This eight-day vacation to Japan is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the arts, culture and history of this beautiful country. Focusing on Tokyo and Kyoto lets you experience many aspects of Japanese life, both ancient and modern. The Japanese people are immensely gracious.
This itinerary is completely customizable, and visits to other villages and sites in Japan can easily be added.
Our itineraries are for your inspiration. Please contact a travel advisor to customize this itinerary to fit your needs.
Enjoy local markets, excellent cuisine, futuristic art and history as you tour Tokyo with your guide.
Upon arrival into Tokyo, meet your local guide and enjoy a private transfer to your hotel, where you will enjoy leisure time for the rest of the day (transfer time is approximately 90 minutes).
With your guide, travel by taxi to Tsukiji, Asia's largest wholesale fish market, arriving after the frenzy and peak activity of the auction. You will then head to the studio of noted Japanese chef Ms. Odagawa for a Japanese cooking lesson beginning at 11 a.m. Learn about traditional cuisine from your culinary master while preparing Japanese sushi.
In the afternoon you will visit the Roppongi Hills complex, a redevelopment project and a symbol of contemporary Japan. Tour the ground-level art installations and view the city from the Skywalk Observatory.
End
your day in the Ginza District, the most celebrated shopping area in Japan. Venture into Mitsukoshi, a storied department-store chain. Particularly
interesting is the food hall in its basement. An incredible variety of fresh, local foods
and prepared meals are for sale, with plenty of samples available.
Meet your guide and begin your day with a stroll through the East Garden of the Imperial Palace (Kokyo Higashi Gyoen).
Continue to the Asakusa district and Sensō-ji Temple. The adjacent shopping street Nakamise has been a mecca for travelers and entertainers since the 1600s, and it remains vibrant and charming.
Take a walking tour through the neighborhood of Yanaka, one of the few remaining neighborhoods from the Edo era. Walk along Yanaka Ginza, a small street market that retains the atmosphere of old Tokyo.
Return
to your hotel with time to regroup before traveling with your guide to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner your guide escorts you to Tokyo Dome (the Big Egg) for a Japanese professional baseball game. Baseball is extremely popular in Japan, and the Nippon Professional
Baseball League rivals Major League Baseball in North America.
Take the subway to the Harajuku district to stroll through the lovely wooded grounds of Meiji Shrine, a perfect example of Shinto architecture with its huge torii gates at the entrance. The shrine was destroyed in World War II bombing raids, but reconstruction was completed in 1958. Tour the shrine and learn about Japan's ancient indigenous Shinto religion. Attend a special performance of the sacred Kagura dance in the shrine's inner chamber.
Afterward, stroll nearby Takeshita Street, with trendy shops geared toward the pop culture of Tokyoites, and along trendy Omotesando Avenue, Tokyo's top fashion street, with wonderful upscale shops and coffeehouses.
Continue to the Shibuya district, one of Tokyo's most popular shopping and entertainment areas. This is the Tokyo of one's imagination, with large buildings, flashing neon advertisements, giant video screens and busy streets. Witness the scramble crossing in front of the Hachiko exit of Shibuya subway station.
Take a taxi to the train station for the high-speed Shinkansen Nozomi train to Kyoto.
You will meet your private guide on arrival on the train platform to begin your exploration of Kyoto by private vehicle. Drive to the southern end of Kyoto's Higashiyama (Eastern Mountain) district. Nestled against the mountains are some of the city's most atmospheric temples and Fushimi-Inari Taisha, a fascinating complex of shrines scattered across a wooded hilltop.
Continue
on to your hotel, where the remainder of the day is at leisure.
Enjoy an excursion to the Miho Museum, along with your guide.
Designed by architect I.M. Pei, the Miho houses a stunning collection that is one of the crown jewels in Japan's art holdings. The grounds of the museum are in a national park, and it took six years of planning to win permission to begin construction. The structure is a modern masterpiece of illuminated geometric patterns and the play of light. If you enjoy museums, this one is not to be missed.
After your fill of the museum and its lovely grounds, return to Kyoto to visit the famed Philosopher's Path. Stroll along the path, taking in the beautiful scenery.
Enjoy a delicious yakitori dinner early this evening with your guide at Sumibi-kushiyaki Torito.
Venture north to the base of the Arashiyama Mountains, one of the area's most charming sightseeing districts. Arashiyama is home to a fine collection of temples and the single most beautiful villa in the country. The highlight of the area is the Arashiyama bamboo forest, an incredibly atmospheric grove that calls to mind the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Continue to Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion), one of the most visited temples in Kyoto, with its authentic and exquisite garden. The three-story structure — a replica of a structure built in 1397 that later burned — is covered in gold foil and has a golden phoenix on the roof.
Next visit Daitoku-ji, Kyoto’s quintessential Zen monastery, with stone walkways, bamboo groves, elegant wooden temples and classic rock gardens. Daitoku-ji is also considered to be Kyoto's most historically significant temple, where the tea ceremony developed.
Return to your hotel for an evening at leisure.
Meet your guide and transfer to the airport in Osaka for your flight home.
Contact a travel advisor to book your custom itinerary. Fill out the form or call (630) 734-4610.
Andrew Harper members have access to full travel-planning services through Andrew Harper Travel.
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