Japan: An Art & Culture Journey

Arrive in Tokyo, where a local representative will be waiting to help with the transfer into the city, whether by train or shared shuttle. The rest of the day is free to settle in. Overnight in Tokyo.

Meet a local guide for a full day through the capital's old and new faces. Begin in Yanaka, one of Tokyo's shitamachi (old town) neighbourhoods and home to many local artists and craftsmen, with a stop at the Asakura Museum of Sculpture, the preserved atelier of celebrated sculptor Fumio Asakura, complete with a serene indoor water garden. Walk to nearby Yanaka Ginza, a narrow street of food stalls, specialty shops and teahouses. Continue by train to Asakusa, another shitamachi district and home to Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple, its surrounding streets filled with traditional shops. In the afternoon, cross the city to Omotesando, often called Tokyo's Champs-Elysees, lined with flagship fashion stores designed by internationally renowned architects, including a Prada store by Herzog & de Meuron. Continue to Harajuku, centred on Takeshita Street's boutiques and cafes, before finishing at Meiji Jingu, Tokyo's most famous shrine. Overnight in Tokyo.

Today is free to explore independently, with a choice of specialised add-on tours. Options include a guided kabuki performance at the famous Kabuki-za Theatre in Ginza, preceded by an orientation over matcha and Japanese sweets; a crafts tour that pairs an Edo Kiriko glass-cutting workshop in Asakusa with a kintsugi session, learning the art of repairing broken ceramics with gold lacquer at an established pottery artist's studio; or a photography walk through the steel-and-glass districts of Ginza, Shimbashi, Shiodome and Yurakucho with an expert instructor. Overnight in Tokyo.

Continue by train to Kanazawa, a castle town that has become a centre for classical and contemporary arts, from traditional Kaga-Yuzen silk dyeing and gold-leaf production to the modern works displayed at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. A suggested self-guided route starts in Nagamachi, a historic neighbourhood where samurai once resided, home to a handful of local craft shops specialising in Kutani porcelain, Kaga-Yuzen dyeing and Kaga Maki-e lacquerware painting. Stop at Nomura-ke House, the only samurai residence open to the public, for a cup of fresh green tea overlooking its small garden, before finishing at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by Pritzker Prize winners Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and known for progressive exhibits including Leandro Erlich's illusionistic "Swimming Pool" installation. Overnight in Kanazawa.

Today is free at leisure, with a suggested bus excursion to Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known 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. Return to Kanazawa and continue exploring independently, with 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, both worth a visit. Overnight in Kanazawa.

Travel by limited express train to Kyoto, home to 2,000 shrines and temples, tea ceremonies and Geisha. This afternoon, join a private calligraphy lesson at the home of a local instructor, who explains how kanji came to Japan from China and the differences between kanji, hiragana and katakana. Try writing characters under the instructor's guidance and take home the finished piece as a souvenir. Overnight in Kyoto.

A guided day through some of Kyoto's most significant artistic sites, starting at Sanjusangendo Temple, famed for its 1,001 statues of the goddess of mercy, Kannon, a stunning example of 13th-century religious art. A short walk away is the preserved home and workshop of Kawai Kanjiro, a mid-20th-century sculptor and potter best remembered for popularising the mingei folk art movement, filled with his own work. Continue through the atmospheric Higashiyama District, its lanes lined with shops selling Kiyomizu-yaki ceramics and traditional sweets, then visit Eikando, a Buddhist temple restored to its historical glory with rainbow-coloured decoration, where the guide shares the story behind its central statue of Amida Buddha. Follow the Philosopher's Path, a tranquil canal-side walk lined with cherry trees, to Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, a Zen temple built as a retirement villa for a 15th-century shogun and known for its moss garden and dry sand garden. This evening, an optional add-on traces the streets of Gion, Kyoto's Geisha district, past Yasaka Shrine and the teahouse-lined lane of Hanami-koji, followed by a traditional kaiseki dinner in the company of a Maiko, who performs traditional dances during the meal. Overnight in Kyoto.

Meet a tea master in a private setting for an interactive look at one of Japan's quintessential arts, the tea ceremony. Before the tea is prepared, be dressed in kimono and learn the history of the ceremony and its roots in Zen Buddhism, then follow the master step by step through the ritual of preparing sado. Traditional wagashi confectionery is served before the tea itself, sweetening the palate ahead of the matcha's bitterness. Overnight in Kyoto.

Travel to Naoshima, one of the Seto Inland Sea's art islands and home to the triennial Setouchi Triennale contemporary art festival. After docking at Miyanoura Port, stop at the tourist information centre for maps and bicycle rental, then find the giant red pumpkin, one of artist Yayoi Kusama's outdoor sculptures, and I Love U, a combined artwork and public bathhouse. On the island's eastern side is the Ando Museum, its interior built in the architect's signature plain-concrete style within a traditional Japanese house. Take the local bus to Tsutsuji-so to find a second Kusama pumpkin sculpture, with time to relax on the beach before the shuttle to Benesse House. Overnight at Benesse House on Naoshima, part of the Benesse Art Site itself and offering guests after-hours access to its own museum.

Meet the guide and pick up electric bikes to explore the art scattered across the island. Begin with an overview of Naoshima's port area and its architectural transformation, then visit several of the House Projects, renovated homes reworked into art installations that reflect the island's past and present, chosen with the guide based on personal interest. After lunch at a local cafe, spend the afternoon at the sprawling Benesse Museum, one of Japan's most important centres of contemporary art, with the seaside Yellow Pumpkin, another Kusama work, found along the coastal Benesse Park. Cycle back to the port and part ways with the guide. Overnight at Benesse House on Naoshima.

Today is free at leisure until the morning ferry to Takamatsu, the closest point in Shikoku to the main island of Honshu and a former feudal-era castle town. A suggested self-guided route leads to Ritsurin Park, a 75-hectare Special Place of Scenic Beauty built in the 1620s as a private garden, its thirteen hills and six ponds framed by Mt. Shiun. Break for afternoon tea at Kikugetsu-tei, a teahouse set within the park overlooking Nan-ko pond. Overnight in Takamatsu.

Meet a local guide for a day of hands-on craft workshops. Begin at the Sanuki Lacquer Art Museum, a small private museum run by a local couple devoted to regional crafts, for a lesson in Sanuki lacquer technique, creating a personal set of wooden chopsticks, later mailed on once the lacquer has dried. Continue to the Kagari Temari Preservation Association, a small crafting society led by celebrated temari master Eiko Araki, to learn the history of these embroidered spheres and create one using traditional techniques. Overnight in Takamatsu.

Travel back to the mainland this morning, with a suggested detour before Osaka to Kurashiki's nostalgic Bikan canal district, home to the Ohara Museum of Art, Japan's oldest Western art museum, with works by El Greco, Matisse and Picasso, or to Okayama, known for its black-walled "Crow Castle" and neighbouring Korakuen Garden, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Continue to Osaka, Japan's culinary capital, for the evening. 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.

The rest of the day is at leisure until the scheduled transfer to Kansai International Airport for the departure flight.