The journey
From Shirakawago's UNESCO-listed farmhouses and Kyoto's temples to a night in a Koyasan temple lodge and an overnight stay on the sacred island of Miyajima, fifteen days through Japan's most storied and sacred sites.
Japan's Sacred & Storied Sites is a fifteen-day journey through the country's most storied temples, shrines and heritage towns. Begin in Tokyo with Meiji Jingu, Harajuku and the old town of Asakusa, then travel into the mountains for a stay in a Takayama ryokan and a bus ride through the UNESCO-listed thatched farmhouses of Shirakawago on the way to Kanazawa's samurai district. In Kyoto, spend a full day among Fushimi Inari's torii gates and Nijo Castle's chirping floors, followed by an evening built around two hand-picked restaurants in the geisha districts of Gion and Pontocho, with an optional day trip to Nara's tame deer and giant Buddha. Continue to Koyasan for a night in a mountaintop temple lodge among more than a hundred Buddhist temples, then to the sacred island of Miyajima, home to the floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine, with a day trip to Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, before a final stop in Osaka.
Highlights
- Explore Tokyo's Meiji Jingu, Harajuku and Asakusa's Senso-ji Temple
- Wander Shirakawago's UNESCO-listed gassho-zukuri farmhouses on the way to Kanazawa's samurai district and Kenroku-en Garden
- Spend a full day among Kyoto's iconic sites, then an evening built around two curated restaurants in the geisha districts of Gion and Pontocho
- Take an optional day trip to Nara, home to Todai-ji's giant Buddha, hundreds of tame deer and the Naramachi merchant district
- Overnight in a mountaintop Koyasan temple lodge among more than 100 Buddhist temples, with a vegetarian monk's dinner
- Overnight on the sacred island of Miyajima beside its floating torii gate, with a day trip to Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park
Included
Accommodation
14 nights across Tokyo, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Koyasan, Miyajima and Osaka, including a night in a Koyasan temple lodge
Activities
Tokyo guided tour (Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Omotesando, Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, Asakusa) · Shirakawago and Kanazawa self-guided (Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa Castle, Nomura House) · Kyoto guided tour (Fushimi Inari, Sanjusangendo, Nishiki Market, Nijo Castle, Nanzenji) · Kyoto evening food tour (Gion, Pontocho) · Koyasan (Kongobuji, Konpon Daito Pagoda, Okuno-in) and shukubo temple lodge stay · Miyajima and Hiroshima guided day (Itsukushima Shrine, Daisho-in, Peace Memorial Park)
Also included
English meet and greet with return airport transfers · train tickets on Days 4, 7, 12 and 14 · bus tickets on Day 6 (Takayama to Shirakawago to Kanazawa) · round-trip train tickets to Koyasan on Days 11 and 12 · ferry and train tickets between Miyajima and Hiroshima on Days 12 to 14 · English-speaking guides on Days 2, 8, 11 and 13 · entrance fees and public transportation on Days 2, 8, 11 and 13 · Kyoto cultural dining experience on Day 9 · breakfast daily from Day 2 (14 total), plus lunch on Days 2 and 8 and dinner on Days 4, 5, 11, 12 and 13 · self-guide app and travel documentation
The route
Fifteen days across Japan
7 stops · Tokyo to Osaka
Tokyo
Takayama
Kanazawa
Kyoto
Koyasan
Miyajima
Osaka
Stop 1 of 7
Journey's end
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Day by day
The route in detail
Day 1
Arrival in Tokyo
Arrive in Tokyo, where a local representative will be waiting to help with the transfer into the city, whether by train or shuttle bus. The rest of the day is free to explore independently. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 2
Tokyo's Shrines & Old Town
Meet a local guide for a full day through the capital. Begin at Meiji Jingu, Tokyo's most iconic Shinto shrine, its approach lined with towering torii gates and a forest of over 100,000 trees, then continue to Harajuku and Omotesando, the former known for quirky street fashion, the latter for upscale flagship boutiques. After lunch, visit Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, a fine example of traditional Japanese garden design, before finishing in Asakusa, home to Senso-ji, Japan's oldest Buddhist temple, and Nakamise Street's bustling market of traditional snacks and souvenirs. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 3
Free Day in Tokyo
Today is free to explore independently, with a suggested day trip to Kamakura, one of Japan's former capitals, home to the 13-metre bronze Daibutsu Buddha, or a morning in Akihabara's electronics district and Tokyo's museums and galleries. An optional evening food walk is also available, threading through three restaurants in an old rail-side district, from a standing tachinomi bar to a high-end kappo restaurant and a historic eatery dating to the 1850s. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 4
Tokyo to Takayama
Travel to Takayama, a small town nestled high in the Hida Alpine region of Gifu Prefecture, first by bullet train, then aboard the Wide View limited express, one of Japan's most scenic train journeys. On arrival, stroll Takayama's shitamachi, where century-old merchants' homes and sake breweries line the streets, with the option to sample a local brew or queue for the town's famous Hida beef sushi. This evening, settle into a traditional ryokan stay. Overnight in Takayama.
Day 5
Free Day in Takayama
Today is free to explore independently, with an optional food and culture walk through Takayama's shops, including a tofu seller, a rakugan traditional sweets shop and a sake brewery, with tastings included. The optional add-on continues with a half-day cycling tour of Hida Furukawa, a quiet farm village fifteen minutes away known for its traditional machiya-style architecture, riding past rice paddies and old houses with views of the Japanese Alps. Overnight in Takayama.
Day 6
Takayama to Kanazawa via Shirakawago
Take the bus to Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses, their steep thatched roofs built without nails to withstand heavy snowfall. Some of these private homes, such as Wada House, are open to the public. Continue by bus to Kanazawa, a castle town that thrived as a centre for culture and the arts in the 17th century. Overnight in Kanazawa.
Day 7
Kanazawa to Kyoto
Today is free at leisure, with a suggested visit to Kenroku-en Garden, ranked among Japan's three finest and home to the country's oldest fountain, and the neighbouring Kanazawa Castle, entered through the Ishikawa-mon Gate. Break for lunch in Omicho Market, celebrated for its fresh seafood, before finishing in Kanazawa's old samurai district at Nomura House, a restored high-ranking samurai residence, with fresh green tea overlooking its small garden. In the afternoon, travel by limited express train to Kyoto, Japan's cultural capital and home to around 2,000 shrines and temples, 17 of them UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 8
Kyoto's Iconic Sites
A full guided day through Kyoto's most iconic sites, beginning at Fushimi Inari Shrine, its thousands of orange torii gates stretching up the mountainside. Continue to Sanjusangendo, home to 1,001 life-sized golden Buddhist statues inside the world's longest wooden building, then browse Nishiki Market, known as Kyoto's kitchen, before lunch nearby. In the afternoon, visit Nijo Castle, an ornamental palace built for the shogun in the early 1600s and known for its chirping nightingale floors, before finishing at Nanzenji, a quiet Zen temple where monks have lived since 1291. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 9
Kyoto's Restaurant Districts
The day is free until an evening tour beginning at 18:30 in front of the famed Minamiza Kabuki Theatre. Walk through Gion, Kyoto's historic geisha district, its lantern-lit streets and traditional wooden buildings glowing at dusk, with a chance to spot a geisha on her way to meet clients. Dine at a quiet, members-only restaurant run by a single cook, serving obanzai cuisine, an ever-changing assortment of small dishes built around market-fresh vegetables. Cross the Kamogawa River to Pontocho, another geisha neighbourhood, for a stop at a Kyoto-style izakaya known for its duck, a classic local dish, alongside vegetable and meat dishes cooked in rich dashi broth. For those still hungry, a final course of soba buckwheat noodles can be arranged before parting ways to explore the district independently. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 10
Free Day: Optional Nara Day Trip
Today is free, with the option to join a full-day tour of Nara, Japan's prosperous 8th-century capital. Begin at Isui Garden, one of Nara's most beautiful, with tea and local sweets at a teahouse overlooking Mt. Wakakusayama, then continue to Todai-ji Temple, entering the Daibutsu-den, the largest wooden building in the world, to see its 15-metre bronze Buddha. Continue to Nara Park, home to hundreds of grazing deer, and a stroll through the backstreets to Kasuga Taisha, Nara's most sacred Shinto shrine, known for its bronze and stone lanterns. Finish with a walk through Naramachi, a former merchant district of machiya-style shopfronts, cafes and boutiques, before the return journey to Kyoto. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 11
Kyoto to Koyasan
Travel to Osaka Namba Station to meet the guide, then continue by train through the river valleys and forested slopes of Wakayama Prefecture, finishing with a ride on Japan's steepest cable car into Koyasan, home to more than 100 temples of the Shingon school of Buddhism and a spiritual centre for over 1,200 years. Visit Kongobuji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism and home to Japan's largest rock garden, and the brightly painted Konpon Daito Pagoda, housing a three-dimensional mandala altar. Continue to Okuno-in, Japan's largest cemetery, walking the two-kilometre approach past more than 200,000 gravestones to the Torodo Lantern Hall and the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, founder of Shingon Buddhism. In the evening, check into a shukubo temple lodge for a shojin ryori vegetarian Buddhist dinner. Overnight in Koyasan.
Day 12
Koyasan to Miyajima
An optional morning prayer service at the temple lodging, usually beginning at 06:00, offers a chance to hear the resident priests chant and drum, followed by a vegetarian breakfast. Before noon, begin the long journey to Miyajima, a small sacred island in the Seto Inland Sea. Overnight on Miyajima.
Day 13
Miyajima & Hiroshima
Explore Miyajima with a local guide, sampling local delicacies like oysters, saltwater eel and maple-leaf-shaped cakes. Begin at Itsukushima Shrine, ranked among Japan's three most beautiful views, its huge vermilion torii gate seeming to float on the water at high tide, then walk up to Daisho-in, the island's most-visited Buddhist temple, its stairway lined with spinning sutras said to bless anyone who turns them. Early in the afternoon, travel to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, along with the A-Bomb Dome and the Children's Peace Monument. Overnight on Miyajima.
Day 14
Miyajima to Osaka
Today is free at leisure until the journey to Osaka. Recommended stops include Dotonbori, the city's neon-lit entertainment district known for takoyaki and other Osakan street food, and Umeda, home to the Umeda Sky Building's Floating Garden Observatory. An optional add-on threads through three restaurants for a night of Osakan specialities, from a standing tachinomi bar to izakaya skewers and a final round of yakitori. Overnight in Osaka.
Day 15
Departure from Osaka
The rest of the day is at leisure until the scheduled train transfer to Kansai International Airport for the departure flight.
Moments
Along the way
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