The Best of the Inland Sea & Beyond

(12 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Tokyo, Naoshima, Seto Inland Sea cruise & Kurashiki, Kyoto

This private luxury tour of Japan features the best of Tokyo and Kyoto, as well as the art treasures of Naoshima and a leisurely cruise in the Seto Inland Sea aboard Guntu, a luxurious floating ryokan. It’s ideal for travelers interested in experiencing refined Japanese culture from the ancient to the contemporary, the urban to the rural.

Begin in Tokyo, the capital of contemporary culture and style in Japan. During touring with your 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 Meiji Jingu Shrine and Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. See striking contemporary architecture and the latest Japanese gadgets. Visit some of Tokyo’s best museums according to your interests, such as the Mori Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum or Tokyo National Museum. Also experience Tokyo’s exciting culinary scene by visiting Tsukiji Outer Market, the Kappabashi kitchenware district, and our favorite specialty shops and department store food halls. Another option is visiting teamLab Borderless, an immersive installation of mesmerizing digital imagery. Upon request, additional experiences can be arranged such as watching sumo wrestlers practice at a sumo stable, meetings with culinary and sake experts, private martial arts lessons, seeing a Japanese baseball game, visiting favorite family attractions such as the Ghibli Museum, and attending local festivals. Artisans of Leisure can also make reservations at our favorite restaurants in Tokyo, which range from local noodle shops to some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world.

Travel by shinkansen (bullet train), private car and ferry to Naoshima, a renowned contemporary art destination on an island in the Seto Inland Sea. Stay at Benesse House, a Tadao Ando-designed hotel and contemporary art museum. During private touring, explore Benesse Art Site Naoshima, a complex of museums, installations and art spaces scattered across the island. Visit Benesse House Museum to see work by artists such as Richard Long and Hiroshi Sugimoto, and see installations by Yayoi Kusama, Cai Guo-Qiang and others along the waterfront. Also see the Art House Projects, where installations by James Turrell, Rei Naito and other artists inhabit buildings in a local village. Depending on time and interests, also explore the Chichu Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum and I Love Yu Bathhouse.

En route to Onomichi, opt to visit the Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens and enjoy lunch at a resort overlooking the waterfront. Next, board Guntu, an exclusive small ship, for a luxurious and relaxing two-night cruise among the forested islands and fishing villages of the Seto Inland Sea. Conceived as an exquisite floating ryokan, the Guntu offers sophisticated Japanese style, gourmet cuisine, a spa with onsen baths, activities such as a tea ceremony, and daily excursions led by expert guides to local communities and points of interest such as Miyajima, fishing villages, remote shrines and a soy sauce brewery. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can also arrange cooking classes and spa treatments on board.

En route to Kyoto, stop in Kurashiki, an atmospheric town of willow-draped canals and traditional black-and-white architecture, to visit the renowned Ohara Museum of Art. Alternatively, visit nearby Okayama to see Korakuen Garden, one of Japan's most important gardens.

Continue to enchanting Kyoto, the heart of Japanese 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 and Saihoji (the Moss Temple). 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. One day, enjoy an excursion to the I.M. Pei-designed Miho Museum or to ancient Nara, the birthplace of Buddhism in Japan. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can also arrange a wide range of other unique activities in and around Kyoto, such as an exclusive private dinner accompanied by geisha and maiko entertainment, private Zen meditation in a local Buddhist temple, meetings with local craftspeople, ikebana (flower arranging) lessons, visiting a master swordsmith, meeting with ceramics experts, tea tastings and tea plantation visits, attending a sumo tournament, manga drawing lessons, a visit to a private machiya (traditional merchant house) and private Japanese cooking classes.

Return to Tokyo by first-class bullet train for last-minute shopping, dining and free time to enjoy the city.