Classic Japan
Classic Japan
Trip Itinerary
Arrive in Tokyo, Japan’s exciting and modern capital.
Transfer to your hotel and enjoy your day at leisure.
Post breakfast visit Asakusa Kannon Temple.
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before exploring the Tokyo National Museum, the oldest national museum in Japan and home to a vast collection of Japanese art and antiquities.
Continue to Meiji Shrine, a Shinto complex dedicated to an emperor that was rebuilt after World War II.
Start your day at a local fish market, a bustling hub of Japanese daily life boasting a dizzying array of seafood. Then, receive a lesson in sushi making, followed by lunch, during a Chef ’s Table experience.
Explore the Mori Art Museum to take in local contemporary art.
Learn the Secrets of the Samurai Warriors and test your sword skills during a private class led by a modern-day master samurai.
Indulge in a Sake Tasting, sampling some of Japan’s finest sake and learning about its cultural importance.
Travel to Hakone, among Japan’s most popular hot-spring destinations, and immerse yourself in the stunning beauty of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
Savor a lunch of Japan’s famed Kobe beef before strolling the grassy hillsides of Hakone’s Open Air Museum. Admire the impressive contemporary sculptures and artwork on display, including masterpieces by Henry Moore and Rodin.
Tonight, experience unparalleled service and traditional Japanese cuisine at Gôra Kadan, a top-rated ryokan (traditional inn), which is also your authentic accommodation for the night.
After breakfast at your ryokan, visit the Okada Museum of Art to view its stunning collection of paintings, ceramics, lacquerware and bronzes from Japan, Korea and China.
Then, Ride Like a Local by bullet train to Osaka. Historically known as a merchant city, it is today renowned as Japan’s undisputed culinary capital, where diners indulge in everything from octopus dumplings to okonomiyaki.
This evening, take in city views, refreshing drink in hand, on a Scenic Sundowner, before you set out on a foodie tour in the popular Dotonbori District, sampling dishes from the brilliantly lighted and gastronomically creative restaurants that line the street.
Travel to Nara, Japan’s first capital, to visit Todai-ji, a temple complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site that contains the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.
Proceed to Nara Park, home to hundreds of deer, venerated here as divine spirits, which you have the opportunity to feed by hand.
Complete your Nara excursion with a visit to celebrated Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and experience a Shinto ceremony firsthand.
Pause for lunch at a local restaurant before proceeding to the Kehaya-za Sumo Pavilion, where you observe a demonstration of this fabled Japanese sport by two sumo wrestlers.
Return to your hotel, where you enjoy dinner.
Travel into Kyoto early this morning to contemplate the iconic Zen rock garden at Ryoan-ji, the perfect spot for a meditative moment, and discover the glittering Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion) — covered with gold leaf and surrounded by green gardens — casting its delicate reflection in the tranquil pond beside it.
After lunch, explore the Arashiyama neighborhood, including the garden of Tenryu-ji Temple.
Later, bask in the magical atmosphere of Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, strolling along a winding path as sunlight filters down through towering bamboo shoots, considered by many a healing experience.
Visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple for stunning views of Kyoto.
Proceed to a local temple to experience the art of the tea ceremony, noting its refined sense of hospitality and etiquette, which dates to the time of the samurai.
Tonight, savor traditional Japanese cuisine, while an attending geiko (as a geisha is known in Kyoto) and maiko (apprentice geisha) dance, sing, pour sake and share stories about life in modern Kyoto.
After breakfast, transfer to Kansai International Airport or Itami Airport, both located just outside of Osaka, for your flight home, or begin a post-tour extension to Hiroshima.
Accommodation

Park Hyatt Kyoto

Aman Tokyo
