(10 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis) Tokyo, Naoshima Island (Benesse), Kyoto
This tour features the historic and contemporary cultural highlights of Japan, visiting the ultra-modern city of Tokyo, the rural island of Naoshima, and ancient Kyoto.
Begin with private touring of Tokyo's most interesting neighborhoods and cultural attractions.
Next, travel 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.
Continue by bullet train to traditional Kyoto for several days of private touring and exclusive access to the city's most enchanting gardens, mountain towns, temples and shrines, local specialty shops and food markets, restaurants, and residential districts. Accommodation is at one of Japan's most venerable ryokan.
Return to Tokyo for last-minute shopping and free time in the city before departing Japan.
Throughout the tour, sightseeing is private and very flexible. Accommodation is in Japan's most acclaimed luxury properties.
Itinerary Overview
Day 1
Arrive Tokyo
Private arrival transfer to hotel for 2 nights
Day 2
Tokyo
Half-day private city tour
Day 3
Tokyo - Naoshima Island (Benesse)
Transfer by train, private car and ferry to Naoshima Island for 3 nights
Days 4 & 5
Naoshima Island (Benesse)
At leisure to explore the island
Day 6
Naoshima Island (Benesse) - Kyoto
Transfer by ferry, private car and train to Kyoto for 3 nights at ryokan
Day 7
Kyoto
Full-day private tour of Kyoto's best gardens, temples and shrines, mountain towns, specialty shops and traditional neighborhoods
Day 8
Kyoto Private morning tour or cooking class
Day 9
Kyoto - Tokyo
Transfer by bullet train to Tokyo for overnight
Day 10
Depart Japan
Private airport transfer
Hotel Options
Tokyo:
Park Hyatt Tokyo (first stay)
Peninsula Tokyo (second stay)
Naoshima:
Benesse House
Kyoto:
Tawaraya Ryokan
Cost
$15,350
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.
