HEART OF ANCIENT JAPAN

20 March 2023: As Your Tour Manager, Suzanne Higman Welcomes You On This Journey

20 March 2023: Your Accompanying Tour Doctor For This Journey is Dr Victoria Hayes

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 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.

Rise early this morning for a Your World experience:

— Browse the celebrated Tsukiji Outer Market, where a vast network of food vendors trade in a great range of delicacies. Having earnt a considerable hunger, enjoy breakfast at a nearby sushi restaurant.
— Alternatively, take time to relax at the Palace Hotel Tokyo. You may like to enjoy breakfast al fresco, with views of the hotel’s moat and its tree-lined embankment.

Afterwards, we come together to discover the pleasures of Tokyo during a short boat cruise. Beginning at Hamarikyu Garden, uncover traditional Edo-period design and admire the striking juxtaposition of classic and modern vistas. Afterwards, skirt the river to Asakusa Kannon Temple. 

This afternoon, you may like to join another Your World experience:

— Retreat to the sanctuary of Meiji Shrine. Built to commemorate Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, its verdant grounds stand in stark contrast to the sensory stimulus that abounds on Tokyo’s nearby streets. While here, receive a Shinto blessing by one of the local priests. 
— Stroll the vast grounds of the Imperial Palace East Gardens. Admire the colossal stone walls, moat and gardens that surround the main residence of Japan’s Imperial Family.

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, including Kinkaku-ji Temple and Kyoto Imperial Palace. Stroll the streets of the city’s renowned Gion district and keep your eyes peeled for the geisha who are known to frequent the area. At Nijo Castle, we admire the ornate construction of this onetime imperial palace, which was once the residence of the Edo period’s first shogun. 

Afterwards, lose yourself in the sights, sounds and smells pervading Nishiki Market, Kyoto’s legendary open-air market. Here, you can sample a broad range of foods, from fresh fish to noodles and confectionary; appreciate the work of artisans and tailors; and find rarities unavailable elsewhere. This evening, dine at our home for the following four nights, Westin Miyako Hotel, or perhaps choose to call in on one of the countless fine local eateries.

Shinto shrines dot Kyoto’s landscape, while in nearby Nara, devotees stand beneath the watchful gaze of a giant Buddha statue at Todai-ji Temple. We continue to Deer Park, then onwards to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, where lanterns hang from crimson beams and stone pillars. A visit to the Fushimi Inari Shrine closes our time in Nara. 

On our return to Kyoto, we are treated to a well-earned drink at Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum. The area’s quality water and rice has led to its reputation for superior sake. This evening, we are treated to a geisha performance during dinner. Admire the graceful movements of the geiko (as geisha are known in Kyoto), accompanied by the strains of a shamisen – a Japanese stringed instrument. At the conclusion of the performance, seize the opportunity to ask questions and also have your photo taken with the geiko.