Day 1: Beijing
Your guide will meet you at 8AM in the lobby of your Beijing’s hotel. Afterwards, your guide will take you to Tiananmen Square to see the monument created by Mao Zedong to influence modern Chinese history. Afterwards, you will proceed to the Forbidden City – the largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palace with over 700 years of history. The tour of the Forbidden City from south to north along the central axis will take approximately 2 hours.
On the way to the Temple of Heaven, you will have the opportunity to visit the Silk Museum and learn about traditional silk culture.
Next you will visit the Temple of Heaven. This is where ancient emperors prayed for peace and a good harvest, and is still the largest ancient imperial sacrificial complex in the world.
Day 2: Beijing
On the second day, you will visit China’s number one attraction: the Great Wall of China, which is a great project of ancient China. It is tall, strong and continuous, and was built as a fortification by the ancient Chinese people to defend themselves against invasion by foreign enemies. After the tour, you will have a short visit to the Jade Museum to learn about the wonderful and interesting Chinese jade culture.
Next, you will visit the impressive Summer Palace – the largest and most beautiful royal garden in China. You will then visit a local teahouse for a Chinese tea tasting. At the end of the day, you will be transferred back to Beijing airport then take 3 hours flight to Tokyo, then driver will transfer you to tokyo hotel there.
Day 3: Tokyo
Firstly, your guide will take you on a tour of the Imperial Palace East Garden (Edo Castle Ruins), which is part of the inner area of the Imperial Palace, to experience the seasonal flowers and old Japanese gardens, surrounded by the original moat and entrance gate. You will then visit the TOKYO SKYTREE, the world’s tallest tower at 700 metres and the second tallest building in the world, offering beautiful and spectacular views.
In the afternoon, you will visit Asakusa Temple, also one of Japan’s most memorable and ancient temples, a Buddhist temple in Asakusa. It is one of the most colourful temples in Tokyo.
Then head to Tsukiji Fish Market, one of the best places to sample delicious Japanese street food. You can also visit Meiji Jingu Shrine which is probably the most famous shrine in Tokyo and has been a cultural icon of Japan for almost 200 years, Next visit Takeshita Street, Harajuku’s busiest fashion street ‘Takeshita Street’ is the birthplace of Japan’s cuteness culture and the centre of spreading Tokyo’s pop culture to the world.
Day 4: Tokyo
Begin the morning with a visit to Arakura-yama Asama Park, which has multiple steps leading up to seasonal cherry blossoms, and majestic views of Mt Fuji. Next experience Oshino Hakkai, a small World Heritage village with beautiful scenery, multiple ponds with views of Mt Fuji, and vendors selling food and souvenirs.
In the afternoon visit Lake Kawaguchi, the largest of the five spectacular lakes of Mount Fuji, with an abundance of foliage, cherry blossom and a wonderful flower festival.
Next, explore the Fuji Fugaku Wind Cave, surrounded by the lushness of the Aokigahara Sea of Trees forest. Entering the cave is cool and refreshing, even in summer, while experiencing the Boulder Park with its views of the lake and Mount Fuji.
Day 5: Tokyo to Seoul
Take morning flight to seoul, later on transfer to Seoul ‘s hotel, and enjoy free time in hotel area.
Day 6: Seoul
In the morning, you can visit Imjingak Pyonghwari Park Imjingak Park – a combination of tradition and spirituality, Imjingak Park was built as a safe space to comfort the refugees who came to South Korea from North Korea during the Korean War. Here, you can see the Mangbaedan altar. This is where refugees bow to their ancestors as it faces the direction of the cemetery.
Next, you can see the Unification Pool, which was built in the shape of the Korean Peninsula and is a beautiful spot to take photos. Then experience the Bridge of Freedom.
Next, on a half-day tour of the DMZ, you will see the Bridge of Freedom, which was built in 1953 to liberate many prisoners of war. The bridge was used by South Koreans returning home from the North. With the beautiful natural scenery as a backdrop, this bridge is the perfect place to take photos.
During your visit to the DMZ Theatre, you will have the opportunity to watch a 5-minute video clip on the Korean conflict. The video also gives some background on North Korea’s digging of infiltration tunnels. I just had the opportunity to walk through the Third Infiltration Tunnel, which should be very enlightening.
Day 7: Seoul
Morning tour of Jogyesa Temple One of the most important landmarks of Korean Buddhism, Jogyesa Temple was built in 1920 and is adorned with beautiful colourful flowers and overlooking skyscrapers in the background. There is an old white pine tree on the temple grounds.
Firstly, you must pass through the ‘Iljum’, or One Pillar Gate. The ‘Iljumun’ symbolises the division between the world of living beings and the sacred Buddhist realm.
The next stop on your Seoul city tour is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1385 and was the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. It’s a stunning building with about 8,000 rooms, and you can stroll around the magnificent palace and imagine what life was like for the royals.
Next, experience the Insa-dong Craft Market in Insa-dong. If you appreciate art, you’ll love the Insa-dong Craft Market, where most of the goods are handmade! Here you can walk through a long street filled with various stalls and shops. Feel free to veer off the main street and explore the side streets, where there are cute ceramic shops and more food vendors.
