Day 1 October 16
Meet at Narita Airport, Japan and transfer by limo bus to the deluxe Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo. Drop our luggage and settle in. If time allows and we are not too tired from the trip, we will meet and travel by subway to the Sensoji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest and most active temple. The remainder of the evening will be spent walking the nearby Ginza district. Tokyo’s popular shopping area. Return to the hotel. Dinner together at a local restaurant.

Day 2 October 17
Today we’re up early (5:00 am) to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market. Famous for its immense size and quantity of fish moved daily.
Breakfast will be, if you like, the freshest Sushi imaginable. The afternoon we will visit the serenely beautiful Hama Rikyu Garden.
*Our timing should be that we will be in Tokyo at the start of the Sakura Season. The evening will be spent attending a classic theater performance.

Day 3 October 18
We pack up and depart Tokyo. Our plans include a stop in Hakkone where we tour the wooded area famed for its onesens and natural beauty. With luck we will have a perfect view of Mt. Fuji.
Traveling by Shinkansen, Japans ultra fast rail system, dinner can be taken O-bento style and enjoyed on the train! We arrive in the ancient capitol of Kyoto a short 2 ½ hours later. Check in to our 5 star hotel the Granvia. After freshening up we will travel by subway to the well known Gion district. Wandering in and out of quaint shops that specialize in traditional crafts as well as modern designer items we note the stunning blend of old and ultra modern, together, in effortless aesthetic beauty! Our evening will be a relaxing stroll through the side streets of the Gion hoping for a glimpse of the elusive Geisha and /or Maiko.

Day 4 October 19
Today we walk through the Higashiyama Area of Kyoto. Our destination will be the Kiomizu-dera Temple perched high above the city proper. Along the way we will visit the Kodai-ji Temple, Maruyama-koen Park, and the many, many small ceramic and antique shops
lining the narrow sloping streets. We will enjoy a delicious lunch at the comfortable restaurant of another of Kyoto’s well known potters, Kasho Morioka. A visit to the home of Kawai Kanjiro, now a museum housing his works and studio is next. Kawai-san is one of the founders
of the Mingei (folk craft) tradition.

The afternoon is spent at leisure walking through the seemingly endless indoor Teramachi shopping mall where one can purchase anything from fresh fish, fine hand crafted cutlery, Washi (hand made paper), antique woodblock prints or the most up to date fashion accessories. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are free. Dinner is on your own.

Day 5 October 20
Today our guide will be artist Ikoma Keiko, together we board the efficient JR rail system and travel 2 hours to the mountain top Miho Museum in Shiga. Designed by I. M Pei, this architecturally stunning masterpiece houses a vast collection of Asian art. We will eat lunch at the museum and then take a small bus to the village of Shigaraki, one of Japans 6 ancient kiln sites, well known for its rustic ceramics and other traditional crafts. We will board the small
train back to Kyoto and relax in our luxurious hotel. Dinner is on our own.
Pack for our 3 nights away from Kyoto. The hotel has asked us to vacate our rooms. Our luggage is held in storage for us at the hotel.

Day 6 October 21
We leave our bags at the hotel while we are met by old friend and avid tour guide, Oshima Kummi. A retired Suntory Whiskey salesman who is now a volunteer for Kyoto’s Bureau of Tourism. We head to the northern area of Kyoto. An early morning visit to the classic
contemplative rock garden of the *Ryoan-ji** Temple* and its beautiful expansive gardens is planned. Afterwards we make our way to the *Kinkaku-ji Temple* (Golden Pavilion) beautifully restored in 2003. Its gold leaf exterior shimmers in the morning light.

Returning to the Hotel Granvia, we pick up our overnight bags and board the Shinkansen to Nagoya. We switch trains to a local line and are whisked away to the lovely seaside town of Tokoname. We have enough time to drop our bags at the gallery Kyoiegama and continue on a short walking tour of the Yakimono Sampomichi pottery path. You will have ample opportunity to watch the local craftsmen working on their wares.
Even though Tokoname is now becoming a modern city with the building of the new Chubu International Airport it still retains much of its small town atmosphere.

We meet with our host families in the early evening and depart the gallery to go our separate ways for the night.

Day 7 October 22
After a relaxing morning in Tokoname, we bid farewell to our new found friends and head off to the island resort the Hotel Oliviean on the island of Shodoshima. We drop our bags at the resort and tour the magnificent island eco-system. Enjoy a walk through the village marveling at the old style architecture. A tour of the islands many cliff side Buddhist shrines, kimono shops and somen noodle factories makes for an enjoyable afternoon.

Dinner at the resort. You can choose from 3 great restaurants at the resort. French, Italian or Japanese. A late night soak in the hotels onsen is the perfect way to cap off the night.

Day 8 October 23
This morning we are out all day and venture to the island of Naoshima and the Benesse Museum. It houses an astounding collection of modern and post- modern art work from artists from around the world! We return via Ferry boat. Dinner will be at the
Hotel.

Day 9 October 24
After breakfast we return to Kyoto. Our speed boat takes us to the town of Takamatsu where we visit the Studio of Isamu Noguchi. After lunch we board our local train for Okayama. Here you may opt for a side trip to Hiroshima and visit the profound Peace Park Memorial. Or
you may decide to stop for a visit at Hejimi and visit one of Japans most famous feudal era castles.

Upon returning to Kyoto we relax in our rooms at the beautiful Granvia Hotel. We will meet for dinner at a local “Kaiten” restaurant where dishes of fresh sushi are circulated on a revolving track in front of us!

Day 10 October 25
This morning we are again on the local train to the city of Nara, Japan’s first capitol. Here we are met by our guide and taken to the world’s largest wooden structure the stunning Todaiji Temple. Built in 751 it houses the worlds largest bronze Buddha. From there we make our way through the herds of tame deer to the Kofukuji Temple and to the Kasuga Grand Shrine. The walkway leading to the shrine itself is lined with over 1800 stone lanterns!

Our evening, will be spent walking along the Kamo River enjoying a refreshing glass of beer or a cup of warm sake with our good friend and well known Japanese ceramic artist Takeuchi Shinji. A tour of his studio and gallery will be a perfect way to cap off a delightful day. Dinner is at an Okonomiyaki restaurant.

Day 11 October 26
Our last day in Kyoto we will hop on the local JR train and travel 20 minutes south to the suburb Uji, home to Japans finest tea plantations. We visit centuries old Tea Shops run much the same way they were pre Meji-era, many are still owned by the original families.

We walk across the Uji-Bashi Bridge and wander along the banks of the Uji-gawa River. Dotting the rivers edge are some of the finest examples of Hein Period temples and shrines existing in Japan. If you are familiar with the “Tales of Genji” you’ll be interested in the
small museum dedicated to this historic work of literature. The Byudo-in Temple, immortalized on the 10 yen coin and refurbished after years of neglect, is now open for visitors. This is a short visit as the town and its attractions are consolidated in a small area.

We return to Kyoto and head off directly to the Nijo Castel and gardens built in 1603 to be the home and fortress of the Tokugawa Shogunate. A short distance away is the Nishijin Textile district where to this day some of Kyotos finest textiles are produced.

The afternoon is set aside for exploring on your own, relaxing at the hotel, or attending a specilal visit to the Katsura Imperial Villa. (This is by appointment only. I will need your Passport number ahead of time to arrange for this visit. Spaces are strictly limited).
Our farewell dinner is Kaiseki style at a local restaurant!

Day 12 October 27
We are up early and bid farewell to our hotel hosts. We board the efficient rail system that will whisk us directly to Kansai International Airport in Osaka and to our return flight home!

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