(13 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis) Tokyo, Kanazawa, Naoshima Island (Benesse Art Site),
Kyoto, Hakone
On this luxury tour, visit major sights and venture slightly off the beaten track to see the best of Japan's modern art and design. In Tokyo, enjoy private touring of attractions such as galleries in Ginza and Harajuku, the Roppongi Hills and Midtown Tokyo complexes, and modern architecture and sophisticated boutiques in Aoyama.
Next, visit Kanazawa, one of feudal Japan's wealthiest cities, located on the Sea of Japan. Kanazawa is also home to some of Japan's most acclaimed museums, including one of the country's most impressive contemporary art museums. Tour the museums, the famous Kenrokuen garden, and old samurai and geisha districts. Also enjoy the excellent local seafood and refined cuisine at your ryokan, and shop for the town's celebrated silk, lacquer and gold leaf products.
Next, travel by shinkansen (bullet train) and ferry to Naoshima Island, a magnificent contemporary art destination located in the Seto Inland Sea. Stay at Benesse House, a Tadao Ando-designed boutique hotel and contemporary art museum perched like a modernist stone castle on a ridge high above the sea. Explore Benesse Art Site and see artwork by important artists such as Richard Long and Hiroshi Sugimoto inside the museum, and installations by Yayoi Kusama, Cai Guo-Qiang and others along the waterfront below. Visit Art House Projects, where installations by James Turrell and others inhabit buildings— some hundreds of years old, some brand new—in one of the island's local villages. Dine on kaiseki (seasonal tasting menu) cuisine each night. Also journey across the Inland Sea to Takamatsu on Shikoku Island to tour the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum and Studio.
Next, travel to enchanting Kyoto for several days of private touring and exclusive access to the city's most enchanting gardens, imperial villas, temples and shrines, local specialty shops and food markets, restaurants, and residential districts. One day, drive to the I. M. Pei-designed Miho Museum, a series of glass pavilions tucked into the mountains.
Continue to Hakone, a volcanic national park with a close-up view of Mt. Fuji. Visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum and stay at the Gora Kadan, a decadent ryokan (traditional inn). Soak in private outdoor hot springs and enjoy gourmet kaiseki meals.
Itinerary Overview
Day 1
Arrive Tokyo
Private arrival transfer to hotel for 2 nights
Day 2
Tokyo
Full-day private city touring
Day 3
Tokyo - Kanazawa
Transfer and trains to Kanazawa. Afternoon private tour
Day 4
Kanazawa
Full-day private tour
Day 5
Kanazawa - Naoshima Island (Benesse Art Site)
Trains and ferry to Naoshima Island for 3 nights at Benesse House
Day 6
Naoshima Island & Shikoku Island
Morning excursion to the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in Takamatsu. Afternoon tour of Benesse Art Site
Day 7
Naoshima Island
Morning private tour of Art House Projects
Day 8
Naoshima - Kyoto
Ferry and train to Kyoto for 3 nights. Afternoon private city touring
Days 9 & 10
Kyoto
Private touring in Kyoto, including excursion to the Miho Museum
Day 11
Kyoto - Hakone
Shinkansen to Hakone for 1 night at ryokan (traditional inn). Afternoon private touring Hakone Open-Air Museum and other Hakone attractions
Day 12
Hakone - Tokyo
Transfer to Tokyo for overnight
Day 13
Depart Japan
Private airport transfer
Hotels
Tokyo:
Park Hyatt Tokyo (first stay)
Four Seasons Marunouchi (second stay)
Kanazawa:
Asadaya Ryokan
Naoshima Island:
Benesse House
Kyoto:
Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Hakone:
Gora Kadan Ryokan
Cost
$21,190
Per person (double occupancy)
All Artisans of Leisure tours are private and depart daily.
Call us at (800) 214-8144 for more information regarding the above tour, or to begin customizing your own itinerary.
