MARCH 2024

DAY 1 – Saturday 18:  Kon’nichiwa Tokyo…

Arrive in Tokyo, pass through immigration; collect your luggage and clear customs.  Take your chosen transport option to the hotel*.

The journey from Narita, on the far outskirts of Tokyo, into the city takes about 90 minutes or more, depending on traffic. The journey from Haneda, into the city takes about 30 minutes or more, depending on traffic. Arrival time is scattered late this evening, so have a good rest, ready for the journey ahead.

Check into our hotel, and relax after a long flight.

*Arrival transfer is not included. However, we can quote you for a Private Transfer, offer advice on Taxis, and if any guests arrive simultaneously, can organise for you to share the Transfer.

Overnight Accommodation: Millennium Mitsui Garden Tokyo

DAY 2 – Sunday 19:  Explore away…

The best way to discover a city, is by walking it and riding it’s rails, and today we do both.

After breakfast we explore Tokyo. Our first stop is a visit to the Tsujiki Outer Market – located on the edge of Tokyo Bay the market is a maze of streets where we can feast on fresh sushi, or pick up unique souvenirs, ranging from sushi knives to handmade ceramics. From here, we walk back to the Ginza district; Tokyo’s most famous up-market shopping, dining, and entertainment district. We stop at Ginza 6 to visit Tsutaya – one of Tokyo’s most divine ‘design’ bookstores. We visit the Mitsukoshi Ginza Depachika Food Hall. The in- house food halls – or depachika – are known for their comprehensive array of gorgeous sweets and confectionery, immaculately packaged food, ready-to-eat dishes and picture- perfect bento.

We stop at Itoya – one of the city’s most beautiful and well-stocked stationary shops. We will walk past Ginza Place, Louis Vuitton Ginza, Mikimoto 2 and then jump on a train and travel to Shibuya to see the famous crossing. After this, we visit the Shibuya Sky Tower and the 360° open- air observation deck located on the roof. Shibuya Sky spans three floors and has an indoor section which incorporates dazzling digital art displays to encourage you to see the city in a different way. On the 46th floor, there is bar – The Roof, where we can sit back with a drink as we enjoy the aerial views of Tokyo.

After all this excitement, it is time to return to the hotel, slow down and have a good nights rest.

Overnight Accommodation: Millennium Mitsui Garden Tokyo

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Welcome Cocktail

DAY 3 – Monday 20:  Time to immerse in the history…

This morning we visit the Imperial Palace (East Gardens), the current residence of Japan’s Imperial Family and former grounds of the Edo Castle. Since 1869, the historical site in Tokyo has been officially used as a residence of Japan’s Imperial family. The original building of the Imperial palace was destroyed during World War II, but completely restored to the similar style close to the original one afterwards. We will stroll the Ueno Park featuring more than 1000 cherry trees. It is one of Tokyo’s most popular spots for cherry blossom viewing.

We stop for lunch near Senso-Ji, perhaps the most famous of Tokyo’s temples. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in the capital, and the five-story pagoda, trails of incense and vast eaves will take you back to a Tokyo of time gone by. The shopping street leading to Sensoji Temple, known as Nakamise-dori, is lined with about 90 shops selling crafts, souvenirs and plenty of sweet and savoury snacks. Before returning to our hotel, we will wander Yanaka Ginza, part of Tokyo’s historic shitamachi (an old town ambience reminiscent of Tokyo from past decades) area, known for its traditional Showa-period townscape.

We may even still find ourselves here at sunset – to the north of the shopping street, the Yuyake Dandan (literally, ‘sunset staircase’ in Japanese) is a famous feature of the area. A position at the top of the staircase may grant you a magnificent sunset view. We return to the hotel, and our evening is free.

Overnight Accommodation: Millennium Mitsui Garden Tokyo

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4 – Tuesday 21:  Time to hop on our first bullet train…

This morning transfer to the Tokyo Station where we board our Shinkansen to Kanazawa. We ride in the comfort of Grand Class, which will take us about 2.5 hours. We are met at Kanazawa station and transferred to our hotel.

We now have the honour of visiting a craft master (an artisan who has achieved a particular level of respect for their art). Our stop is to visit a master of Kaga Yuzen, the art of kimono dyeing, where delicate landscapes, flowers and birds are painted onto fine silk. Each kimono can take around three months to complete – and might see how the dyes are extracted from natural ingredients including plums, cherry blossom and persimmons.

We then visit the D.T. Suzuki Museum for some zen. D.T. Suzuki (1860-1966) was the Japanese writer responsible for introducing Zen Buddhism to the West, and this Museum is the perfect monument to the man and his work. Like Zen itself, the museum invites you to contemplate and empty your mind of distraction. The water “garden” outside the museum is sublime as is the fine traditional Japanese garden behind it.

Our evening is free to relax and rest. *Tonight is a prefect opportunity to try one of Kanazawa’s exceptional restaurants.

Overnight Accommodation: Mitsui Garden Kanazawa

Meals:  Breakfast, Light meal on train

DAY 5 – Wednesday 22:  Time to explore beautiful Kanzawa…

In the 17th century, the beautifully preserved castle town of Kanazawa used to a thriving centre for culture and the arts. It has a beautifully preserved Edo period streets and a rich culture of artisanship that has birthed some of the country’s most beloved traditional crafts.

This morning we visit Nagamachi, the old samurai district of Kanazawa. Here we find Nomura-ke, a restored samurai house with a stunning garden that showcases the artefacts during the golden era of the Japanese warriors. We then walk to the nearby Omicho Market, known throughout Japan for its fresh seafood and fine sushi. We make our way to the Higashi Chaya District, one of the three, well-preserved chaya districts in Kanazawa. (cha-ya which means ‘tea house’ in Japanese). We may stop at *Kaikarao Tea House. With over 200 years of history, Kaikaro is the largest chaya in the Higashi Chaya-gai District, being registered a city historical building. A cafe with an old sunken hearth is on site, where we might enjoy green tea and sweets. Its specialty is luxury desserts accompanied by gold leaf, one of Kanazawa’s traditional crafts.

We crossover the Asano-gawa River where we’ll find the smaller and less crowded Kazuemachi Chaya Area, which is stunning. This former geisha district also has a wonderful arcade of cherry trees. A stroll here along the banks of the Asano-gawa River, is a perfect way to end the day in Kanazawa.

Your evening is free, or we can dine at a local favourite.

Overnight Accomodation: Mitsui Garden Kanazawa

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 6 – Thursday 23:  UNESCO World heritage viewing in Shirakawa-go…

Today we journey out to Shirakawa-go, a village in the mountainous region of Gifu Prefecture. It represents one of Japan’s finest examples of ‘gassho-zukuri’, steeply-angled thatched-roof houses that protect the residents from the long winters with plentiful snowfall. Renowned as a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving the traditional architecture and culture of central Japan’s mountain villages, Shirakawa-go is a lovely day out.

There are several museums in the village, and you can even hike up to the Ogi-Machi Castle Observation Point on the hillside north of the village, from where you can take in a panoramic view. (Shirakawa-go Village is also called Ogimachi Village.) *The roofs are rethatched in the spring using the grass that was harvested in the fall. We will eat lunch in the village before returning to Kanazawa.

On return to Kanazawa,  your evening is free.

Overnight Accommodation: Mitsui Garden Kanazawa

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 7 – Friday 24:  Kaiseki style lunch and travel to Kyoto in style…

This morning we visit Kenroku-en Gardens. This spacious garden forms the green heart of Kanazawa and is ranked as one of the top three gardens in the country. The name means “six attributes garden,” which is a reference to a Chinese book that describes the six attributes of the perfect garden and is located adjacent to Kenroku-en is Kanazawa Castle. We have a Kaiseki style lunch nearby.

This afternoon, we leave Kanazawa, and board our Limited Express Thunderbird for Kyoto, home to some of Japan’s most important works of art, its richest culture and its most refined cuisine. Our train will take just over 2 hours to reach Kyoto Station. We are met at the station and transferred to our hotel for check in. Rest and relax. Your evening is free.

For those in the mood we can meet in the hotel bar this evening for a cocktail and a re-cap of our coming days in Kyoto.

Overnight Accommodation: Good Nature Hotel

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 8 – Saturday 25:  Unesco World Heritage Garden by day and Evening with Make by night…

This morning we visit Saihō-ji, *Koke-dera Moss Garden. Koke-dera, which means “Moss Temple” is one of the most aptly named temples in Kyoto. It’s a lush green paradise with over 120 types of moss present in the two-tiered garden, resembling a beautiful green carpet with many subtle shades. Saiho-ji Temple was made into a Zen temple in 1339 by the monk Muso Soseki, who is also said to have designed the upper tier of the garden. It is acclaimed by many as Kyoto’s most beautiful garden and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage.

We then take a tour of rural Arashiyama. Arashiyama is filled with temples and shrines, but the star attraction is the sublime Arashiyama Bamboo Grove which we will take a walk through.We will visit the mesmerising Tenryuji Temple, the most important temple in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district; a sprawling Zen temple with one of the finest gardens in Kyoto and wonderful mountain views. We will have a very special lunch of a shojin-ryori (Zen vegetarian cuisine) on the temple grounds.

Then we visit a beautiful property called Okochi Sanso Villa and Garden. Formerly the estate of the famed film actor Okochi Denjiro (1898-1962), this sublime villa has mind-boggling gardens and the teahouse is a wabi-sabi gem. We return to the hotel for rest & refresh.

We can then meet in the bar for a quick cocktail before we depart for our fabulous evening with a Maiko. When hearing the word “Japan,” one’s mind immediately conjures up images of elegant and mysterious Geisha, with their white-painted faces and bright red lips, wrapped in an elegant kimono. Kyoto is considered the home of the Geiko (Geiko is the word that refers to geisha in the Kyoto dialect), and this evening, we have a unique opportunity to have dinner with a Maiko, an apprentice geiko – a younger woman who is training in the arts of the geiko.

Our dinner will be kaiseki ryori (traditional multi-course dinner) and during the dinner, there is ample opportunity to interact with the hostess and ask questions about her craft and the world of Maiko. The Maiko will perform traditional dances and even invite guests to play Japanese drinking games.

After this unforgettable experience, it is time to return to the hotel and wind down from the day’s events.

Overnight Accommodation: Good Nature Hotel

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9 – Sunday 26:  Antiques, tea and temples…

Today we take a full day walking tour.

We will wander Shinbashi-Dori, Kyoto’s most famous antiques street, exploring the beautifully preserved streets, awash with traditional wooden machiya houses, tea houses, sweet shops, kaiseki restaurants, and unique boutiques. We’ll make a stop at Kagizen Wagashi Shop, one of Kyoto’s oldest and most esteemed tea and sweet shops. It has a serene tea room out back where we might enjoy traditional sweets with cups of thick matcha tea. We will wander Hanami-koji, the best place to see geiko in Kyoto. This area is interspersed with exclusive and expensive dining establishments, and a number of ochaya (teahouses) where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko. We stop to see the Kennin-ji zen Temple. We will have lunch at a fabulous Tempura restaurant.We continue on our loop to Yasaka Shrine and end our day at Maruyama Park, to see the weeping cherry blossom tree.

We return to our hotel. and the evening is at leisure.

*Tonight we could take a stroll through the atmospheric, lantern-lit alleyway of Pontocho, composed of a single narrow street extending along the Kamogawa River. This unassuming area comes to life at night as the small restaurants, teahouses, and bars that comprise the district light up and open their doors, making it the perfect place to end your night soaking in the atmosphere.

Overnight Accommodation: Good Nature Hotel

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 10 – Monday 27:  A beautiful Tea Ceremony followed by a delightful food market…

Today is a full day walking tour so make sure your shoes are comfortable!

This morning we visit Ryōan-ji Zen temple, one of Kyoto’s most famous rock gardens. The name Ryōan-ji has become synonymous with Japanese rock gardens worldwide, and with its traditional architecture and gardens, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A stones throw away is a traditional Kyoto style wooden house – Camelia Gardens, a traditional house which sits amongst stunning gardens and is over 100 years old, and the striking surroundings make it one of the most beautiful locations to experience a tea ceremony in Kyoto. We are provided with insight into the Tea Master and will take part in a tea ceremony, a quintessential part of Japanese culture. This allows you to learn about every aspect of Japanese tea culture, from making the tea to the movements involved in serving it.

We have a noodle lunch near to Kinkakuji, then we head back to our hotel via the Nishiki-koji food market, known to the locals as Kyoto daidokoro or Kyoto’s kitchen. There is an eye-popping assortment of fresh seafood, meats, pickles, tofu, miso, Kyoto’s famous vegetable varieties (Kyo-yasai) and many other local delicacies – and of course, there will be plenty of foods to sample. We will also be able to explore the local vicinity, including incredible design and gallery stores, handmade paper shops, a famous Kyoto tea store, antique and textile specialists, and the wonderful depachika (underground food hall) of one of Kyoto’s best Department stores. We’ll visit many shops specialising in items for the cooking and dining enthusiast; think finely crafted chopsticks, placemats, dishes, storage containers, knives and other distinctly Japanese kitchen utensils. This is a perfect opportunity to grab some bites for a light meal.

Return to the hotel, and our evening is free.

*Tonight is a fabulous opportunity to splash out on one of Kyoto’s amazing restaurants’.

Overnight Accommodation: Good Nature Hotel

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 11 – Tuesday 28:  Get your zen on, exploring temples…

This morning we wander the Gion Higashi District. We stroll through the atmospheric Kiyomizu street which is filled with quaint shops selling souvenirs including Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, sweets, and pickles. We visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple, literally “Pure Water Temple”, one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. The temple’s veranda juts out of the side of a mountain supported by 13-metre-high wooden columns. From the veranda, you get a great view facing west over the city of Kyoto.

From here, your afternoon is free.

Late afternoon we meet in the lobby and transfer to Nanzenji, one of the most important Zen temples in all of Japan. And from here, we begin our walk on the Philosopher’s Path for Cherry Blossom viewing. The Philosopher’s Walk is a pedestrian path that follows a cherry-tree-lined canal in Kyoto, between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji. The route is so-named because the influential 20th-century Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro is thought to have used it for daily meditation.

We stop for an early dinner at a restaurant along the Path. After dinner, we continue towards Ginkakuji Temple, the Silver Pavilion. The second most famous temple in Kyōto and little brother of Kinkaku-ji, it was planned to be covered completely in leaf silver, but the silver coating was never actually applied, and it is now a wooden temple. En-route, we make a small detour to see the striking entrance to Hōnen-in, an understated but atmospheric moss covered gate that invites you inside to be purified.

Tonight we enjoy a ‘Farewell Kyoto’ dinner together.

Overnight Accommodation: Good Nature Hotel

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12 – Wednesday 29:  The capital with famous green tea and beautiful temples…

This morning after breakfast we transfer to Osaka via Uji – famous for its green tea, known as “Uji-cha” – and Nara. Uji is most famous for the Byodo-in Temple, which was registered as a World Heritage site in 1994, and the world renowned Uji-cha brand of tea. When the capital of Japan was moved to modern-day Kyoto in 794, nearby Uji City developed as a resort get-away for aristocrats. On the grounds of Byodo-in Temple, one of the few examples of Heian temple architecture left in Japan. It was originally built in 998 AD and boasts the most beautiful of Japan’s few remaining Pure Land Gardens. It has a small museum which has won four architecture awards. We visit Todaiji Temple in Nara and see Japan’s largest statue of Buddha in the world’s largest wooden structure. We walk through Nara Park with the deer, and admire the 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns at Kasuga Taisha Shrine, the most celebrated shrine in Nara.

From here, we transfer to Osaka, check into our hotel, and relax.

Overnight Accommodation: The Cross Hotel

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 13 – Thursday 30:  Food Glorious Food and Castles..

Osaka is perhaps most well-known for the not only its’ street food, but the towering Castle – and this afternoon we will discover this incredible building. Osaka Castle, known as a symbol of power, is surrounded by secondary citadels, gates, turrets, impressive stone walls and moats. The Nishinomaru Garden, encompassing the former “western citadel”, is a lawn garden with 600 cherry trees; a popular cherry blossom-viewing spot during spring, and we hope to catch the afternoon blooms.

We take a wander Doguyasuji shopping arcade, a unique market where you can find anything related to the food industry – including the plastic food models you find outside Japanese restaurants, pottery and gorgeous lacquer ware. Shinsaibashi-suji, one of Osaka’s famous shotengai (covered shopping arcades), will take us through to Ebisu-bashi Bridge, which takes us over the famous Dotombori Canal, lined with garish neon-covered buildings. Time to pose in front of Kani Doraku, the huge crab with moving legs, or with the the running Glico Man. Cheesy, but necessary!

In need of a coffee, we stop at Marufuku Coffee in Sennichimae, an Osakan institution and a kissaten, an old-fashioned coffee house. Kissaten are a dying breed, but in Osaka, they are still very much part of the landscape. In operation since 1934, the background music is a questionable and you will still find elderly men and women here, dapper in their berets and suits. We will also eat along the way (of course!). Osaka is the city of kuidaore, or ‘to eat until you fall over or go broke’ after all. We continue to the incredibly atmospheric Hozenji Yokocho, an area with narrow alleys filled with traditional restaurants and izakaya (traditional Japanese pubs). This stone-paved alley is one of the most beautiful streets in all of Osaka and it looks like it was magically transported from somewhere in Kyoto. Hozenji Yokocho is located right behind the Hozenji temple, hence the name “Hozenji Yokocho” which literally means the alley next to the Hozenji temple. We can stop for a final cocktail before we call it a day.

Overnight Accommodation: The Cross Hotel

Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell Cocktail

DAY 14 – Friday 31:  Time To Say Farewell…

This morning our tour ends. Transfer to Kansai Airport for your onward flights. Farewell!

*Departure transfer is not included. However, we can quote you for a Private Transfer, offer advice on Taxis, and if any guests depart simultaneously, we can organise for you to share the transfer.

Meals:  Breakfast