The Best Japan Tour

Day 1: Fukuoka Sightseeing

09:00 AM: Hakata Station or Fukuoka airport or your hotel around Fukuoka pickup. Pick-up starts 15 minutes before departure. Please specify the boarding location in advance if you are in Fukuoka prefecture. We will pick you up for free.
10:30 AM: Mojiko Retro: Stay time about 30 minutes. The Port of Moji (Mojiko) is an international trade port that opened in 1889 and located at the northern edge of Kyushu.
Its prosperity as a transport hub attracted many Western-style buildings housing shipping companies and trading firms around it. The Mojiko Retro district is a restored reproduction of the district around the port in olden times.
In this district, various buildings have been preserved and are open to visitors, including the iconic Mojiko Station, former Moji Mitsui Club, where Einstein stayed, and former Kyushu Railway Headquarters (currently Kyushu Railway History Museum).
You can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Japan in the late 19th to early 20th centuries here.
11:20 AM: Dan no Ura Battlefield Mark: Stay time about 30 minutes. This is a battlefield mark of the battle of Dan-no-ura, the last war between Heike and Genji in 1185.
Heike(Taira clan) got defeated in this battle by Genji. The family was destroyed by the death of emperor Antoku by drowning himself as an 8 years old child along with his grandmother Nii-no-ama. The buke society which will last until the Edo period was built by the Genji family after this battle.
The statue of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Genji) and Taira no Tomomori(Heike) is standing with the handprints of famous actor Takizawa Hideaki and actress Nakagoshi Noriko who played in the drama about this battle of Gempei in Mimosusogawa park located in the front of the battlefield ruins.
12:00 PM: Lunch at Karato Market: Stay time about 45 minutes. A fish market that will engage all your senses.
At this lively market in Yamaguchi , local fishermen sell their freshly caught fish at very reasonable prices. Karato Market began as a street market in 1909, and now its ships fish all over Japan. Although the focus of Karato is seafood, you can also buy other local seasonal ingredients since many farmers come from Yamaguchi and the surrounding area to set up shop.
13:50 PM: Fukutoku Inari Shrine (Uga, Toyoura-cho, Shimonoseki): Stay time about 15 minutes.
Ever had places you weren’t intending to visit on your travels which end up more memorable than what you were headed to see? That was the case for us recently with Fukutoku Inari Shrine. We were driving up the coast of Yamaguchi from Shimonoseki to visit Tsunoshima Bridge and Motonosumi Inari Shrine but saw this gem sitting upon a clifftop. We made a detour so we could stop in, and we’re so glad that we did!
14:30 PM: Tsunoshima Observatory: Stay time about 10 minutes. The 1,780-meter bridge is one of the longest toll-free bridges in Japan and is also well known as a location for TV commercials. Fabulous views can be enjoyed from the well-maintained observatories located on both sides of the bridge. It’s a perfect photo spot.
15:30 PM: Motonosumi Shrine: Stay time half an hour. A shrine built in 1955 for the shared tutelary deity of Taikodani shrine in Shimane prefecture Tsuwano following the order of the white fox god.
Not to mention the luck for sales, fishing and safe on the sea, but also for good relationships, pregnancy, luck increase, safe traffics, study and etc.
The impressive point of this shrine is the 123 repetitive red torii gates from Ryugu wave splash. Surprisingly the offering box is on the top of the large torii gate!
It is said that your wish would come true if you manage to throw a coin into it.
17:00 PM: Free walk from Hagi Meirinkan an hour. Please come around the city of Hagi freely. There is also a “World Heritage Course” for walking. The bus is waiting in the parking lot.
18:10 PM: Hotels you book in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Your hotel arrangements and payments must be made by yourself. The next day we will leave at 8 am. The driver will pick you up at your hotel.

Day 2: Dori Street – Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center

09:00 AM: Tonomachi-Dori Street Stay time about 45 minutes. The atmospheric avenue where Tsuwano’s merchants and samurai once lived. Tsuwano’s old merchant district, centered on Tonomachi-Dori Street, is filled with traditional buildings made of dark wood and white plaster. Working sake breweries and traditional sweet shops occupy these gorgeous storefronts, while ryokan and minshuku lodgings are tucked into the quaint alleys.
11:20 AM: Lunch at Road Station Yuhi Park Hamada. Here you can have a casual lunch while looking at the Sea of ​​Japan. * If it is early at lunchtime, you can take out sandwiches, bread, and coffee.
13:00 PM: Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center ( *Optional tour by applying by yourself ) about 3 hours. Walking with a guide Iwami Ginzan’s largest tunnel trace Okubo Maho Public limited tour. (Optional tour by applying by yourself)
Iwami Ginzan is a UN World Heritage site in the mountains of Shimane, Japan. During the sixteenth century, it was one of the largest silver mines in Japan, and one-third of all the silver in circulation at that time was said to have come from this mine.
You can take a bus here from Oda City station. It takes about 40 minutes. This museum explains Shimane’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Iwami Ginzan or silver mine. Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was registered as a World Heritage site on 2nd July 2007.
In this center, you can learn about silver in Iwami, the history of Ginzan, how it was extracted, the lifestyles of the workers, and how the silver mines led to trade with Europe. Also you have the opportunity to see the old silver ingots, pottery and so on.
According to the official website, the remains of the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine are located near the Sea of Japan. One of Japan’s most prominent mines, Iwami Ginzan was active for almost four hundred years.
We were really impressed. Ginzan is a very nice place, steeped in history but also full of cafes and nice little stores. And if you have the chance to go to Omori town, I really recommend you to rent a bike and go cycling. You can take a loop bus from the World Heritage Centre to Omori, for about 200 yen. The rental bike shop is right next to the bus stop.
The rental rates for bikes are 500 yen per 3 hours (ordinary push bikes) / 700yen per 2 hours. (electric-powered bicycles)
The information below is copied from the Heritage Centre’s official website. Please check it for more up-to-date information.
17:00 PM: San-in Expressway “Shinjiko Service Area” Stay time about 15 minutes. You can enjoy freshwater clam soup at Lake Shinji.
18:00 PM: Restaurant near Sakaiminato Stay time about 1.5 hours. Sakaiminato has the highest catch of “Matsuba crab” in Japan. Moreover, it is more affordable than “Echizen crab”.
Please note that the crab can be eaten from early November to March.  Restaurant arrangements and payments must be made by yourself.
20:00 PM: Your hotel in Kaike Onsen. Your hotel arrangements and payments must be made by yourself. The next day we will leave at 9 am. The driver will pick you up at your hotel.

Day 3: Matsue Castle – Izumo Taisha – Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery

09:40 AM: Matsue Castle Stay time about 45 minutes.
Matsue Castle (松江城, Matsue-jō) is a feudal castle in Matsue in Shimane prefecture, Japan. Nicknamed the “black castle” or “plover castle”, it is one of the few remaining medieval castles in Japan – at least of the few remaining in their original wooden form, and not a modern reconstruction in concrete.
The construction of Matsue Castle began in 1607 and finished in 1611, under the local lord Horio Yoshiharu. In 1638, the fief and castle passed to the Matsudaira clan, a junior branch of the ruling Tokugawa clan.
Most Japanese castles have been damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, or other causes. Since a large part of their construction was wooden, the fire was a major hazard. Matsue castle was built after the last great war of feudal Japan, so it never saw a battle. Yet only some of the walls and the keep exist today.
Matsue Castle, standing on the shores of Shinji Lake, is one of Japan’s Three Great Lake Castles. It is also known as a riverside district.
11:30 AM: Izumo Taisha Stay time about 2 hours. You will be impressed with this prestigious shrine where Japanese gods gather!
15:10 PM: Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery Stay time about half an hour. A perfect place to enjoy Japanese wine and find local souvenirs.
A special winery where you can sample various kinds of Miyoshi wine cultivated in dedicated vineyards. It has a regular line of wines and a higher-end line called TOMOÉ. The regular wines are all free to taste while TOMOÉ has a separate refrigerated room for their wines and a small bar where you can have a taste for a fee. Several TOMOÉ wines have won national and international awards. Besides wine, there are many souvenirs available at the souvenir hall. It also has a café and a barbecue garden that offer Hiroshima beef and wine. Soft-serve ice cream flavored with Miyoshi pione grape is something you shall not lose at the café.
17:20 PM: Hiroshima Station dropoff. Please enjoy Japan from Hiroshima by yourself after this!!