Day 01: Tokyo, Japan
Arrive Tokyo Narita International Airport. Upon clearing Customs and Immigration, you will be met and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel for check-in. Tokyo. The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Japan's capital city. More than anything else, Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It's hectic madness leavened by the Zennest of calms. What makes Tokyo fascinating is the tension between mammoth scale and meticulous detail. Sightseeing in its streets can be a neon assault or an encounter with the exquisite art of understatement. Jump aboard the subway and see how this one city is really many. Imperial Hotel TokyoDay 02: Tokyo
Enjoy a full-day city tour of Tokyo with private guide. Visit the Meiji Jingu Shrine, Imperial Palace Plaza, and Yasukuni Shrine.
Meiji Jingu Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji in 1920. There are three areas; the inner precinct, outer precinct, and the Meiji Memorial Hall, all covered by an evergreen forest of 120,000 trees of 365 different species.
Imperial Palace Plaza. Leyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun, started building his castle here in 1590. The emperor and his family still live in the western part of the grounds in the Imperial Palace, rebuilt after the previous one was bombed in World War II. The most famous landmark is the Nijubashi, a double arched stone bridge, east of the palace. Completed in 1888, it was the palace’s main entrance.
Yasukuni Shrine, built in order to commemorate and worship those who have died in war in order to help build a peaceful Japan (Yasukuni means “peaceful country”.) Currently more than 2,466,000 divinities are enshrined. It’s Japanese custom to treat the deceased as if they were alive. At Yasukuni Shrine, you’ll see meals offered and hear words of appreciation spoken every day. Imperial Hotel Tokyo (Breakfast)
Day 03: Tokyo
Today is left unscheduled. Enjoy the full day at leisure to explore Tokyo on your own. Recommended sites include the Tokyo Tower, Asakusa Kannon Temple, and museums. You can also stop by the Nakamise Shopping street which is famous for its traditional wares, including specialists in obi sashes, hair combs, fans, dolls, and kimonos. Imperial Hotel Tokyo (Breakfast)Day 04: Tokyo - Kamakura - Tokyo
This morning, meet your guide for a full-day excursion to Kamakura in private vehicle.
Kamakura. The most impressive site in this ancient city and religious center is the photogenic Daibutsu. This giant 90-ton bronze statue of the Buddha is situated in the grounds of Kotouin, a Buddhist temple of the Pure Land sect. The statue has an amazing history. Cast in the 13th century, it originally was housed in a temple about a mile farther inland. In 1452, a giant tsunami washed the temple away and carried the Buddha to its present location! In addition to Daibutsu, the city also has 18 ancient shrines and 65 temples. Also, visit Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the symbolic shrine of the old capital city, Kamakura and many come to visit this historic shrine everyday. The shrine has retained its current appearance since 1191 with the addition of the pavilion. Komachi-dori, located one block west, is a shopping street full of fashionable coffee shops, long-established restaurants, and traditional shops.
OPTIONAL: Practice Zen meditation at an 800 year old temple (available Saturdays & Sundays) or eat a Buddhist vegetarian lunch at a temple that is normally closed to the public. Imperial Hotel Tokyo (Breakfast)
Day 05: Tokyo - Kyoto
Transfer by private car to the Tokyo Station and board the Shinkansen “bullet train” Nozomi to Kyoto. Upon arrival in Kyoto, you will be met by a local representative for sightseeing of the ancient capital. Visit the Kinkaku-ji Temple, Nijo Castle, and Kiyomizu Temple.
Kinkaku-ji Temple is more familiar to foreign tourists as the "Golden Pavilion". Approach the temple along a tree-shaded path before emerging into a bright garden, on the other side of which stands the fabled pavilion. An exact replica of the original, destroyed by arson in 1950, the graceful three-story structure is totally covered in gold leaf and topped by a bronze phoenix.
Nijo Castle features unusually ornate interiors and so-called nightingale floors. The latter were designed to make bird-like squeaking sounds when walked upon, a warning of possible intruders. The complex was created by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), and symbolized the power and riches of the newly established Edo- shogun.
Kiyomizu Temple. While many other famous temples are the preserves of certain sects, Kiyomizu-dera seems to belong to everyone. For over 1,000 years, pilgrims have climbed the slope to pray to the temple’s 11-headed Kannon image and drink from its sacred spring. The main hall’s veranda, a nail-less miracle of Japanese joinery, offers wonderful views of Kyoto. You’ll see why the expression “to jump off Kiyomizu’s stage” is the Japanese equivalent of “to take the plunge.” Kyoto Hotel Okura (Breakfast)
Day 06: Kyoto
OPTIONAL: Wake up early this morning and visit Kodai-ji Temple for rice porridge.
Enjoy a full-day of sightseeing of Kyoto with your local guide. Experience one of Japan’s traditional arts – calligraphy - at the home of a calligraphy master. Later visit Kanze Hall, the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, and stroll through a “Machiya street”. Machiya are traditional wooden townhouses found throughout Japan, and often belonging to urban merchants or craftsmen.
Gion is Kyoto's old entertainment district with theatres, restaurants and teahouses. It is best known as geisha quarter. With many ancient wooden facades and flickering lanterns, Gion is one of the last places to glimpse geisha and maiko (apprentices) with their white faces and shimmering kimono on their way to appointments.
This evening dinner will be held at a salon in the Gion district. “Chaya” salons are traditional establishments that specialize in providing meals and entertainment in private rooms. The impeccably prepared food will be complemented by the graceful and artistic dancing of geiko and maiko with live music provided by the three-stringed shamisen, the perfect way to spend a refined and cultured evening in the ancient capital.
OPTIONAL: Visit a Noh performance (when available) at Kanze Hall for an additional fee. Ask your Adventure Consultant for details on upcoming performances. Kyoto Hotel Okura (Breakfast, Dinner)Day 07: Kyoto
Continue your tour of Kyoto with another half-day of sightseeing with private guide. Visit Tenryuji Temple, Heian Jingu Shrine, Ryoanji Temple.
Tenryuji Temple, founded in 1339 and nestled on a slope in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. This temple, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the head of the Tenryu-ji branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism and is noted for its Zen gardens and extensive white buildings. Tenryu-ji was ravaged by fires no less than eight times, last in 1864. Although the present buildings only date from 1900, the 14th century landscape garden is one of the oldest in Japan.
Heian Shrine, one of Kyoto’s largest and newest shrines. Built in 1895, the shrine was intended to help boost the city’s morale and economy – both at a low ebb after Tokyo was made capital in 1868. With its vermilion pillars and green tiles, the shrine harks back to Tong Dynasty China. Its pond garden is famous for irises and a Chinese-style covered bridge.
Ryoanji Temple, known as the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon, is famous for its beautiful ponds, tea rooms, and overall contemplative ambience. The temple is best-known, however, for its famous white gravel and rock garden, considered an absolute masterpiece of form. It was laid out for the first time in the late 15th Century.
The Zen garden is an austere arrangement of 15 rocks resting on a bed of white gravel, surrounded by low walls. The moss-covered boulders are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle, only 14 are visible at one time. In the Buddhist world, the number 15 denotes completeness. So you must have a total view of the garden to make it a whole and meaningful experience, and yet, in the conditions of this world, that is not possible. This afternoon is at leisure. Kyoto Hotel Okura (Breakfast)Day 08: Kyoto - Nara - Koyasan
This morning enjoy an excursion to Nara en route to Koyasan. Visit Todai-ji Temple, Great Buddha, Deer Park and Kasuga Shrine.
Todai-ji complex consists of a vast Buddha hall, sub-temples, halls, pagodas, and gates of exceptional historical and architectural interest. The construction of Todai-ji, completed in 752, was ordered by Emperor Shomyo, ostensibly to house Nara’s great Buddha image but also to consolidate the position of the city as the capital and powerful center of Buddhism. Nara Park is a 1,300-acre area where over 1,000 tame deer, regarded as messengers of the gods, roam the park.
Kasuga Shrine. Originally built as the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara’s, one of the families who helped to establish Nara, Kasuga is one of the best known and most photographed Shinto sites. The original building was completed in 710 but, according to the strictures of purity and renewal governing Shinto beliefs, the structure, like the Great Shine at Ise, was demolished and rebuilt in identical fashion every 20 years.
Continue on to your shukubo in Koyasan. Your accommodations at Koyasan will be a room at a temple. Meals are vegetarian and rooms are not equipped with private baths, but the temple is sure to provide a quiet and relaxing stay for the night. Guests are invited to participate in daily sutra transcription sessions. Tentoku-in – Japanese Guesthouse (Breakfast, Dinner)Day 09: Koyasan - Osaka
An early start this morning as you begin your day with Buddhist services. After breakfast, a tour of the ancient temple grounds, led by an expert in the area. Visit the Kongobuji Temple, Reiho-kan Treasure House, and Danjo Garan.
The sacred mountain of Koyasan, is a major pilgrimage site for followers of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Shingon (True Word) Buddhism a form of esoteric Buddhism introduced to Japan by the monk Kukai, known as Kobo Daishi after his death in the 9th Century.
Kongobuji Temple – “Temple of the Diamond Mountain” and the Danjo Garan, the site of Kakai’s original temple, were founded by warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi on the death of his mother and now are the headquarters for the Shingon sect. The temple contacts screen paintings by Kano Tanyu and other painters of the Kano School.
Reiho-kan Treasure House contains works of art from the temples on Koyasan such as paintings, statues, mandala, and other religious artifacts. This afternoon continue by private vehicle to Osaka. This evening at leisure in Osaka. Ritz Carlton Osaka (Breakfast)
Day 10: Osaka - Hiroshima - Miyajima
This morning, walk to the Osaka Station with your English-speaking guide and take the “Bullet Train” Nozomi for Hiroshima.
NOTE: Baggage will be delivered to Narita Airport by “Takkyubin” courier service. Please arrange for an overnight bag for your stay in Miyajima & Osaka.
Upon arrival in Hiroshima visit the Peace Memorial Museum & Peace Memorial Park (Genbaku Dome) with your private guide and driver. The dome is the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. Not only is this a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind, it also expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons. Take the ferry to Miyajima and visit the Itsukushima Shrine. Afterwards, walk to your ryokan (traditional Japanese guesthouse) and your guide will assist you with check-in. Iwaso (Breakfast, Dinner)Day 11: Miyajima - Hiroshima - Osaka
This morning, transfer to the Hiroshima Station by ferry with your English-speaking assistant. Leave for Shin-Osaka by JR “Bullet Train” Nozomi. Arrive at Osaka Station and walk the short distance to your hotel with your English-speaking assistant. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure. We recommend sampling local “fast-food” treats such as “tako-yaki” (octopus dumplings) and “okonomiyaki” (fried cakes with meat and vegetables.) Ritz Carlton Osaka (Breakfast)
Day 12: Osaka - Narita - Depart
This morning is at leisure. Return by train to Narita Airport. Your English-speaking assistant will assist you in picking up your luggage. Check in for your outbound international flight. (Breakfast)
