Japan Discovery

You arrive in Tokyo to the sound of station chimes, glowing vending machines and the rich scent of broth wafting from small restaurants. As you begin to explore, you pass paper lanterns outside doorways, pause to read handwritten menus tucked into windows or glance up at glass towers rising above pockets of old timber. Between one street and the next, you pass from quiet wooden façades to wide crossings, where traffic lights click and people wait in neat lines. At dinner, you meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers, sharing your first Japanese dishes around the table.

High in the Tokyo Metropolitan Observatory, you step up to the glass and watch the city stretch beneath you, a vast sweep of rooftops, rail lines and narrow streets running towards the horizon. At Meiji Jingu Shrine, you notice the sound of the city fall away among tall trees and crunchy gravel paths. In Asakusa, you follow Nakamise Street past stalls selling sweet rice crackers, folded fans and small traditional treats. Within Sensō-ji Temple’s grounds, smoke curls from the incense burner before you pass beneath Kaminarimon, its huge red lantern hanging above the gate. This afternoon, choose one of today’s Optional Experiences. Spend time with art, armour and ancient treasures at the Tokyo National Museum, with shopping time among Ameyoko’s market stalls and Ginza’s elegant department stores. Or learn how to turn takoyaki as it sizzles on the hot griddle before sharing smoky yakitori skewers or steaming bowls of ramen.

Today, you travel towards Mt. Fuji, Japan’s highest volcano, watching the city give way to wooded slopes and mountain roads as the cool air brushes your skin. Weather permitting, the road rises to Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station, where you stand 2,300 metres above sea level with the Fuji Five Lakes area spread far below. You’ll have free time for lunch in the mountain’s shadow, with Mt. Fuji’s volcanic cone rising beyond you in a sweep of rock and forest which, in the colder months, unfolds in white fans of snow. Later, choose today’s Optional Experience and ride the Komagatake Ropeway, gliding above Hakone towards Lake Ashi, a crater-formed lake surrounded by tall trees and ridges. On the drive back, you pass mountain landscapes and traditional buildings, watching the ridges fold into the distance before returning to Tokyo, where the evening is yours to explore.

This morning, the bullet train carries you towards Kyoto, its smooth rush through the landscape giving way to a city of temple roofs, timber teahouses and old streets. At Kinkaku-ji, you pause beside Kyokochi, the mirror pond, where the Golden Pavilion’s gold leaf and pine trees shimmer in the still water. At Heian-jingu Shrine, you pass beneath the great vermilion torii gate before learning how Shinto ritual, imperial history and Kyoto craftsmanship meet in one place. Later, at a traditional handicraft centre, you browse the Japanese crafts. At dinner, you take your place in a local restaurant, with savoury aromas from the kitchen, the click of chopsticks and dishes arriving at your table.

Kyoto is yours to shape today, whether you start among Ginkaku-ji’s raked sand, mossy gardens and pale temple walls or make your way to Gion, where you may glimpse Geishas in silk kimono shuffling along wooden-fronted lanes. In Nishiki Market, you may follow the scent of soy, vinegar and toasted rice between narrow stalls. Or choose today’s Optional Experience to Nara, where you watch artisans turn black ink into a deep, satin sheen before trying the slow, careful movements of bokusho yourself. Continue to Tōdai-ji Temple and Nara Park, where you walk past stone lanterns, open lawns and deer stepping close enough for you to notice the soft sound of hooves on the path. Another Optional Experience leads you to Fushimi Inari Shrine, where you walk beneath rows of vermilion torii gates as the wooded path climbs the mountain.

You leave Kyoto for Kurashiki, where your Travel Director guides you through the historic Bikan Quarter, past black-and-white warehouses, willow-lined canals and narrow lanes. Beside the water, you notice reflections trembling against old storehouses and the soft dip of willow branches over the canal. You may choose today’s Optional Experience and try on a kimono for a photo in this classic setting. Later, continue to Hiroshima, a city known around the world for the atomic bomb attack of 6 August 1945. The rest of the day is yours to explore, pause for reflection or simply take in the city at your own pace.

By ferry to Miyajima, you cross the Seto Inland Sea as salt air cools your cheeks and the island rises ahead. At the 12th-century Itsukushima Shrine, you walk through halls that stretch out over the sea, the soft sound of water lapping below, before looking out to the great red-orange torii gate, which seems to float on the tide. Back in Hiroshima, you enter the Peace Memorial Park, wandering between open lawns and memorial stones. At the Cenotaph, you pause before the names of those who lost their lives on 6 August 1945. Inside the Memorial Museum, ragged clothes, a melted lunchbox and a watch stopped at 8.15am make the human cost painfully specific. Your tour ends at the UNESCO-listed Peace Memorial, the Genbaku Dome, preserved near the hypocentre of the atomic bomb. This afternoon, you may choose the ‘Secrets of Hiroshima’ Optional Experience.

Leaving Hiroshima, you travel to Himeji, with free time for lunch before your afternoon visit to its UNESCO-listed castle. Your Local Specialist leads you towards Himeji Castle, a 400-year-old fortress known as White Heron Castle, where white-plastered walls and dark tiled roofs rise above a canopy of green. You look up from the grounds to pale towers stacked high on their stone base, the castle lifting over the treetops as though reaching up towards the clouds. After learning about its history, continue to your hotel, with the evening free to spend as you choose.

On your final full day in Japan, you may visit a sake brewery with a Local Specialist, where you watch freshly steamed rice, water, koji and yeast slowly transform into crisp, clear sake. Afterwards, Osaka greets you with arcades humming with bells and chatter, the raindrop-like patter of okonomiyaki crackling on the grill and shop signs stacked above narrow streets. With the afternoon free, you may explore the city or choose today’s Optional Experience to the Umeda Sky Building and Osaka Castle. At the Floating Garden Observatory, you stand 170 metres above the city, with wind on your face and Osaka spread below in roads, towers and river bends. At Osaka Castle, you wander through the museum galleries before pausing at the golden tea room, where gilded surfaces sparkle in the light and the small ceremonial space glows like a jewel box. This evening, perhaps join a final Optional Experience in Namba, where you follow the smell of sauce, smoke and frying batter through dining streets alive with chatter.

Your Japan journey ends with farewells to your Travel Director and fellow travellers. Leave with a camera full of memories and Japan’s sounds, scents and flavours still vivid long after the final goodbye.