Shoguns and Samurai

Meet your guide and other group members at the tour hotel in central Tokyo in the evening. There will be a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Western-style hotel

Meals: Welcome dinner

Our first full day in Japan is a walking tour of Tokyo. We start at the Hama-Rikyu Gardens, located near the mouth of the Sumida River. There is a striking contrast between the gardens and the gleaming towers of the Shiodome business area beyond.

Next, we then head to the elegant Ginza shopping district and continue to Meiji Shrine near Harajuku, an area famous for its avant-garde fashion and architecture.
Afterwards, we will visit a museum to learn about arts and culture during the Edo Period.

Accommodation: Western-style hotel

Meals: Breakfast

We travel this morning to Zenko-ji in Nagano Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo.
Zenko-ji is a historic temple in Nagano City, boasting a history of approximately 1,400 years. Its principal image is said to be the oldest Buddhist statue in Japan, and is worshipped by many people regardless of sect. The main hall has been designated as a national treasure and is a sacred site; many say that one should visit Zenko-ji Temple at least once in one’s lifetime.

Afterwards we make the short journey to Yudanaka Onsen, a hot spring village famous for its ‘snow monkeys’. The Japanese macaques originally came here to warm themselves in the outdoor hot spring bath during the cold winters, and now come all year round.

Accommodation: Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn)

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

We travel first to the city of Matsumoto to see its beautiful castle, built in the 16th century. After lunch we continue to the Kiso Valley and the small town of Narai, an atmospheric example of a post town on the ancient Nakasendō Way between Kyoto and Tokyo (or Edo as the city was known in the feudal period). There are many well-preserved houses and former inns.

Accommodation: Minshuku (family-run guesthouse)

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

After breakfast, there will be time to wander the beautiful streets of Narai. The village is a good place to buy lacquerware and woodcrafts; afterwards, train and bus journeys bring us to the village of Tsumago. Another of the post towns on the former Nakasendo trail, Tsumago has been beautifully preserved – a living museum still inhabited by the local residents. Wander the streets and taste gohei mochi, skewered balls of pounded sticky rice covered in a sweet paste of miso, sesame, and walnuts before visiting the folk museum.

We will arrive in time to check in to our hotel, which features a lovely hot spring bath to relax in.

Accommodation: Onsen hotel (hot spring hotel) or minshuku (family-run guesthouse)

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

After breakfast, we stroll through Magome and then travel to Takayama. Takayama has retained much of its traditional architecture and is well-known for its crafts, particularly yew-wood carving, Shunkei lacquerware, pottery, and furniture.

After arriving at our inn, there may be time to explore the surrounding areas and relax in a hot spring bath before dinner. In the evening we will try the local Hida beef and perhaps some locally-brewed sake.
Accommodation: Onsen hotel (hot spring hotel)

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Known for its picturesque main street and lined with Edo-era buildings and koi carp ponds, Tsuwano was once a castle town ruled by the Kamei clan from the 17th to the mid-19th century.

Also found here is the famous mountainside Taikodani Inari Shrine with its ‘one thousand vermilion torii gates’. We visit the shrine and the ruins of Tsuwano Castle, wandering the pretty streets.

Accommodation: Minshuku (family-run guesthouse)
Meals: Breakfast, dinner

We begin the day with a trip to Takayama’s morning market, with stalls selling vegetables, crafts, pickles, and souvenirs. We will also visit one of Takayama’s preserved  ‘heritage houses’ before wandering the Sanmachi area with its rows of old merchant houses, some open as museums. After lunch, we travel to the village of Ogimachi in the Shirakawa-go area northwest of Takayama. The village is home to a large number of gassho-zukuri houses, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. These large wooden houses have steep thatched roofs designed to withstand heavy snow, and the term gassho-zukuri refers to the shape of praying hands formed by the roofs.
Accommodation: Mishuku (family-run guesthouse)
Meal: Breakfast

We leave the mountains today, travelling by bus
to Kanazawa. Upon arrival in Kanazawa, we will
visit the Samurai District and Kenrokuen Garden.
Known as one of the top three gardens in Japan,
Kenrokuen is a garden built by the region’s
daimyō during the Edo period, with vast grounds
and beautiful scenery that changes throughout
the seasons.
After exploring Kenrokuen, you will have some
free time. We recommend visiting Ōmichō
Market and the Higashi Chaya District, which is
characterised by its traditional townscape that
retains traces of the Edo Period

Leave Kanazawa and head to Kyoto by train.
After arriving in Kyoto, we will experience tea
ceremony at a long-established tea shop. This is a
chance to learn about traditional Japanese culture,
the aesthetic, and the spirit of hospitality. Then
we will go to Nijō Castle. Nijō Castle is a historic
castle in Kyōto City, built in 1603 by the shōgun
Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was a base for demonstrating
the authority of the Edo Shogunate and is famous
for its Ninomaru Palace and beautiful murals. It is
also known as the site of the Imperial Restoration
in 1867 and is listed as a World Heritage Site

We have a half-day walking tour this morning. We visit the famous Kinkaku-ji Temple, the Golden Pavilion, originally built by the Ashikaga Shogun in the 14th century as a place of contemplation and rest. From there, we will visit Ryoan-ji Temple, with its famous rock garden of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders. You have free time in the afternoon so you can explore the area further or shop for crafts.

Accommodation: Western-style hotel

Meals: Breakfast

The ancient city of Nara, which preceded Kyoto as Japan’s capital from 710 to 784, is one hour south of Kyoto by train. We will visit Todai-ji Temple, with its bronze statue of Buddha. The temple is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world.

Next, we will visit the old merchant district of Naramachi with its narrow streets, shops, cafes, and restaurants, or we may instead walk along the back road from Todai-ji Temple to Kasuga Grand Shrine. Return to Kyoto in the evening.

Accommodation: Western-style hotel

Meals: Breakfast

We travel first to Osaka by local train, then along the scenic Nankai Railway Line to Mount Koya, a bowl-shaped valley filled with cedars high in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula. Since the 9th century, Mount Koya has been a place of religious devotion and ceremony. Today there are over 100 monasteries, many of which have shukubo temple lodging.

We stay in one of the elegant temples and dine on shōjin ryōri Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. We walk through the vast Okunoin Cemetery, with thousands of graves and memorials to feudal lords and other past luminaries.

Accommodation: Shukubo (temple lodging)

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

This morning you will have the opportunity to get up early (6 am!) to join in the Buddhist service at the temple where we spent the night.

We will travel to Osaka by train after breakfast. In Osaka, there will be a farewell dinner in the evening.

Accommodation: Western-style hotel

Meals: Breakfast, farewell dinner

The tour ends today after breakfast. Your guide will be on hand to offer assistance and advice for travelling to the airport if you have homeward flights, or on onward travel in Japan if you are extending your stay.

Meals: Breakfast