Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Chugoku Region – 13 Days – POA
13 days from £pp
Enabling travellers to discover more of Japan, this itinerary features the traditional Japanese highlights such as Tokyo and Kyoto and combines them with a subtler approach to Japan, through the incredibly scenic Miyajima in Hiroshima and the small castle towns of Hagi and Tsuwano in Western Honshu. These more calm and historic highlights, amongst others, draw a contrast with the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and Kyoto that is so prominent in other itineraries.
Day 1
International flight from London Heathrow to Tokyo landing at either Haneda International Airport or Narita International Airport. Flight time is just shy of 12 hours with departure times scheduled for late morning or early afternoon, meaning arrival at Haneda or Narita the next morning, ready to explore Tokyo, or an evening flight to arrive in the morning and make the most of the day.
Overnight on board.
Day 2
An English-speaking assistant will be waiting at the arrival gate to ensure a seamless arrival in Japan and a smooth transition from the airport to Tokyo’s centre. With luggage safely in the hotel, the afternoon offers the opportunity to explore some of Tokyo’s progressive architecture in the form of Roppongi Hills, one of Japan’s largest innovative property developments designed to allow people to live and work in close proximity. With the day drawing to a close, you can return to the Imperial Hotel in the Ginza precinct, relax in the spa, enjoy an authentic tea ceremony and sample some of the enormous range of dining options available, including Japanese specialities, several sushi options and fine French dining.
Overnight at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Day 3
For many of Tokyo’s locals, mornings begin at Tsukiji, the busiest and largest fish market in the world. Your English-speaking guide will help you navigate the market, which offers more than 400 types of seafood, before briefly moving away from the Sumida River towards the centre of Tokyo to visit Kabuki-za, the principal theatre in Tokyo and the home of classical Japanese dance and drama. Returning to the waterfront allows you to experience Harmarikyu, former Imperial gardens surrounded by a seawater moat, which are now open to the public, before boarding a water bus to the Asakusa district. Famous for the Senso-ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo, the Asakusa district is the centre of Tokyo’s Shitamachi, literally meaning “Low City” and one of the oldest parts of Tokyo, and is home to many religious festivals and renowned for its authentic and traditional Japanese food, which can be sampled on Nakamise Street as you approach Senso-ji. After a packed day in Tokyo, you can retire once more to the Imperial Hotel, experiencing service and comfort that has welcomed royalty and heads of state for over 120 years with impeccable Japanese hospitality.
Overnight at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Day 4
After breakfast in Tokyo, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, or bullet train, will reach Kanazawa before lunch. There you’ll be met by a guide who will introduce you to the history of Kanazawa, which was home to one of the most powerful clans of the Edo period and offers some of the oldest and most well-preserved samurai history. You’ll stay the night in the Ryokusone, a charming ryokan which oozes luxury but remains authentically Japanese with spacious rooms featuring stunning views across Kanazawa.
Overnight at the Ryokusone Hotel in Kanazawa.
Day 5
Well rested from your first night in Kanazawa, we’ll pick you up from the hotel, and along with a guide, you’ll visit the traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses in Shirakawa, Edo period architecture in Hida-Takayama before ascending the Shinhotaka Ropeway to take in the panoramic view of the Northern Alps. Returning from a long day on the ropes, the incredible authentic food in the Ryokusone is well worth trying after a long day out and about in Kanazawa.
Overnight at the Ryokusone Hotel in Kanazawa.
Day 6
Bidding Kanazawa goodbye with a hearty breakfast, we’ll ensure you board the Thunderbird Express train bound for Kyoto. Where Tokyo is a bubble of modernity, Kyoto is the guardian of Japan’s traditional culture. Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan for the majority of the last millennium and is home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. An English-speaking assistant will meet you at the station in Kyoto to oversee the final leg of your journey to Kyoto and ensure you check in to Nazuna Nijo, a charming boutique hotel in the style of a traditional Japanese inn centrally located in the heart of Kyoto. Enjoy an open-air bath in your room where your luggage, safely transported from Tokyo, will be awaiting your arrival.
Overnight at the Nazuna Nijo in Kyoto.
Day 7
An English-speaking guide will meet you at your hotel before taking you on a journey into the heart of the history of Kyoto, exploring the 400-year-old Nijo Castle and the landscaped gardens in its outer concentric ring, and the Buddhist temples: Kinkaku-ji, with its magnificent Golden Pavilion, and Kiyomizu-dera, which takes its name from the waterfall it is constructed around. After a day out experiencing all that Kyoto has to offer, the Nazuna Nijo complements your day of culture exceptionally well, as it has been designed with history in mind, to provide you with a hands-on experience of the traditional culture of Kyoto and Japan. This allows you to immerse yourself in Kyoto for the duration of your stay.
Overnight at Nazuna Nijo in Kyoto.
Day 8
Having explored many of the World Heritage Sites, the final day in Kyoto offers a chance to visit any that remain, relax in Kyoto and enjoy the traditional Japanese cuisine specific to this city that has evolved due to it’s unusual distance from the sea, or to venture to the historic city of Nara, located less than an hour away, which offers eight spectacular temples, shrines and ruins which conjointly form another UNESCO World Heritage Site. After a day out, the Nazuna Nijo is the perfect place to wind down, perhaps enjoy some seasonal Japanese dishes cooked in an authentic Irori style around a sunken hearth.
Overnight at Nazuna Nijo in Kyoto.
Day 9
When your overnight bag’s packed, we’ll dispatch your luggage to Yumoto Onsen via Takuhai courier service, where it will be waiting in your hotel the following day, before organising for you to board the Shinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima, where you’ll be met at the platform by a guide. After an afternoon on the island of Itsukushima visiting its shrines and Heritage Site, we’ll get you back to shore and driven to the old castle town of Tsuwano to stay the night in the charming Hotel Yoshinoya. It is located in Tono-machi, where you can see old samurai houses that line the horiwari (water canal); the clear waters are home to thousands of carp. Historically the residence of the senior samurai of the Tsuwano domain, these ancient residences maintain their original appearance, and should you be travelling during early summer, the area is famous for the irises that bloom in June.
Overnight at Yoshinoya in Tsuwano, Shimane.
Day 10
The next morning, when you’re refreshed from your stay in Tsuwano, we’ll organise for a guide and car to take you sightseeing in Tsuwano and on to Hagi to delve into the rich history of Japanese pottery and try your hand at pottery painting! The afternoon would be spent on the Akiyoshidai plateau experiencing Buddhist temples and the high concentration of karst formations before driving to the hot-spring resort of Yumoto Onsen, where your luggage and an evening of relaxation awaits you in the Otani Sanso. Offering spacious rooms with fantastic views across the river alongside which the hotel sits, the Otani Sanso allows you to relax completely, surrounded by nature.
Overnight at Otani Sanso in Yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi.
Day 11
Based out of Yumoto Onsen, you can relax at the hot-spring resort, or we can arrange for a guide to take you to the Motonosumi Inari Shrine, which comes highly recommended with 123 impressive red shrine gates and a spectacular view of the Tsunoshima Bridge. As you’ll be over-night once again at the Otani Sanso, we recommend spending the evening in the spa and baths, which are extensive and serviced by the oldest spring in the Yamaguchi province.
Overnight at Otani Sanso in Yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi.
Day 12
A relaxed morning is followed by an internal flight to Tokyo. The penultimate day in Japan presents an opportunity to explore Tokyo once again, perhaps visiting the Tokyo National Museum, which specialises in traditional Japanese art, or climbing Tokyo Tower for a final view of the bustling capital before enjoying Tokyo’s internationally acclaimed cuisine one last time – the city has twice as many Michelin stars as Paris! A final night in the Imperial Hotel Tokyo provides the perfect location to explore Tokyo, or enjoy a relaxed evening in one of the most luxurious hotels in Tokyo, ideally placed for a streamlined journey to the airport.
Overnight at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Day 13
We’ll organise the airport transfer, ensuring a seamless journey to Haneda or Narita airport to catch your flight to London Heathrow, arriving in the UK later that day.