Best of Japan & China

(14 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Shanghai

Experience the highlights of Japan and China—in style—on this two-week private tour. It features private cultural touring with your own guide and driver, accommodation in the best luxury hotels, private airport transfers, first-class train travel in Japan, internal flights in China, access to a wide range of unique activities and more.

Begin in Tokyo, the capital of contemporary culture and style in Japan. During touring with your own private guide and driver, visit Tokyo’s most interesting neighborhoods, such as Ginza, Aoyama, Shibuya and Harajuku. Experience Japanese pop culture and also tour important historical sites such as the Meiji Shrine. See striking contemporary architecture and the latest Japanese gadgets. Also, depending on your interests, visit local markets, specialty shops, or one of the city’s best museums. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can arrange additional Tokyo touring according to your interests. We can also make reservations for you to dine at our favorite local restaurants and at some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world.

Continue to Hakone, a volcanic national park renowned for hot springs and views of nearby Mount Fuji. Stay at one of Japan’s most luxurious and renowned ryokan (traditional inns), where you can soak in your own private outdoor hot spring bath and enjoy a gourmet kaiseki (seasonal tasting menu) dinner. During private touring, explore Hakone’s geothermal areas, forested mountains and historical sites. Perhaps also visit one of Hakone’s best art museums.

Next, travel by first-class shinkansen (bullet train) to enchanting Kyoto, Japan’s heart of culture and tradition. During touring with your private guide and driver, experience the best of this elegant city. Visit important temples and shrines. Gain access to imperial villas and private gardens such as Katsura Rikyu. Enjoy an exclusive private tea ceremony. Stroll through a bamboo forest. Enjoy a Buddhist vegetarian lunch at a local temple. Tour traditional geisha districts such as Gion. Visit markets and food purveyors to sample Kyoto’s culinary specialties, considered the most refined in Japan. Explore antiques districts, and browse our favorite shops for exquisite ceramics, lacquerware and other crafts. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can also arrange a wide range of other unique activities in Kyoto, such as an exclusive private dinner accompanied by geisha and maiko, private Zen meditation in a local temple, meetings with local craftspeople, ikebana (flower arranging) lessons, a cooking class in a private home, manga drawing lessons, a visit to a machiya (traditional merchant house), and hiking to temples in the hills surrounding the city.

Next, fly to Beijing, China’s centuries-old capital. With your private guide and driver, tour imperial masterpieces such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. Travel by rickshaw down the narrow hutongs (lanes) of a traditional residential neighborhood. See lesser-known temples, and venture to a little-visited hilltop for panoramic views over the rooftops of the Forbidden City. Dine on traditional specialties at favorite family-run restaurants, and enjoy reservations at private clubs and Beijing’s most acclaimed restaurants. Visit markets specializing in pearls, silk, food and furniture, and, if desired, explore new art gallery districts that showcase the city’s burgeoning contemporary art scene. One day, take an excursion to a stunning section of the Great Wall.

Continue to the ancient capital of Xian, a major stop on the Silk Road. See the famed Terracotta Warriors and the massive city walls. Explore a local night market and the lively streets of the Muslim Quarter. Dine on dumplings, a local specialty. Visit the important Big and Small Goose Pagodas. Tour the impressive Shaanxi Provincial History Museum and the Forest of Stelae, a fascinating library of tall stone tablets.

Next, fly to Guilin, home to some of China's most breathtaking scenery. Cruise the Li River to Yangshuo, China’s most beautiful river journey, passing through a storied landscape of limestone peaks and rice paddies. With your private guide and driver, explore local villages along the back roads of the picturesque region around Yangshuo.

Conclude in Shanghai, China’s most stylish and modern city. During private touring, learn about fascinating Shanghai’s history through the architecture of the Bund, the French Concession, Pudong and other districts. Tour some of China’s best museums, such as the Shanghai Museum. Visit Shanghai’s old town to sample sweets and have tea at the city’s oldest teahouse. Also, visit up-and-coming neighborhoods filled with art galleries, design shops and stylish new restaurants.