Tokyo Memorial Day Omiyage Weekender 2020 and

---

Tokyo Memorial Day Omiyage Weekender 2020 and Sumo May 20th – 25TH, 2020 4nts/6days from: $1895 double/triple $2195 single

Birds’ Eye View of Tokyo

Tsukiji Fish Market

Tokyo Grand Sumo May Tournament

Omiyage is a gift or souvenir you give to friends, coworkers, and family after returning home from a trip. It is so much more than just an edible souvenir. Here in Hawaii, bringing back omiyage from Japan is almost a tradition. Tokyo, a modern city, full of glass towers, wide avenues, and constant activity. However, there are hidden time-warps scattered throughout the city that have somehow evaded modernization and offer a rare glimpse into Tokyo’s past. Join us on this fun filled Memorial Day Weekend tour to Tokyo we discover Tokyo’s backstreets and shopping arcades in search of the best “small kine” shopping this city has to offer. All the favorites are included; Tsukiji, Ameyoko, Asakusa and Arcakit Kinshicho to visit the biggest Daiso in Tokyo. We have a new discovery, Kichijoji, a neighborhood to the west of Tokyo. It has been an entertainment and shopping center since markets and shopping streets began to develop around the station after World War II. It’s not all about shopping as we have included Jindai Botanical Garden to view the roses, a hands-on paper lantern painting experience and a truly unique experience, seats at the Tokyo Grand Sumo May Tournament When you are looking for fun, Tokyo delivers. You will leave understanding why Tokyoites are fond to say, “to be tired of Tokyo is to be tired of life”. Itinerary/Details Day 1 – May 20th, 2020 Wednesday – Depart from Honolulu Hawaiian Airlines #821 Departs Honolulu 2:15 pm – Arrive Narita 6:00 pm + 1 Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines international check in counters, located in Terminal 2, Lobby 4, a minimum of 3 hours prior to the departure time. Day 2 – May 21st, 2020 Thursday – Narita-Tokyo After clearing customs, we will be met by our local guide and board the charter bus to our host hotel, The Sunshine City Prince Hotel, ideally situated in the Ikebukuro section of Tokyo. The hotel is less than a 10-minute walk from the Ikebukuro JR Station. Our drive time is approximately 45 minutes.

The lobby of the hotel connects to a huge shopping and entertainment mecca with four towers, including a 240-meterhigh skyscraper with an observation deck on the top. Sunshine City is typically open from 10 am to 8 pm seven days a week. We are also less than a 10-minute walk from the Ikebukuro JR Station. The third floor of the mall is practically all restaurants and stays open until 9:30pm. There is 24-hour Family Mart convenience store right off the lobby in case you would like to pick up food, snacks, or beverages. Within a 5-minute walk is a 24-hour super market, Seiyu, in case all you want is a light dinner bento to bring back to the room. After checking in, the remainder of the evening is free. Your Panda Travel guide will arrange a meeting time for those who would like to take a short walking tour of the immediate area.

Remodeled Sunshine City Prince Hotel & lobby

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel

Family Mart in hotel lobby

free

Day 3 – May 22nd, 2020 Friday – Tokyo (B) After breakfast at our hotel we will head out for a full day of touring. Please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am. Our morning begins with a new, fun hands-on experience, paper lantern painting. Enjoy designing an Edo-style lantern and then with acrylic paint,fill in the design. It’s a one-of-a-kind remembrance from your weekend in Tokyo. From here, off to Ameyoko Shopping Street, famous throughout Japan for its wide variety of products. The name "Ameyoko" is a short form for "Ameya Yokocho" (candy store alley), as candies were traditionally sold there. Alternatively, "Ame" also stands for "America", because a lot of American products used to be available there when the street was the site of a black market in the years following WWII. You can get just about EVERYTHING here, clothes, bags, cosmetics, fresh fish, dried squid and spices are sold along Ameyoko. It is quite the scene to just walk around through the very crowded and narrow streets. An awesome place to sightsee, shop and eat! Enjoy some free time here to explore on your own.

Ameyoko is a great spot to stock up on all your omiyage favorites

This afternoon, off to spend some quality time at Tokyo’s largest Daiso at Alcakit Kinshicho, one of the largest shopping malls in the region, right beside the JR Kinshicho Station. This Daiso takes up an entire floor and when you see it, the only words imaginable will be “Oh my gosh, this place is HUGE!”. Enjoy 2 hours here to shop and have lunch on your own. And now, one of the highlights of this tour, seats at the Tokyo Grand Sumo May Tournament.

“Sumo returns to its spiritual home in Tokyo in mid-May for the third professional of the year and the first Grand Sumo tournament of the new Reiwa era.”

We will be here from 3:30pm-6:00pm.

After, we return to our hotel and the remainder of the evening is free.

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel

free

Day 4 – May 23rd, 2020 Saturday – Tokyo (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we are off on a fun fill day of touring Tokyo. The morning begins with a visit to Tsukiji Market. If you've ever dreamed about melt-in-your-mouth, out-of-this-world sushi, then you might have heard of Tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world. Most of Tokyo, and even high-end sushi restaurants in Hong Kong and San Francisco, gets their fish from this cultural landmark near the center of Japan's capital city. Tsukiji sits on some of the most valuable real estate in Tokyo. While the inner auction market has moved to a new location, this outer market thrives and has kept its charm. Opened in 1935, Tsukiji sprang to life after the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed most of Tokyo in 1923. It has since become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. Every morning sightseers start lining up at 3 a.m. to watch the frozen tuna auction. The more expensive fresh tuna auctions – where a single Bluefin once sold for nearly $1.8 million- are privately conducted. If you’re a foodie, love markets, enjoy photography – or simply like visiting unique places – then you’ll probably love Tsukiji. After a good stroll around the market, there’s nothing like a sushi breakfast to complete the experience. There are plenty of sushi shops – make sure to choose one where you see locals dining. If you don’t feel like sushi, there are other options including ramen, donburi and more.

Tsukiji Market From here, we are off to Kichijoji, a new discovery for our Tokyo Omiyage Weekender. This off-the-beaten-track neighborhood is one of the most popular to live in, thanks to its abundance of trendy boutiques and restaurants. The many universities surrounding it keeps its vibe youthful and fresh. Today, we will spend time at Sunroad Shotengai, the covered shopping street by the train station. Built in the 70’s but renovated recently, Sunroad has a definitive retro vibe. Large glass roof panels cover the shotengai, thus allowing natural light to pour into the shops below. You can find traditional independent shops alongside brand new chain stores here — truly, there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for new shoes, fresh tofu, Japanese hand cream or a vintage kimono, you’ll leave Sunroad satisfied. One must stop shop is Loft. This multi-story shop is a great place to buy a small gift. It’s a drug store! A stationary store! A kitchen store! It has everything but tires, I think. And all of it is uber cool. The paper department has lovely washi and other Japanese traditional arts. Enjoy free time to shop and have lunch on your own. This afternoon’s touring begins with a visit to Jindai Botanical Garden, a world-class 105-acre garden that offers seasonal beauty all year round. It has the largest rose garden in Tokyo and is also famous for its plum and cherry trees, which blossom in spring. It became a public botanical garden in 1961 and its botanical connections go back to before WWII when it was a nursery for trees to line the streets of Tokyo, and then, after the war, when it became the Jindai Green Zone. Jindai Botanical Garden has thirty different areas, each featuring a unique flora. At this time of the year enjoy the symmetrically laid-out sunken garden with over 400 varieties of roses. It’s time to smell the roses! We now make our way back to Tokyo and our hotel, arrival by 5:30pm. The remainder of the evening is free.

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel

free

Day 5 – May 24th, 2020 Sunday – Tokyo (B) After breakfast, enjoy a complete free day here in the Ikebukuro area where you will find just about anything you could want for. If you have had too much shopping, go off and do some sightseeing. The Ikebukuro station is a short walk from our hotel.

The Ikebukuro Area around our hotel, so much to do!

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel

free

Day 6 – May 25th, 2020 Monday – Tokyo (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide by 9:30am. It may be our last day in Tokyo, but we have a fun filled day in store for you. It may be our last day on tour, but we assure you there is still much to see and do before our flight home later this evening. We begin the morning with a visit to the iconic Tokyo Tower. While it is no longer the tallest structure in Japan, nor a full-fledged broadcasting tower, it is still one of the most popular places for tourists to visit and an icon of the capital, attracting about 2 million visitors annually. Opened in Opened in 1958, Tokyo Tower will be standing for a second Olympics when Tokyo hosts the games in 2020. Perhaps most known for its distinctive steel framework, this self-supported steel structure, modeled after the Eiffel Tower in France is lighter and taller. At night, the tower is lit up by 176 floodlights, orange in winter and white in summer.

Tokyo Tower From here, we are off to Asakusa, the traditional, low-rise, down, and dirty Tokyo of yesteryear. Although on the surface it’s ye olde Japan, this was the first part of the capital to have significant western influence. It was even the site of Japan’s first cinema. Attractions in the area include one of Tokyo’s most historic temples – Sensoji, and the impressive Kaminarimon Gate that marks the entranceway to the temple. Also, you can’t miss Phillip Stark’s ‘Golden Poo’ on the roof of the nearby Asahi Breweries headquarters. Sensoji Temple dates to 645, but with the original destroyed in the air raids of 1945, today’s building is a 1958 reconstruction. At the top of the steps, as a mark of respect, clap twice and bow your head. It’s also customary to make a small offering by tossing coins into the wooden rack.

The Five Storied Pagoda was built in 1973 and amongst others; it stands in honor of comedians! Standing 54 meters high, reinforced with concrete and steel, and like all pagodas, running down the center is a giant pillar of Japanese Cypress tree wood. Once through the gate you’ll be in Nakamise Shopping Arcade. The street is lined with colorful, lively stalls selling traditional knick- knacks, festival foods, and rice crackers. There are over 50 shops along this shopping street. Enjoy leisurely time here to show, browse and have lunch on your own.

Asakusa and Nakamise Shopping Arcade From here we make our way towards the Narita Airport with one last shopping opportunity stop at Aeon Mall Narita. This is also a great spot to purchase a freshly made dinner bento to take along to the airport and enjoy while waiting on our departure. Hawaiian Airlines #822 Departs Narita 9:00 pm – Arrive Honolulu 9:30am (same day)

.