HEART OF ANCIENT JAPAN

We set our sights on Shinto shrines and blushing blossoms in a land where religion and nature join one another in a beautiful and reverential dance. We check in to the Palace Hotel Tokyo (March) or Conrad Tokyo (October) in anticipation of tomorrow’s adventures. 

Gently waking amid Tokyo’s vast city skyline, you may decide to enjoy this morning on your own schedule. 

This afternoon, embark upon your first Your World experience:

— Visit Asakusa, Tokyo’s Old Town, and absorb the atmosphere of a more traditional Tokyo. While here, admire Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, and browse the wares on offer along Nakamise-dori, the district’s famous shopping street. 
— Visit the Japanese Sword Museum, which boasts a collection of around 190 pieces, including swords, mountings and armour. The museum has a particular focus on masterpieces from the clans of the Heian and Kamakura periods.

While indulging in a tantalising Welcome Dinner, we become acquainted with our fellow travellers, as well as this futuristic city.

We begin our day at Hamarikyu Gardens, admiring their Edo-period design, juxtaposed with the more modern high-rise backdrop. From here, we head to the celebrated Tsukiji Outer Market. Here, a vast network of food vendors trade in a great range of delicacies. Having already worked up a considerable hunger, we pause for lunch at a nearby restaurant. The Imperial Palace East Gardens then invite us to stroll their historic grounds.

First climbed by an anonymous monk in 663, Mt Fuji is a deeply spiritual destination. Along paths strewn with Shinto shrines, over 200,000 locals and foreigners conquer the summit every year. For those who practice the Shinto religion, the mountain is a place of worship for the goddess Sengen-sama and a representation of the divine spirit of nature. 

Of course, we won’t ask you to strain yourself with the climb. Stunning from afar, absorb the true character of the site from a more reserved position. Drive to Hakone, where we will join a boat ride to Togendai. On the clearest of days, viewing the peak can be a sanctified experience. Enjoy the spectacle during a cable car ride to Owakudani. Returning to Tokyo, a choice of fine restaurants rounds out the evening.

Board a bullet train and shoot towards Kanazawa. Enjoy a bento box on board, sampling traditional Japanese lunch foods and watching as thatched rooftops whip past windows.

Meaning ‘Garden of Six Attributes’, Kenroku-en celebrates the theory that there are six essential elements required for the perfect garden. Later, explore the gated Nagamachi Samurai Houses, then discover the fine work of artisans past at a local museum. See the kitchen of Kanazawa at Omicho Market, whose 170 stores run the gamut of in-demand household items, from fresh fruit and vegetables, to seafood, sweets and clothing. Retreating south, we are guided to Takayama, where we make our home at Hotel Associa Takayama Resort. Drink in mountainous views and absorb the steaming waters of the open-air onsen.

We experience the Miyagawa morning markets in full swing, before walking along Sanmachi Street, where rows of ebony houses line the way. Admire the traditional skills of the local craftsmen at work in this town that proudly retains its traditions and charm. Later, we journey to a village preserved in time – World Heritage-listed Shirakawa-go. The distinctive thatched-roof farmhouses here are built to withstand heavy snowfalls, in a style known as ‘gassho-zukuri’, translating as ‘constructed like hands in prayer’. We visit Wada House, one of the village’s nationally designated Important Cultural Property.

Our southbound journey continues as we board a train to Nagoya. On arrival, we disembark, before making ourselves comfortable aboard one of Japan’s famed bullet trains, or Shinkansens. In the blink of an eye, we find ourselves in the former capital, Kyoto. Here, we delve into history and legend at a number of revered temples and other sacred sites. After lunch, we make our way to Nijo Castle, where we admire the ornate construction of this onetime imperial palace, which was once the residence of the Edo period’s first shogun. We finish our day savouring the sake of a local brewery during a tasting. For the next four nights, we reside at The Westin Miyako Kyoto. A popular local restaurant hosts us for this evening’s dinner.

Our day begins with a visit to the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine. Walk beneath a seemingly never-ending succession of vermilion torii gates that wind their way across the landscape. From here, we take the road south to the city of Nara. At Nara Park, we are befriended by the resident deer, who roam the park’s grounds in abundance. While here, we also join faithful devotees in standing beneath the watchful gaze of Todai-ji Temple’s giant Buddha statue. A short walk then brings us to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, where lanterns hang from crimson beams and stone pillars. Back aboard a comfortable coach, we make our return to Kyoto.