Japanese culture, refined over generations of isolation, is steeped in the ancient, fascinated by the brand-new, and schooled in the ephemeral. Elderly women in kimono stop to pray at centuries-old shrines and temples tucked between office buildings. Teenagers carry the latest gadgets and wear the hottest fashions.
TV news programs update the advance of the "cherry blossom front" in the spring and the arrival of colorful foliage in the autumn. The subtleties of Japanese culture are not always easy to understand or follow, but are fascinating to watch.
Approximately 127 million people live in this island country, in an area roughly equal to that of California. Japan is the world's second-largest economy and has a constitutional monarchy with the world's oldest imperial line, numbering 125 successive rulers.
Japan is a chain of islands off the northeast coast of mainland Asia (near Russia, Korea and China). It runs roughly north-south with the Sea of Japan on the west and the Pacific Ocean on the east. The main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Smaller islands and groups of islands are sprinkled along the coastline and extend the country's borders deep into the Pacific. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and most other major cities are on Honshu. More than 80% of Japan's landscape is mountainous and covered in lush green temperate forest. There are many active volcanoes and geothermal areas. Major inhabited areas are on the plains and along the coast.
Our Luxury Japan Tours
Japan is an amazing travel destination--a country that embraces its ancient traditions and modern sophistication. The country's design and style, rooted in its wabi sabi Zen aesthetic, is revealed in its ceramics, lacquerware, kaiseki cuisine, basketry, ikebana flower arranging, and traditional wooden and modern concrete and glass urban architecture.
Artisans of Leisure tours in Japan are private and customized, including the very best expert local guides and Japan's most acclaimed luxury hotels. Our Japan tours are in-depth, luxurious cultural experiences. We visit major destinations such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone & Mt. Fuji, Nara, Osaka, Nikko and Hiroshima. We also recommend incorporating remote, off the beaten track destinations in Japan such as Takayama, Kanazawa, Matsue, Kamakura, Naoshima (Benesse) Island, Shikoku, the Miho Museum in Shiga Prefecture, Tokyo Disneyland, Kawagoe, the Noto Peninsula, Kurashiki, Kibune, Arashiyama, Ohara, and Yufuin near Beppu on Kyushu Island. Our tours emphasize the uniquely Japanese aspects of each region: traditional wooden homes found in samurai and geisha quarters; small, beautiful gardens; the backstreets of old castle towns; wonderful museums showcasing the best of Japanese art and traditions; local festivals (matsuri); a variety of dining venues from food halls in department stores, and morning outdoor fish and produce markets, to local izakayas (Japanese pubs) and kaiseki restaurants in elegant inns in Kyoto or atop Tokyo's tallest skyscrapers.
Artisans of Leisure Japan tours always emphasize the seasons -- ever so important in Japan -- as experienced through the cuisine, local festivals, and scenery (including Japan's cheerful cherry blossom season and the spectacular momiji (maple tree) leaves during autumn's fall foliage.
All of our Japan tours incorporate cuisine, art, gardens, architecture, history and local traditions. Upon request, we are happy to arrange highly specialized tours that focus exclusively on Japanese cooking, Japanese gardens and bonsai, Japanese folk art (mingei), modern architecture in Japan, Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Japan, flower arranging (ikebana), Japanese ceramics and more. Such tours include lectures and educational private meetings with esteemed experts in Japan.
We specialize in luxury travel in Japan and, as such, our tours include private guides and drivers. Our travelers experience the best of Japan while tailoring each day to their interests. Artisans of Leisure also offers private shore excursions for cruise passengers visiting Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan. For all travelers, we arrange private sightseeing, hotels, bullet train tickets (shinkansen) or Japan Rail Passes, and train station and airport transfers. Tokyo
In Tokyo our favorite spots include the neighborhoods of Ginza, Aoyama, Roppongi, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Harajuku, Daikayama, and Kichijoji. Recommended day tours include a trip to Mt. Fuji, Chinatown in Yokohama, the craft workshops in Kawagoe, the temples and waterfall in Nikko, the pottery village of Mashiko, and the mountain temples and shrines of Kamakura. Attractions of interest in Tokyo include the Meiji Shrine, the Roppongi Hills Complex, the National Museum, the Nezu Museum, the Mingei (folk art) Museum, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, noodle restaurants where sumo wrestlers eat, department stores such as Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi, the AXIS building, Asakusa Kannon Temple, Ueno and Yoyogi parks, the gardens of the Imperial Palace, the Tsukiji fish market, Omotesando shopping boulevard, modern homes and buildings in Harajuku and Aoyama, and food halls, izakayas, and designer shops and galleries. Upon request, we also offer insider fashion tours of Tokyo and "anime Tokyo" tours.
Recommended luxury Tokyo hotels include the Park Hyatt Tokyo, the Four Seasons Marunouchi, the Peninsula Tokyo, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, the Ritz Carlton Tokyo, the Hotel Seiyo Ginza, the Imperial Hotel, and the Westin Tokyo Ebisu. Kyoto
Artisans of Leisure travelers are immersed in the very best of Kyoto, including private gardens with rustic tea houses, the backstreets and homes of the Higashiyama district, the Gion district, Shinmonzen and Teramachi-dori antique shops, the bamboo forest and shops in Arashiyama, riverside dining in Kibune, temples and monasteries in Ohara, Nijo Castle, Sanjusangendo temple, Kiyomizu temple, Ginkakuji silver pavilion, Kinkakuji golden pavilion, Zen gardens at Ryoanji, the Moss Temple (Saihoji), imperial villas such as Katsura Rikyu and Shugakuin, Fushimi Inari shrine, the Kawai Kanjiro Museum, the Nishiki food market, tea ceremonies at temples and private homes, the Kyoto Handicraft center, Takashimaya department store, and specialty shops selling tofu, Kyoto sweets, noodles, pickles, geta slippers, geisha combs, evening purses, kimono, ceramics and lacquerware. We also recommend taking side trips to tour the Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Nara, the city of Osaka, the Himeji Castle, and Mt. Koya (Koya-san), a famous pilgrimage site, the I.M. Pei-designed Miho Museum and nearby ceramics boutiques in Shiga Prefecture, and Mt. Yoshino during cherry blossom seasons and fall foliage -- all easily visited as day tours from Kyoto. Upon request, we arrange exclusive activities such as tours of private gardens and Imperial residences, private martial arts lessons, private Zen meditation at temples, cooking classes and home visits, meals with Geisha and Maiko entertainment, and reservations at the city's most exclusive restaurants.
Recommended luxury hotels in Kyoto include the Hyatt Regency Kyoto in the center of the city and the Westin Miyako Hotel in the hills overlooking Kyoto. Kyoto's best ryokans include the Hiiragiya Ryokan, the Tawaraya Ryokan. We recommend experiencing at least one kaiseki dinner in a Kyoto ryokan -- the smell of incense and tatami while dining on an elaborate seasonal tasting menu is a quintessential Kyoto experience. We also recommend trying shojin ryori -- Buddhist vegetarian cuisine -- at one of Kyoto's temple restaurants. Hakone
We highly recommend including a day or two in Hakone National Park to see Mt. Fuji, take a cruise on the lake, visit Buddhist caves, walk along the legendary Old Tokaido Road, and visit the Hakone Open Air Museum or Lalique Museum. Our travelers stay at the Gora Kadan ryokan in Hakone --one of Japan's most private, exclusive onsen (hot springs) resorts and well worth the splurge. We also recommend the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa in Hakone. Kurashiki
Spend several days in Kurashiki enjoying the traditional kura (storehouse) architecture, the canals lined with willow trees, the many craft shops and excellent museums including the mingei (folk art) museum, rural toy museum and the Ohara Museum of Art). We prefer the Ryokan Kurashiki. Our guides take travelers to nearby Okayama City to visit its important Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan's most famous gardens. We also visit a remote pottery village famous for its Bizen ceramics preferred by tea ceremony masters. Hiroshima & Miyajima
Spend a day visiting the Peace Memorial Park and Museum in Hiroshima, famous for its origami cranes, the remains of the A-bomb tower, and the Noguchi sculpture. Incorporate Miyajima Island to view the famous red torii gate and the wandering deer. We also arrange tours to Hiroshima's lesser known attractions, including important contemporary architecture sites. Takayama and Kanazawa
The mountain town of Takayama is nestled in Japan's alps and is covered with snow much of the year. Stay at the Nagase Ryokan and enjoy the region's famous mountain vegetables and noodle dishes, and visit Takayama highlights just a few steps away: the morning market, sake breweries, miso "factories," and endless folk art museums and shops. Also view Hida-style farmhouses, famous for their thatched roofs, on the edge of town. A worthwhile excursion is to nearby towns with kura white storehouses, canals, and small boutiques featuring local crafts.
En route to Takayama, stop by the Museum Meiji Mura in Nagoya, an open-air museum that showcases Japanese architecture from the Meiji Period, including the original lobby from the Imperial Hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
While in Takayama, we recommend continuing on to the Kanazawa, a wealthy feudal town best known for its production of high quality silks and lacquer. Artisans of Leisure arranges visits to private homes of lacquerware masters, and tours of shrines, markets, and villages along the Noto Peninsula, and Kanazawa's geisha and samurai districts. Kanazawa is also famous for its garden (Kenrokuen) and its a superb museum, the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum for Traditional Products and Crafts and Kanazawa's 21st Century Contemporary Art Museum. Inland Sea (Naoshima & Shikoku)
For our travelers interested in modern art, not to mention beautiful scenery and fine cuisine, we journey to the Inland Sea to Benesse Art Site Naoshima for accommodation in a boutique hotel designed by Tadao Ando that overlooks the sea. View amazing works of art by leading international and Japanese artists, including installations in ancient (200+ years old) traditional buildings found within the island's small villages. Spend a day visiting Takamatsu City on the island of Shikoku to visit Ritsurin Park and Isamu Noguchi's former home and studio. Matsue
We also take our travelers to Matsue, another destination of interest to art lovers. Spend a day visiting the nearby famous shrine, Izumo Taisha, and another day exploring Matsue's highlights: the former home of Lafcadio Hearn, old samurai homes, and the outstanding Adachi Museum which beautifully features Japanese art and gardens.
