Japan

After our arrival in Osaka, transfer to Kyoto and check in to our comfortable and well-located hotel. The evening is free to relax and rest after our flights.

We begin our journey with a visit to the Zen rock garden at Ryoan-ji before we tour one of Japan’s most enduring sites, Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion. After a bento lunch, we continue our exploration of Kyoto with a visit to Nijo Castle. Return to our hotel for a welcome reception and dinner.

Begin the day’s explorations at Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, taking a walking tour along a canal lined with cherry trees and Zen temples. We end at the Nanzen-ji Temple, known for its rock garden and art collections. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then tour the Imperial Palace, one of the largest vestiges of the emperors’ presence in Kyoto before the capital was moved to Tokyo. 

Travel to the Miho Museum, located in a nature preserve in the Shigaraki Mountains and designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei to house the Shumei Foundation’s collection of Japanese teaware and rare art objects. Return to Kyoto after lunch and visit the Heian Shinto shrine and adjoining garden.

Embark on a full-day excursion by coach to Nara, where we visit the Kasuga Grand Shrine, famous for its thousands of stone lanterns. Continue to the Todaiji Temple to view its immense bronze daibutsu, or giant Buddha statue. After lunch, visit the Nara National Museum, and on our return to Kyoto, stop in Uji to view the Byodo-in Temple with its Phoenix Hall, one of the most famous structures in Japan. We dine independently tonight.

This morning travel by high-speed ferry to Hiroshima on the island of Honshu. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the striking Atomic Bomb Dome as well as the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, portions of which were designed by renowned architect Kenzo Tange and sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Enjoy the evening at leisure.

Today we ferry to Miyajima Island to visit the iconic Itsukushima Shrine and torii gate. The shrine and gate are special in that they seem to float on the water at high tide. Enjoy lunch on the island before returning to Hiroshima to spend the afternoon at leisure.

Today we board a high-speed ferry to Matsuyama, a bustling port town on the island of Shikoku in the Seto Inland Sea. After lunch devote the afternoon to sightseeing, including the Matsuyama Castle and the Ishite-ji Temple, a Shingon temple that has been designated a National Treasure of Japan. Late this afternoon we check in to our traditional ryokan accommodations and enjoy dinner at our hotel.

This morning drive to the historic feudal town of Uwajima to roam the Tensha-en Garden, with its more than 20 varieties of bamboo. Then we head to the Date Museum to take in its collection of Edo period armor, paintings and other samurai antiquities. After lunch visit the small town of Uchiko and explore a number of well-preserved Edo- and Meiji-era dwellings and storehouses. This evening return to Matsuyama for dinner and to relax.

Depart this morning by express train to Okayama. Then cover the short distance to the river port city of Kurashiki by motor coach. Kurashiki’s well-preserved 18th-century merchant quarter is now home to shops, museums and teahouses. On our walking tour, venture to the Museum of Folkcraft and the Ohara Museum of Art, with its displays of Western impressionist works and traditional textiles, woodblocks and ceramics. Dine independently this evening.

This morning travel back across the Seto Inland Sea to Takamatsu. Visit the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum and tour the Shikoku Mura Village, which displays structures and objects of rural life on Shikoku. Enjoy a typical local udon noodle lunch. Afterward we stop at Ritsurin Garden, considered one of the most outstanding landscape gardens in Japan. This afternoon take a ferry to Naoshima, a small island in the Seto Inland Sea.

Spend today independently exploring Naoshima, a community devoted to cutting-edge contemporary art, with two striking museums, interactive installations and outdoor sculptures. Naoshima is a place of discovery, with a unique symbiotic relationship between natural scenic beauty and art. Stroll among the installations and at the Chichu Art Museum before gathering this evening for a festive farewell reception and dinner.

Transfer to the airport for flights home or join the optional post-trip extension.