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+44 (0)20 7752 0000Day 7 Sapporo. Today we will set out to explore the vibrant city of Sapporo. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and is surrounded by nature, with a backdrop of mountains. In winter the city can receive over five metres of snow and even has its own ski slopes. We will start our exploration at the National Ainu Museum, the first museum dedicated to the Ainu people, the indigenous people of northern Japan. The Ainu people it is believed made their way to Hokkaido in the 13th century from the Northern Islands and what is now Far East Russia. They developed their own culture and traditions, and the museum demonstrates their craftworks, clothing and tools and Ainu music with an aim to preserve their culture. After lunch, as the sun sets in the late afternoon we will head to Mount Moiwa, a forest covered mountain in the middle of Sapporo. Taking the cable car to its summit there will be spectacular views of the city lit up. Afterwards we return to the hotel and the remainder of the evening is at leisure. (B, L)Day 8 Otaru. This morning we will head out of Sapporo to the small harbour city of Otaru. Since the late 1800s and the colonisation of Hokkaido, Otaru served as a major port. Today old warehouses and former office buildings of the shipping companies have been preserved and give the city a distinct character. There is also a beautiful canal area which we will explore by boat, taking in the preserved buildings as we go. Next we explore Sakaimachi Street, the old town where merchants at the end of the 19th century built their houses. As the herring fishing industry declined in the 1950s the makers of glass buoys shifted to the production of refined glassware instead. We will visit the museum of Kitaichi Glass one of the oldest workshops founded in 1901 to explore the variety of their work. After lunch we will visit one of the Herring Mansions, built by wealthy fishermen to process fish and act as residences for both themselves and their employees. The Mansions date back to the late 19th century and have displays of what living conditions were like along with fisherman%u2019s tools. Return to Sapporo in the late afternoon. (B, L)Day 9 Asahikawa. After breakfast we will travel by coach to the city of Asahikawa to explore its snow festival. The city with the Daisetsuzen Mountains in the background is known for its artists and craft workers, as well as sculptors whose studios line Heiwa street. Lunch today will be ramen, a local dish that the city is famous for. At the Asahikawa Ramen Village there is the opportunity to try ramen from one of the top eight ramen restaurants in the city. Raman is a dish that has quite specific regional characteristics and is taken very seriously in Japan. This afternoon we will explore the Asahikawa Winter Festival and one of its highlights, the World Ice Sculpture Competition. Teams and individual competitors are given several slabs of ice and three days in which to complete their work and it is displayed as part of the Winter Festival. Exploring with our local guides, and with some time for independent exploration, we will explore the festival%u2019s two sites before returning to Sapporo for dinner. (B, L, D)Day 10 Sapporo to Kyoto. This morning we will leave the island of Hokkaido and return to Honshu with a flight to Osaka. From here we will transfer to Kyoto. After a lunch in a local restaurant we will visit the Kiyomizu-dera Temple which is known as the pure water temple, due to the water that comes from the east mountains and flows to the site. The 13 metre high veranda of the temple%u2019s main hall offers amazing views over Kyoto and was built without using a single nail. From the temple we will start a walking tour and head towards Gion district, Kyoto%u2019s most famous geisha district filled with shops, restaurants and teahouses where geiko and maiko entertain. From here we will continue to our hotel where we will be based for two nights. This evening there will be time at leisure before dinner in a local restaurant. (B, L, D)Day 11 Kyoto. Today we will continue our exploration of Kyoto. Our first call will be Kinkakuji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, which was originally built as a retirement villa for the Shogun. After the death of Shogun Yoshimitsu it became a Buddhist Temple at his request, with the top two floors completely covered in gold leaf. We will then visit the Tenryuji Temple, one of Kyoto%u2019s five great Zen temples and the largest and most impressive temple in Arashiyama. Founded in 1339 at the start of the Muromachi Period, the temple is now considered important cultural property and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to the temple buildings there are Shoyu Ramen, traditional noodle soupSapporo Snow FestivalGion district, KyotoMeiji ShrineCanals of Otaru