Japan & South Korea Discovery

Pricing is based on departure date 15th Oct 2023

Alternate departure date available for travel in 2023 & 2024, Call us for the availability

Explore the rich heritage and tradition of two vastly different legacies - South Korea and Japan - as this tour takes you to the best attractions these two destinations have to offer. Enjoy 16 days of discovering the highlights of Japan and South Korea with our fully guided Small Group Tour. 

Your journey starts in South Korea, a country full of beautiful landscapes and 5000 years of culture. Immerse in the bustling Seoul city, travel through the idyllic countryside, visit the island of Jejudo, and experience the infamous DMZ zone. South Korea has so much more to offer. 

Travel to Osaka, Japan by international flight to unveil the best this country has to offer. With ancient traditions, impeccable hospitality, amazing cuisine, and striking scenery - Japan has it all! Traveling from city to city on the iconic shinkansen bullet train, we plunge into the cultural metropolis of Tokyo and Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kyoto and visit the iconic Mt. Fuji. 

Visit: Seoul - Suwon - Jeju Island- Osaka - Hiroshima - Kyoto - Mt. Fuji - Tokyo

Duration: 15 days

Trip Highlights:

Enjoy a small-group travel experience, with a maximum group size of 16 guests

Travel with like mind  guests on a premium small-group journey

Experience the fusion of ancient and modern worldsof Japan and South Korea

Visit Seoul hidden parks where locals go and relax

Enjoy the view from N Seoul's Tower - Asia's highest tower

Experience the DMZ and the stories behind this infamous border

Be amazed at Jejudo's volcanic Island formation and enjoy the most breathtaking sunsets you will ever see

See first hand the amazing abilities of Jejudo's Women Divers

Shop for unique handmade handcrafts available only in Korea

Experience the fusion of ancient and modern worlds

Explore Tokyo’s famous temples and sights

Take in stunning views of Mt Fuji and explore Mt Fuji’s 5th Station

Zip through Japan on the legendary bullet train Shinkansen

Discover historic and cultural Kyoto with its magnificent temples

Be moved by Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park & Museum

Enjoy the great view of the Giant Tori Gate in Miyajima Island

Explore modern Osaka Castle and the city’s other unique sights

Inclusions:

First-Class Service:-

Airport Meet and Greet Welcome service with local tour guide

24/7 local assistance and travel guidance

English-speaking local tour guides who live and breathe the destination – they will bring your itinerary to life

Small group with maximum 18 guests

A unique "local-host" experience exclusively offered by Tweet World Travel

Accommodation

Stay at excellent hand-selected 4-star hotels with daily breakfast.

All local government fees & tax

Meals

Welcome & Farewell Dinner

A unique & varied Dining Experience 

Full breakfast daily; Selected Lunches and Dinners (B=breakfast; L=lunch; D=dinner)

Flights

International flight from South Korea to Japan in an economy cabin

Return domestic flights from Seoul to Jejudo Island in an economy cabin

Transportation

Bullet Trains in Japan

Arrival and departure airport transfers

All touring  in air-conditioned vehicles with locally based professional drivers

Tour Guide & Tour Leader

English-speaking local tour guides who live and breathe the destination – will bring your itinerary to life.

For a group of more than 10 people, we will provide an experienced tour director on top of local tour guides. He or she will oversee your entire journey, accompany you every day and connect you to the people, places and encounters in a way you’ll never forget.

Sightseeing

Comprehensive sightseeing with all entrance fees at monuments

All local government fees & taxes

Seoul city full day tour

DMZ full day tour 

Hwaseong Fortress & Korean Folk Village tour

Jeju Island explorer tour

Nara & Osaka Full Day Tour 

Osaka & Miyajima Full Day Tour

Hiroshima Half Day Tour

Kyoto Half Day Tour & Tea experience with Maiko in Kyoto

Kyoto Full Day Tour 

Tokyo Full Day Tour 

Mt. Fuji & Hakone Full Day Tour

Day 1:  Seoul Arrival

Welcome to Seoul, the city that "never sleeps". Upon arrival, you'll be transferred to your hotel. The rest of your day is at your leisure.

After a short tour briefing, your tour guide will take you out for a Welcome Dinner in the evening.

Overnight in Seoul (Incheon)

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Seoul City tour

Today you will take a tour of New Seoul City. Your first stop is the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace (built over 500 years ago), a prime example of the Joseon Dynasty Style.

You will also enjoy the Traditional Royal Guard Changing Ceremony. Afterward, make a quick stop at Gwangwhamun Square & Cheonggyecheon stream park.

Then you will glimpse traditional Korean life at the Namsan Hanok Village. The village has five restored traditional Korean houses, a pavilion, a traditional garden, a performing arts stage, and a time capsule plaza. The park is very popular with locals and tourists to take a leisurely walk away from modern life.

Drive to N Seoul Tower revolving deck and Love Lock Wall. Namsan Seoul Tower was the first of its kind in Korea. The top of the tower is 480m above sea level. The building is also one of the tallest towers in the Orient, standing 236.7m.

Overnight in Seoul

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 3: Seoul - DMZ

Today we will make our way to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), located on each side of 38th parallel. This infamous border was established at the end of the war in 1953 at the signing of Panmunjom’s armistice in order to separate North and South Korea. You must bring your passport to access the site. 

Upon arrival, proceed to passport security control, followed by a short introduction at the United Nations’ camp. Visit Dora observatory and Dorasan railway station. Discover Imjingak Park , Liberty Bridge and the bell of unification. Late morning, visit the 3rd tunnel dug into the rock at a depth of 73m and is able to allow the movement a full division per hour with their weapons.

Afterward, you will make your way to Insadong Cultural Street, one of the most memorable sites in Seoul. It is the focal point of Korean traditional culture and crafts. Stores in Insadong specialise in a wide variety of goods that can only be purchased in Korea.

Overnight in Seoul

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 4: Seoul - Suwon

This morning, we visit the Hwaseong fortress, a perfect example of traditional Korean architecture and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. 

Then visit Haenggung Palace. The palace was built in 1789 but was expanded between 1794 and 1796 to house 600 compartments and became the largest haenggung in Korea.

Afterward, you visit a Korean Folk Village located in Yongin city. You join a DIY Kimchi-making class and take photos in a traditional Korean outfit - Hanbok.

Overnight in Seoul

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 5: Seoul flu to Jejudo Island

After breakfast, you head out to Gwangmyeong Cave, the largest themed cave park in South Korea. 

Back to the hotel and check out, you will fly to Jejudo Island, also known as the “Island of Gods”. The volcanic island has scenic natural beauty, unique cultural traditions, and a temperate climate. In 2007, the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes were listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Korea. 

On arrival, we will visit Yongduam, Dragon’s Head Rock, and check in at your hotel.

Overnight in Jejudo

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6: Jejudo Island City Tour 

After breakfast, you will enjoy a full-day City Tour.

You visit Sangumburi, and then Ilchul Land, a beautiful theme park with a flower garden including Bonsai Garden, Micheon Lava Cave.

After that, travel to Seongsan Sunrise Hill, also called ‘Sunrise Peak’. It is an archetypal tuff cone formed by volcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed about five thousand years ago.

After lunch you will enjoy the women's diver show and Woman Diver’s Museum. The Jeju Haenyeo Museum also has an observatory from where visitors can see an excellent view of the Hado-ri area, which has a garden with various sculptures and a resting area.

Before returning to your hotel, we visit Mysterious Road, also known as Dokkaebi Road.

Overnight in Jejudo

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner

Day 7: Jejudo Islands - ICN international airport - Osaka

Today, after hotel check-out, you fly back to Seoul and transfer to ICN Int’l airport for your international flight to Osaka.

Meet and greet by our local Japanese guide at the Osaka airport, then transfer to your hotel in Osaka.

After a short tour briefing of your Japan itinerary, your tour guide will take you out for Dinner in the evening.

Overnight in Osaka

Meals: Breakfast and dinner

Day 8: Nara & Osaka Day tour

In the morning, you will travel to Nara to see the city's most famous landmark - Todaiji Temple. The temple is at the corner of Nara Park, home to over a thousand free-roaming, adorable Sika deer. Stalls around the park sell special crackers to feed the deer, and some wild deer have even learned to bow when asking for food. 

In Osaka, you will spend some time in Dotonbori, a popular shopping, entertainment, and food district. It is known for its streets' hundreds of neon and mechanized signs. Our group will also stop by Shinasaibashi, one of Osaka's oldest shopping destinations.

Overnight in Osaka

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 9: Osaka - Miyajima - Hiroshima

Your luggage will be delivered to hotel in Kyoto.

So, please prepare a small bag for 1 night in Hiroshima.

After breakfast and check out of your hotel, you will visit Osaka Castle before transferring to Shin Osaka Station to experience a Shinkansen bullet train ride to Hiroshima.

Upon arrival, travel to the Guchi Ferry terminal, where you will take a short ferry ride to the island of Miyajima.

At high tide, the famed vermilion torii gate of the Itsukushima Shrine looks like it's floating in the middle of the sea. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Miyajima has been selected as one of Japan's three most scenic places (nihon sankei).

Overnight in Hiroshima

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 10: Hiroshmina - Kyoto

Check out your hotel and visit Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Museum before taking a bullet train to Kyoto.

Arrive at Kyoto Station we visit historic Kyoto and the lovely vermillion-colored Fushimi Inari Shrine, home to an almost 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tunnel of scarlet torii gates that were part of the film 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. 

You will then participate in a once-in-a-lifetime experience – tea with a Geisha in training, known as a Maiko before check-in to your hotel.

Overnight in Kyoto.

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 11: Kyoto City tour

Today we will visit to the Nijo Castle and Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion).

After lunch, we visit to Arashiyama to see Tenryuji Temple where you can have a glimpse of traditional Zen landscape garden design. Then proceed through a dense bamboo grove, past several small shrines, tea shops and private houses before arriving at the Togetsukyo Bridge over Hozu River. 

Lastly, we will visit Gion, the old Geisha Quarter, and Pontocho, whose cobblestone alleys vibrate with nightlife.

Overnight in Kyoto.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 12: Kyoto - Tokyo

Today your luggage will be delivered to the hotel in Tokyo by courier service.

Your morning is free to relax or do some last-minute shopping until your hotel departure time when you will be transferred to Kyoto Station and ride a bullet train to Shinagawa Station.

Upon arrive at Shinagawa Station, you will move to your hotel in Tokyo.

Overnight in Tokyo.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 13: Tokyo day tour

Today is a sightseeing tour of Tokyo. We start the day at the Imperial Palace, the former site of Edo Castle and the current residence of Japan’s Imperial Family.

Afterward, we will proceed to the Asakusa Kannon Temple, an active place of worship where you can see the largest paper lantern in Japan. You will also be able to explore the Nakamise Shopping Street. It is a traditional style shopping street. 

In the afternoon, we will visit Tokyo Tower, 333 metres high. You will take the lift up 150 meters to the observatory deck and get a bird’s eye view of the city.

Then, travel to Shibuya where you will be amazed by the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing -Shibuya Crossing.

Overnight in Tokyo.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 14: Mt. Fuji & Hakone Day Tour

Today we will travel to Mt. Fuji at 5th Station. On the way, we stop at Hakone Open Air Museum, is an outdoor sculpture gallery that plays with nature. And then climb aboard the Hakone Ropeway, an aerial cable car, for a breathtaking view* of Mt. Fuji. Proceed to Owakudani, located in an active volcanic zone.

Then, back to Tokyo for dinner.

Overnight in Kyoto.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 15: Tokyo departure

After breakfast, assemble at the hotel lobby and transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

Prices listed are per person in Great British Pound, based on twin occupancy, rates for single occupancy may differ, Rates offered are including all discounts unless otherwise stated. All bookings are subject to availability. Other travel periods may be available. Some block out dates may apply. Rates may alter depending upon the dates requested and surcharges if applicable. Final booking confirmation only provided once payment has been processed. Contact our travel team for more details. Our Holiday Centre reserves the right to withdraw this promotion without notice at any time. Flights are not included. Pricing correct as at 22nd Feb 2023