
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Other nationalities that do NOT require a visa: USA, United Kingdom, EU, Israel
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Other nationalities that require a visa: Moldova, Kazakhstan (to be confirmed separately)
1. Our company operates as an international travel organizer, therefore groups are formed from travelers from Ukraine, the Baltic countries, the EU, Israel, North America, and other countries. The working languages of the trip are Ukrainian, Russian, and English, depending on the group composition and translation arrangements. Each guide speaks Ukrainian, and in personal communication we respond in the language of the inquiry. If a 100 percent Ukrainian-language trip is essential for you, please уточнюйте this before booking. The company does not cooperate with citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
2. Due to the fact that our expeditions do not include international flights to the starting point of the program, we cannot be held responsible for changes in flight conditions by airlines or airport requirements. Since our travelers fly from many different countries and cities, we never participate in the purchase of air travel and limit ourselves exclusively to advisory services in the selection of flights. Air agents or airlines from which tickets were purchased are responsible for the purchase and technical support.
ITINERARY
Day 1
02.04.2027
Flights to Tokyo can arrive at either of the city's two airports:
Narita (Narita International Airport) - NRT (a more distant airport) and Haneda (Haneda Airport) - HND (an airport within Tokyo). An independent transfer to the hotel is arranged according to the group coordinator's recommendations.
Transfer to the hotel from NRT airport - by high-speed train. If you arrive at Haneda airport, it is convenient to reach the hotel from there by taxi.
Right at the airport you can exchange money at a currency exchange office, as well as purchase a SIM card for constant internet access throughout our entire route. We will also suggest an eSIM option - this is very convenient during transfers and in places without internet. For example, cafes and restaurants in Japan most often do not have internet access.
Check-in at the hotel is from 2:00 PM. We quickly freshen up: shower, restroom, hairdryer, elevator - and you are already in the hotel lobby, meeting our first local guide.
Ahead of us is our first outing into the city and our first excursion. Getting to know the evening megacity. The walking tour of Tokyo will take about 3 hours, visiting the Ginza, Nihonbashi, and Marunouchi districts.
We will be told the fact that the city of Tokyo does not technically exist: Tokyo is a special prefecture, the so-called Tokyo Metropolis, a conglomerate of districts with city status and adjacent settlements. Besides the areas along Tokyo Bay, Tokyo also includes numerous small islands in the Pacific Ocean.
We will begin our walk through the fashionable Ginza district, lit by an ocean of neon signs. Here you will find boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, Seiko, GR8 Boutique, and many others. Everything is bright, beautiful, and very modern!
We will also stop by the historic heart of Tokyo - the Nihonbashi district - and immerse ourselves in the business life of locals as we stroll through the Marunouchi district.
In the fall of 2025, an incredible event took place in Japan. Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki (Danylo Yavhusishyn) from Vinnytsia won his first top-division makuuchi tournament in Fukuoka. His phenomenal result - 12 wins and 3 losses - earned him the Emperor's Cup and the Prime Minister's Cup of Japan.
Many Ukrainians have become interested in sumo, and we, of course, could not resist showing you what sumo wrestlers look like and what rules and traditions exist within the wrestling ring. In the summer of 2026, at the age of 22, our Aonishiki became the winner of the Emperor's Cup for the third time
In the evening, after the sightseeing tour of the Ginza district, we head off for a genuine sumo experience, with a dinner in the tradition of sumo wrestlers. Here you will see how bouts between wrestlers unfold, and you will be able to put on a sumo costume yourself and try to move your opponent out of the wrestling ring.
For dinner we will be served the traditional sumo wrestler soup - chicken chanko-nabe - as well as wagyu beef sukiyaki. The evening promises to be unusual and very interesting.
Independent return to the hotel. We spend the night at a comfortable 4-star hotel in the central Ginza district.
Meals: dinner (drinks paid separately).
At the beginning of the trip, each participant will be provided with headphones for sightseeing. Please treat this gadget with care. At the end of the trip, the headphones must be returned. The penalty for loss is 100 euros.
Day 2
03.04.2027
We wake up in the morning. Breakfast at the hotel. We pack our suitcases and check out. Together with our belongings, we meet the group leader in the lobby, load the luggage onto a comfortable bus, and head out for our second tour of Tokyo.
We will see the Asakusa district, the Buddhist Sensoji Temple, the Thunder Gate Kaminarimon, Nakamise shopping street, and we will also arrange a meeting with the loyal dog Hachiko at Tokyo's busiest and most famous intersection - the Shibuya Crossing.
During the tour we will have lunch.
We will first visit one of the oldest and most culturally rich districts of Tokyo - Asakusa, with its Nakamise shopping street and Sensoji Temple with its majestic Thunder Gate, "Kaminarimon."
Sensoji is the oldest temple in Tokyo, founded in the year 645. As early as the Middle Ages it became a signature landmark of the city, and it remains one to this day, attracting millions of tourists from around the world.
The magnificent Thunder Gate Kaminarimon with its huge paper lantern, the five-story pagoda, and Nakamise shopping street leading to the temple will help you imagine life in the Japanese capital before the appearance of skyscrapers and shinkansen.
Nakamise Street is an old shopping street in the Asakusa district, said by tradition to be several hundred years old. Stretching 250 meters, the street is densely lined on both sides with small shops selling traditional sweets and souvenirs, leading from the "Thunder Gate" Kaminarimon to the main grounds of Sensoji Buddhist Temple. Here you can watch Tokyo's ningyo-yaki sweets being baked, try crispy traditional crackers, and feel the vibrant, lively atmosphere of the usually dignified Japanese capital.
Before lunch you will have a private lesson in Japanese calligraphy (shodo), during which you will immerse yourself in the art of beautiful writing with brush, ink, and paper. In this art, spirituality, harmony, and precision of every stroke matter greatly. The technique involves holding the brush at the correct angle (about 45°), alternating pressure and release, movements from top to bottom and left to right, and the process itself becomes a meditative ritual reflecting the unique aesthetics of Japan.
After this we will head to the famous intersection by Shibuya Station - Tokyo's busiest crossing and one of the busiest in the world. The green traffic light comes on simultaneously from all four sides, and hundreds of people - up to a thousand during rush hour - begin moving in every direction, skillfully avoiding collisions with an ease honed over years.
Film directors love this intersection for its picturesque yet remarkably orderly human bustle. It is known around the world from TV series, feature films, and commercials.
Near Shibuya Station also stands a monument to the loyal dog Hachiko, who every day met his owner - a professor at the University of Tokyo - at the same spot. After the professor's sudden death, the dog continued coming to the station every day for 9 years, waiting for his owner to return, becoming first a symbol of loyalty in the eyes of the local residents and later of all Japanese people. In 2023, the Hachiko monument turned exactly 100 years old.
After the tour we return to our bus and head toward the Fuji-Kawaguchiko area. If we are lucky with clear skies, today we will have our date with Mount Fuji - the favorite mountain of all Japanese artists and poets. At this time of year it is already dressed in white and dazzlingly beautiful in good weather. While we drive - we will be actively wishing for good weather.
Our hotel is located near Japan’s most famous mountain, so tonight we will spend the evening in the company of the Great Mount Fuji, which has also had a long day and deserves a bit of rest.
*Mount Fuji may not be visible in cloudy weather.
*In cloudy weather, Mount Fuji may not be visible.
We spend the night at a wonderful 4-star hotel, from whose windows, in clear weather, you can see a view of the legendary Mount Fuji.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 3
04.04.2027
After breakfast we pack our suitcases, haul them to our private bus, load ourselves in, and set off on a beautiful guided tour through the most picturesque areas around Mount Fuji. The mountain's perfect reflections in the local lakes are often the subject of photo expeditions by Japanese who know all the best spots.
Its graceful silhouette looks especially picturesque against a backdrop of blossoming cherry petals near the Chureito Pagoda, access to which the Japanese authorities have recently restricted
This is, probably, the most famous view in the world combining cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji! The group leader will help anyone who wants to climb up to this spot. And if you are lucky with the blossoms, then the photos from there will blow up your social media with applause :)
Right next to Fuji is Shiraito Falls, poetically called "White Threads." The streams of water merge into a single symphony that sounds different in clear and rainy weather. Against a dark background, the white threads of the falls look even whiter and more elegant - a perfect spot for great photographs!
In the middle of the day we have a delicious Japanese lunch.
Having enjoyed these extraordinary views at all these picturesque spots, we reach Shizuoka Station, transfer from the bus to a comfortable shinkansen bullet train, and travel to the city of Osaka.
Check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Rest.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
Day 4
05.04.2027
After breakfast at the hotel we meet our guide and set off on a journey through the different faces of Japan. On the high-speed shinkansen we head to the city of Himeji - easily, quickly, and almost silently, as only Japanese trains can do.
Today we will visit a castle familiar to many from Akira Kurosawa's film "Ran." Reopened after a lengthy restoration, the White Heron Castle, as it is called, is rightly considered the most beautiful Japanese castle, one where countless historical films have been and continue to be shot.
The castle was founded in the 14th century (the original structure), with renovations and repairs carried out in the early 17th century. The building has been well preserved to this day - military and natural upheavals have barely touched the site. Now this maze of walls and moats around the castle towers still holds the atmosphere of Japan's medieval era.
At the foot of the castle lies the Kokoen garden complex. Each of its nine gardens recreates the traditional style of the Edo period (early 17th to mid-19th century). The carefully considered beauty and harmony of the gardens highlight the perfection of the castle rising above the horizon.
Lunch is included during the excursion.
During our walking tour we will immerse ourselves in the history of samurai, defensive systems, and life in feudal Japan, feeling the grandeur of a place that has survived centuries and preserved its perfection.
From here the route changes mood - we head to Osaka on a high-speed express. This is a city of contrasts, movement, and flavors that immediately sets a different rhythm.
First we will see the new Osaka Station with its impressive observation decks.
In Osaka a real adventure awaits us in one of the most vibrant and modern cities in Japan. Without unnecessary rush, in cozy company, with comfort and care.
We will take a walk around Osaka Castle in its huge park. Here powerful stone walls await us, where enormous polished stones weigh up to 100 tons! According to legend, 40,000 stones were brought by various samurai clans for the castle's construction to demonstrate their loyalty to the ruler. We will walk along the walls and gardens with cherry and plum blossoms and, of course, admire the samurai white castle in the middle of a bustling megacity. This is a famous 16th-century fortress built by the military commander Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
And then Dotombori!
What can we say - it's like Tokyo on steroids. Light, lights, flavors, shopping, street food, the legendary runner on the Glico sign... and our favorite Ebisu Bridge, from which everyone takes pictures. There is always traffic here, but it's so cool and lively. It's that moment when you feel: “This is the Japan I wanted to see!”
A delicious meal in the local style is included during the tour.
In the evening, with new impressions and photographs of vibrant Osaka. We return to our now-beloved hotel in Osaka.
Meals included: breakfast and lunch.
Day 5
06.04.2027
After breakfast we leave Osaka and once again set off on the famous shinkansen. Very soon the noise of the modern megacity will be behind us, and we will be greeted by Kyoto - Japan's ancient capital, which for more than a thousand years was the residence of emperors and is still considered the cultural heart of the country.
After checking in at the hotel we will go for a walk through the historic quarters of Kyoto. Narrow paved streets, wooden machiya houses, traditional tea houses, and quiet Shinto shrines create the feeling that time flows quite differently here. It is here that the very Japan that many imagine when dreaming of a trip has been preserved.
A true highlight of the day will be attending a spring geisha performance - a rare chance to touch one of the most refined arts of Japan.
In Kyoto you can often encounter people on the street dressed in traditional attire, with traditional hairstyles and makeup. Kamishichiken is one of the five active geisha districts in Kyoto and the oldest of them.
The district is located east of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, and in late March-early April you can enjoy geiko and maiko dances at the Kamishichiken Kaburenjo theater during the "Kitano Odori" festival.
A geisha is not merely a woman in a luxurious kimono, but a keeper of centuries-old traditions, a master of dance, music, poetry, and the art of conversation. Spring performances are held only a few weeks a year and are considered one of the most beautiful cultural events of the season.
After the excursion we will find ourselves in the legendary Gion district, where as evening falls you may still spot geiko and maiko hurrying to their appointments - the terms used in Kyoto for experienced geisha and their apprentices. This district is especially beautiful in the evening light of its lanterns and seems to transport visitors to the Japan of centuries past.
In the evening you will have the chance to continue exploring Kyoto on your own, pop into a cozy tea house, try traditional wagashi sweets, or simply enjoy the atmosphere of a city rightly called the soul of Japan.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 6
07.04.2027
Today a truly special experience awaits us - meditation at a Zen Buddhist temple. After breakfast we will head together to this welcoming temple.
In silence, under the guidance of a monk, we will pause, quiet our minds, and feel Kyoto not as tourists, but as those who touch its inner rhythm.
After the meditation, the temple's abbot will invite us for tea and show us around his magical temple garden.
Kyoto was the capital of Japan from the late 8th century until the mid-19th century, the country's most important cultural and religious center, a place preserving traditions and crafts. In Kyoto we will visit the most famous sites that have become symbols of the Old Capital.
Kinkaku-ji Temple - the "Golden Pavilion" - is the most famous symbol of Kyoto. Built at the end of the 14th century and entirely covered in a layer of pure gold, the temple is reflected in the pond at its base and sparkles in the sun like a genuine jewel.
Located nearby, Ryoan-ji Temple attracts visitors from all over the world with the mystery of its "rock garden," promising enlightenment to anyone who can solve it. Lunch during the excursion.
Next we will climb up to the Temple of Pure Water - Kiyomizu-dera, from which poetic panoramas of Kyoto unfold, especially enchanting in spring.
The excursion will end at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, in the very heart of the Sannenzaka souvenir streets. Here you can take a leisurely stroll, have a matcha, buy ceramics or sweets, and make your own way back to the hotel, taking with you the feeling of true Kyoto.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 7
08.04.2027
We wake up without any rush. Breakfast at the hotel. We won't need our belongings and suitcases today. We bring cameras, light jackets and umbrellas just in case, and, of course, our best mood. Today, once again, we have a very unusual and heartwarming day - we will get to meet, perhaps, some of the most interesting residents of the Japanese islands - the lovely deer.
We meet our local guide in the hotel lobby and head to Nara by train
Nara is amazing. We have never before seen a city where, instead of stray dogs and cats, 1,200 deer live among the people. Local authorities take care of the animals. In autumn, the deer are gathered together: park staff catch the animals and trim their antlers. This sight draws quite a crowd of onlookers.
Why is this done? Because the deer beg for cookies and crackers, and may then accidentally or deliberately push you with their antlers. If the antlers are not trimmed, instead of enjoying your encounter with the animals, you risk getting injured.
The city of Nara was the capital of Japan in the 8th century. It is the place from which Buddhism began spreading throughout the country, and today remains an essential religious center.
The Todaiji temple complex is considered the largest wooden structure in the world. At its heart is the bronze statue of the Buddha, the "Daibutsu." Around the temple lies a park that unites the Todaiji grounds with other nearby temples and shrines into a single complex.
Tame deer freely roam the grounds of the park, and you can feed them crackers sold right there on site.
On one side, the deer park adjoins Kasuga Taisha Shrine - one of the most important shrines of Japanese Shinto. It is famous for its ancient bronze and stone lanterns, installed and hung throughout its considerable grounds.
- Lunch during the excursion.
From there, without losing pace, we return to Kyoto and take a local train to yet another iconic site of Kyoto and all of Japan - Fushimi Inari Shrine. It is simply incredible.
Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is one of the most beautiful places in Japan! It is known, above all, for its countless torii gates, donated by worshippers. The gates line the path to the shrine, which winds up a forested mountain to Mount Inari, where the shrine's main building stands. Walking the entire path on foot to the shrine takes about two hours. On the way up, passing through the torii, you will see small shrines, graves, and fox statues, who serve as the messengers of this deity. To fully appreciate this place, you don't need to rush all the way to the top.
One hour will be enough for us to take the best photographs, take a stroll, and then, without losing pace, head back down to the train station and return by local train to Kyoto Station, where a rest at our wonderful hotel will be waiting for us nearby.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 8
09.04.2027
After breakfast at the hotel we check out of our rooms. This morning in Kyoto is special - slow and aesthetic. Today you have a free day! You can head out on your own to the bamboo grove or visit other temples, or you can take a farewell, unconventional stroll through the streets of Kyoto.
If you wish, for an additional fee, you can change into traditional kimono and go for a walk through the old streets of the city. Stone-paved slopes, wooden facades, lanterns, and cherry blossoms create the feeling that the city is welcoming us into its rhythm. In a kimono, your movements become slower, your gaze more attentive, and every photograph looks like a shot from a Japanese film.
After the walk there will be time for an independent lunch. You can choose a cozy tea house, a small family cafe, or a restaurant with a view of the city - another chance to enjoy Kyoto at your own pace.
Next, either on your own, or with the expedition leader, you will travel to Tokyo on the high-speed shinkansen train.
Arrival at the now-familiar Tokyo Station. Independent check-in at the now-familiar hotel, and then, depending on how the group gathers in Tokyo, you can try to arrange one last shared farewell dinner at a nearby good restaurant, where they serve excellent sushi, or shabu-shabu, or the famous Japanese A5 beef.
A night at a wonderful 4-star hotel. Rest.
Meals included: breakfast.
THE COST
2890 Euro
Day 9
10.04.2027
We wake up in the morning. We have breakfast.
We say goodbye to each other and to the tour leader. Tears of farewell.
Unfortunately, everything comes to an end eventually, and it is time to head home.
A bittersweet sadness… New dreams and plans.
The suitcases are already packed, hundreds of photographs have been taken, and countless pleasant memories remain of the country, new friends, and a spring journey to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Some will stay an extra day or two to explore Tokyo. Everyone's departure time is different, so the transfer is arranged independently.
Shinkansen trains depart from Tokyo Station every half hour to Narita Airport.
We make our way to the airport. Departure home at any time.
Meals included: breakfast.
We are unique
For many years, we have been traveling the world to our small planet's most remote and unusual places. We do not use the services of domestic travel agencies. The trips we invent and carry out are always unique and have their unique zest, charm, and adventurous spirit.
WHY WITH PAGANEL?
Creation
The first thing that interests us is creativity in everything. During the expeditions, we shoot a lot of videos, take pictures, write stories, draw pictures. If you are interested in a creative approach to life and travel, then WELCOME... we are very happy to meet you!
Interest
By joining our team, you join a kind of club-family, which already consists of several hundred people who are interested in discovering the world with us.
Since most of the expenses for the organization of the trip are air tickets and travel documents for other types of transport, accommodation, excursions, services of local companies and guides, etc. are not refundable in case of your cancellation of the trip. We simply have no way to return it.
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