Make your own way to the meeting point on the 1F of Hotel Granvia Osaka, in front of the elevator, ready for a 7:15 AM departure.

Board the JR train to Kyoto Station, then meet your guide at the JTB Sunrise Tours desk inside Avanti, across from the Hachijo exit.

Explore this 17th-century shogun's castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its 'nightingale floors' and ornate painted interiors.

Visit the iconic Golden Pavilion, a Zen temple whose upper floors are covered in gold leaf and perfectly mirrored in the garden pond below.

Walk the grounds of the former imperial residence, set within a spacious park at the heart of Kyoto.

Head south to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital and home to some of the country's oldest Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

Wander the lantern-lined pathways of this ancient Shinto shrine, set deep within a primeval forest in Nara Park.

Step inside the vast wooden hall of Todai-ji to stand before one of the world's largest bronze Buddha statues, cast in the 8th century.

Travel from Nara Nagomikan to Kintetsu Nara Station, then on to Osaka Namba Station, arriving at approximately 6:10 PM.