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PO BOX 159, 122B BRIDGE ST., ALMONTE, ONTARIO, CANADA K0A 1A0
TEL.: 866.686.1288 • FAX: 613.461.1299 • [email protected] • www.ariatours.com• • •
MARCH 8 - 17, 2018TOUR INCLUDES
• Top Category seats for all performances as listed
• 8 nights accommodation at the5-star Palace Hotel Tokyo withDeluxe Balcony rooms
• Full breakfast daily, 4 lunches, 4 dinners and 2 receptions
• Private touring and informal musical discussions with internationally recognized music critic and local expert Robert Markow
• Airport-hotel transfers• On-site Tour Direction• Comprehensive Tour Guidebook
Cost: $9895 USDSingle supplement: $2000 USDDeposit: $3000 USDBalance due: December 8, 2017
Tour Flights: Ideally, return flightsshould be booked to arrive atHaneda Airport in Tokyo earlyafternoon on March 9 withdeparture the morning of March 17.Transfers are included for NaritaInternational Airport as well.
Transfers: We provide airport/railstation—hotel transfers on publishedarrival and departure days only. Forarrivals/departures on days otherthan published tour dates, wesuggest taxis or contacting the hotelto make arrangements. We alsoprovide transfers for group mealsand performances that are beyonda 10 minute walk.
Mobility: As for all of our tours, weare happy to accommodate youregardless of your mobility level.Please make clear your mobilityconcerns at the time of registration.
Insurance: We strongly recommendthat all tour members purchasecancellation insurance uponregistration. We can assist you withthis, though you are welcome topurchase a policy at your owndiscretion.
Our tour will be accompanied by Robert Markow, an internationallyknown music critic who has personally selected a rich and variedmusical program for us. Performances include Les contesd’Hoffman, L’elisir d’amore, and concerts at Suntory and OrchardHalls with works by Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and more.Touring includes Kawagoe, Kamakura, Kyoto and Ueno Park.
Tokyo is a giant – “a concrete, steeland neon sprawl stretching almostto infinity” as one writer put it. Justthe central core alone is inhabitedby 13 million people. The entiremetropolitan area, the largest in theworld, eats up nearly 850 squaremiles with 23 wards in the core, 27smaller cities, 14 towns and 27,000islands with a combinedpopulation of over 35 million.
Tokyo roars 24/7. But it also hasnumerous exquisitely designedgardens – true oases of peace andtranquility. It has hundreds ofBuddhist temples and Shintoshrines, a deep reverence for thepast, a culinary tradition sans pareil,and a highly developed sensitivityto the arts.
And the MUSIC!! Some 4,000events a year given in 180 halls.Eight full-time professionalsymphony orchestras and severaldozen opera companies large andsmall contribute to the plethora ofconcerts. This is Tokyo!
March is a pleasant time to be inJapan—temperatures in the mid-50s with relatively low rainfall.
Those wishing to indulge furtherare welcome to extend their tripwith stays in Osaka or elsewhere,and we can assist with thesearrangements.
Join us for a rare opportunity toexperience the excitement of one ofthe world’s great cities.
TOKYO
5-star Palace Hotel Tokyo
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ITINERARY
1-866-686-1288
Thursday, March 8Departures from your country ofresidence (for overnight flights).
Friday, March 9Upon arrival in Tokyo (HanedaAirport if possible), you will bemet and transferred to the 5-starPalace Hotel Tokyo. Set in theheart of Tokyo’s business districtwith views of the Imperial Palacegardens, Palace Hotel Tokyo’slocation is unbeatable. Heir tosome of the city’s most exclusivereal estate, Palace Hotel Tokyo re-opened in May 2012 on a stunning,moat-side setting in Marunouchi.The hotel features multiplerestaurants and bars and Japan’svery first Evian Spa. The evening isat leisure to recover from the longflight. You will be given a dinnercredit at any one of the hotel’srestaurants and lounges for dinnerat your leisure.
Saturday, March 10After breakfast (included each day),we meet for a brief orientation tour.Late afternoon we take our seats atthe New National Theatre for Lescontes d’Hoffman, with DmitryKorchak in the title role. Dinner isincluded prior to the performance.
Sunday, March 11Late morning we embark on aguided tour of some of Tokyo’slandmark sites, including TokyoTower, the Asakusa Kannon
Temple, the skyscrapers ofShinjuku, Ginza, TokyoInternational Forum and theImperial Palace Gardens. Lunch isincluded. We return to the hotel intime for a rest and dinner on yourown before going to our firstconcert at Orchard Hall: The TokyoPhilharmonic Orchestra (one ofJapan’s best), playing SymphonyNo. 2 by Rachmaninoff. A jazzpianist is also featured.
Monday, March 12Today we embark upon a full-dayexcursion to Kyoto by Bullet Train.Founded as the new capital ofJapan in 794, Kyoto is an oasis ofgardens and Buddhist temples.Even after the seat of powermoved to Kamakura and theneventually to Tokyo, Kyotoremained the cultural and spiritualheart of Japan. Our touringhighlights Kyoto’s Imperial pastand its traditional craftwork.Lunch and dinner are included.
Tuesday, March 13Today we embark on an excursionto Kawagoe. Located 25 milesnorth of Tokyo, we explore this“Little Edo,” famed for its historiccore of kurazukuri—black-walledmerchant houses, some datingback to the 18th century. Japanesefilm directors love the place for itsready-made sets that are perfectfor historical dramas. Lunch isincluded. Tonight we attend aconcert by the New York
Philharmonic at Suntory Hall(Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1;Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring).
Wednesday, March 14Today we journey to Kamakura,former de facto capital of Japan andthe seat of the Shogunate. Lunch isincluded. This evening we hear theTokyo Sinfonia (in an allMendelssohn program) at theintimate, recently-built HakujuHall. A champagne reception withthe musicians and conductorfollows the performance.
Thursday, March 15Enjoy the day at leisure. Thisevening we gather for a cocktailreception before we hear theToulouse Orchestra at Suntory Hall(Russlan & Ludmilla Overture,Khachaturian Flute Concerto, Suitefrom Swan Lake).
Friday, March 16Today we visit the Tokyo NationalMuseum in Ueno Park. With some87,000 pieces, it is the largestcollection of Japanese art in theworld. We take in a matinéeperformance of L’elisir d’amore atthe New National Theatre (castincludes Lucy Crowe and SaimirPirgu). Our Farewell Dinner isincluded after the performance.
Saturday, March 17Airport transfers are included, andwill be arranged on-site.
Tokyo Tower
Suntory HallBuddhist temple, Kyoto
