Classic Japan

Arrive in Tokyo, Japan’s exciting and modern capital. Transfer to your hotel located near the Imperial Palace.

Today, explore the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which was established to preserve the historic heritage of the city of Tokyo and its precursor, Edo, over the past 400 years. Continue to a family-owned workshop that specializes in Japanese drum making, and try your hand at playing the taiko, on an A&K-exclusive experience. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, and then visit Asakusa Kannon Temple. This colorful pagoda-style temple was completed in 645 and is dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of mercy in several East Asian spiritual traditions. Continue to Meiji Shrine, a Shinto complex dedicated to an emperor that was rebuilt after World War II. Tonight, gather for a welcome dinner.

Start your day at a local fish market, a bustling hub of Japanese daily life where a dizzying array of seafood can be found. Then, receive a lesson in sushi making, followed by lunch, during a Chef ’s Table experience. This afternoon, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities. Explore the Mori Art Museum to take in local contemporary art. Experience the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum, learning about the customs of this ancient Japanese art form of cultivation. Indulge in a Sake Tasting, sampling some of Japan’s finest sake and learning about its cultural importance. Return to your hotel for an evening at leisure.

Travel to Hakone, among Japan’s most popular hot-spring destinations, and view the forested slopes of Hakone National Park, an area encompassing coastlines, mountains, lakes and more than 1,000 volcanic islands. Board an aerial tram rising above the wooded slopes for inspiring views of Mount Fuji. 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. The museum also features one of the world’s finest Picasso exhibits, presenting visitors with some 300 works by the cubist master. 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, a battered, grilled concoction of chopped cabbage, meat or seafood, and seaweed, topped with mayonnaise. 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, where you experience the art of the tea ceremony, noting its refined sense of hospitality and etiquette, which date 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.