Day 1

Fly to Tokyo. After arriving at Narita or Haneda International Airport and completing immigration formalities, you will be welcomed by your private English speaking driver and transferred in a luxury vehicle to the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo for check-in.

Upon arrival at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, you will be overwhelmed by the dramatic first impression. The extraordinary lobby surrounded by glass has been voted the best in the world by first class travelers. The futuristic luxury of the interiors illustrates the hotel’s defining style; extreme comfort whilst reflecting Japan’s characteristics.

After check-in, enjoy time at leisure. It is recommended to enjoy a visit to the acclaimed Spa to relax from your long journey with a rejuvenating massage (advance booking recommended).

Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental Tokyo

Day 2

This morning, meet your private guide at 09:00 am and transfer by chartered vehicle to the Tokyo National Museum (TNM) inside Ueno Park. It is the oldest and largest museum in Japan, holding over 110,000 pieces of art, of which 87 are recognized as Japanese National Treasures and 610 as Important Cultural Properties. The collections are divided in thematic galleries and your guide will show you a selection of the best pieces in several galleries, including the gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures.

After your visit, transfer to Asakusa District, one of Tokyo oldest and well preserved districts. Take a brief stop at Sensoji Temple, with its huge lantern and the Nakamise, dating back to the Edo period when the temple’s neighbours were given special right to open their shops in the approach to the temple. Your guide will show you the small streets of Asakusa, where you can still feel the presence of Ancient Japan.

After lunch time you will be introduced to a private Japanese cultural “hands-on” experience, in the private and intimate setting of a modern school, catering to Japanese adults who wish to learn the traditional arts. You can choose between:

- Calligraphy (Shodo). More than an art form, Shodo cultivates the inner self. Particular emphasis is placed on the combination of the strokes, the movement of the brush and the shades of the ink. Witness a demonstration by a master calligraphist and write your chosen “Kanji” (the Chinese characters on which the Japanese writing system is based). Each kanji is a symbol for a concept and reflects a historical connecting to the word’s meaning.
- Tea ceremony (Chado). One of Japan's traditional cultural practices, it is the name given to a synthetic art that encompasses not only the making of tea, but also tea-room architecture, the appreciation of tea utensils and bowls and Zen Buddhism.

After this experience, enjoy a peaceful walk in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, a verdant oasis covering 115 hectares in all and home to one of the most beautiful gardens in Tokyo. After entering from the Otemon Gate, which once served as the main gate to Edo Castle, you will be within the Sannomaru grounds, where the Sannomaru Shozokan, a very small museum displays various items that were gifted, to the Imperial Family. Continue to the Ninomaru Garden another beautiful area with a coy pond and a small waterfall.

Come back to your hotel around 17.00 pm and enjoy time at leisure.

Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental Tokyo

Day 3

Meet with your private guide at 09:30 am in the hotel lobby and leave in a chartered vehicle. Transfer to Shunkaen Bonsai Museum. The Museum was built with the ambition to spread Japanese culture, especially Bonsai in a new way to the rest of the world. The founder wanted to show both the beauty and the severity of nature that is hidden within Bonsai, even just a little glimpse but to a great number of people from around the world. 

Coming back to the centre of Tokyo, havelunch  and visit the Ota Ukiyoe Art Museum to see Ukiyoe (wood-block prints). One of the most well-known Japanese arts worldwide, it was developed in the Edo period. Its exotic two-dimensional style has attracted many European painters-especially impressionists, including Van Gogh. What makes the Ota collection especially remarkable is its depth, with representative masterpieces from the birth of the ukiyo-e tradition to its height. The colors and materials of the originals have been perfectly preserved at the museum.

Alternatively, your guide can also take you to some of Tokyo’s most interesting art galleries, depending on their current artists on exhibition.

Finally, terminate your visit at the “National Art Center”, interesting both for its design as for its exhibits: instead of maintaining a permanent collection, it offers fresh angles by offering a great variety of art expressions in the 14,000 square meters of exhibition space available. The museum is also worth the visit simply to enjoy the amazing interior architecture.

Alternative visits are also possible:
- Take a stroll in the nearby Meiji Jingu Shrine, located in a 700,000 square-meters evergreen forest of 120,000 trees, donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established in 1920 by more than 100,000 volunteers to honor Emperor Meiji, the first emperor of modern Japan.
- Issey Miyake’s 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT: “born as a venue to redirect our eyes to everyday things and events, and create various proposals and communicate numerous discoveries from the design point of view. As a place where visitors can be exposed to the pleasures of design and have new experiences filled with surprises, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT focuses on exhibitions and runs a diversified program that includes talks and workshops”.
- Nezu Museum: Set in a private residence, the collection comprises more than 7,000 objects including calligraphy, painting, sculpture, ceramics, lacquer, metalwork, bamboo crafts and textiles and boasts a spacious traditional garden with pond and tea houses.

Come back to your hotel around 17.00 pm and enjoy time at leisure.

Accommodation: Mandarin Oriental Tokyo

Day 4

Meet your private guide at 09.00 am and depart by chartered vehicle for Hakone, a volcanic national park near Mt. Fuji, the tallest and most famous mountain in Japan attracting more than 200,000 climbers every year.

Upon arrival, transfer to the unique Hakone Open Air Museum. Appreciate the balance of nature and art: a variety of sculptures on its spacious grounds in perfect harmony with picturesque views of the surrounding valley and mountains. Take a look at its various indoor galleries, too, including a sizable Picasso Collection, consisting of paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramic creations.

After lunch, take a visit to POLA Museum, opened in 2002 and dedicated to the artworks collected over a period of more than forty years by the late Suzuki Tsuneshi (1930-2000), the former owner of the Pola Group. Numbering approximately 9,500 in all, works include contemporary paintings (European & Japanese) prints, sculpture, contemporary Japanese ceramics, glasswork and cosmetic utensils from a variety of eras and regions of the world.

Nestled in a forest of 300 years old trees, the majority of the building is located underground, in order not to disrupt the natural environment and offers beautiful a walk in a nature trail (30-40 minutes).

Alternative visits:
- A visit to a marquetry atelier, producing sophisticated traditional woodworks
- Hakone Museum of Arts (ancient ceramics)
- Lalique Museum (Art Nouveau / Art Deco jewelry & glassworks)
- Simply, more time at leisure to enjoy your Ryokan with private hot-spring bath

Around 16.00 pm, check-in at Gora Kadan. Originally a resort house for relatives of the Imperial family, Gora Kadan is now one of Japan’s most luxurious & exclusive Ryokan. All of the 37 rooms come with unique bathrooms en suite and seven of them feature private “rotenburo” (outdoor hot-spring baths). The rooms are grand in size, minimalist in design and serene in lighting. In this peaceful resort, soak and relax in a private open-air bath and ease your body. A treatment at the acclaimed Kadan Spa perfectly complements a stay at the Ryokan.

This evening, a sumptuous gourmet Japanese Kaiseki dinner is included in your stay and will be served in the privacy of your room. Kaiseki is a traditional form of gastronomic dinner, showcasing the best of local cuisine in a succession of up to 14 small dishes, including raw & steamed or grilled fish, meat, several vegetables, soup, rice and deserts.

Accommodation: Gora Kadan – Tatami Room with open-air bath

Day 5

Check-out of the Ryokan at 9:00 am and transfer to Odawara station in a chartered vehicle to take the Shinkansen bullet train in comfortable first-class seats. Change in Nagoya to Okayama, where your Japanese speaking driver will meet you and drive you to Uno Port. After a short ferry ride arrive in Naoshima, also known as “Museum Island” around 14.30-15.00 pm. Check-in at Benesse House (from 15.00 pm) and start exploring the island on your own.

Once a sleepy island of fishing villages, Naoshima emerged from anonymity in 1992, when the Benesse Group chose it to establish a museum of contemporary art doubling as a hotel. Since then, the project has been enlarged and the island has become very fashionable.

Benesse House is a highly original complex designed by Ando Tadao based on the concept of coexistence between nature, architecture & art. The luxurious environment where guests are staying was not designed as a hotel, but as a contemporary art museum with accommodation, comprising four buildings: The Museum, Oval, Park, and Beach. Site-specific works and the permanent collection are housed in The Museum with outdoor artworks dotting the wole property.

Note: cince Benesse House is the only luxury accommodation on the island, advance booking is
highly recommended.

Accommodation: Benesse House

Day 6

Today, enjoy a full day at leisure to visit Naoshima’s numerous museums and art installations. Most sites are accessible on foot or with Benesse House’s complimentary shuttle bus.

Recommended visits:

- Benesse House, the luxurious accommodation deigned by Tasao Ando, where guests are staying is not only a hotel, but also a contemporary art museum. Site-specific works and the permanent collection are housed in the museum. Outdoor artworks are on the museum site, and temporary exhibition are held at the Ping Pong Gallery in Honmura.

- Chichu Museum. Opened in 2004 as a place where architecture and artworks are closely and radically connected. The buiding, designed by Tadao Ando, is mostly buried underground except for apertures that let in natural light. The “exterior” is a garden, which is composed of artworks and the ridgeline of the surrounding hills.

- Lee Ufan Museum. Opened June 2010 and positioned in isolation in a valley surrounded by mountains and sea, the museum offers a harmony between nature, architecture, and art, where visitors will be offered an opportunity to return to their original natures and to find time for quiet reflection in a society overflowing with material goods.

- The Art House Project is a series of permanent installations in the Honmura district. Artists transform vacant houses into artworks while taking into consideration in space, history, and memory accumulated at the site. Launched in 1998, with Kadoya, by Tatsuo Miyajima, the Art house Project is currently comprised of seven sites that are opened to the public.

Accommodation: Benesse House

Day 7

Today discover the nearby island of Teshima on your own. Take a courtesy shuttle bus from Benesse House to Miyanoura port and board ferry to Ieura port (9:20 am–9:42 am - JPY 600). A bus will then take you to Les Archives du Coeur, located by the sea (10-15 min.)

Les Archives du Coeur by Christian Boltanski, compiles recordings of heartbeats from around the world for exhibition. This project consists of three elements: an installation using recordings of heartbeats, a listening room where visitors can listen to archived recordings, and a room where your own heartbeats can be recorded.

Take a bus or a taxi (advance booking required) to Teshima Art Museum, located on a hill overlooking the Inland Sea. Shaped like a drop of water, the museum lies in a corner of the spacious grounds surrounded by once-fallow rice terraces that have been restored with help from local residents. Architect Ryue Nishizawa and artist Rei Naito united their both art & creative vision made its shape.

Enjoy lunch at Shima Kitchen, a semi-outdoor space with an open and welcoming atmosphere. Island women collaborate with chefs from Marunouchi Hotel to make delicious
cuisine from local fish and products.

After lunch, visit the Pipilotti Rist installation house, a small storehouse in the yard of Shima Kitchen exhibiting Video Art. Colorful images of tulips and nature move across a circular screen, leaving viewers feeling happy and content.

Stroll around the area, to see Particles in the AIR by Noe Aoki: rust-covered shafts of Corten (weathering) steel straddle a water tank embedded in the ground. Circular hoops hover in the air above like dancing particles.

Next, visit Storm House. In a small house, the power threatens to cut out at any moment while outside rain pours down, thunder roars, and lightning flashes. This experiential work employs light, water and sounds reverberating in the darkness to recreate a storm approaching and then retreating into the distance in the space of 10 short minutes.

Then, take a bus or a taxi (advanced booking necessary) to continue your exploration at Ieurako Port. Il Vento is a restaurant which was renovated and design created by Tobias Rehberger. Theme of this art of space is called ‘was du liebst, bring dich auch zum weinen’ translated as ‘things you love which also make you cry’. Stripes, dots painted on the wall and shields, and even on the tables make your vision perplexed. 

Teshima Yakoo House is a museum dedicated to the artist Tadanori Yokoo in a renovated old dwelling in Ieura village. Eleven paintings, including a series of three large works entitled “The  Primitive Universe”, as well as installations in a circular tower and garden extend through the site. This is a place to ponder life and death as a single continuum.

Take a ferry back to Naoshima. On arrival, board the courtesy shuttle to Benesse House and enjoy a well deserved rest!
Accommodation: Benesse House

Day 8

Check-out of your hotel at 09:00 am, meet your Japanese speaking driver and take a ferry back to Uno Port. Drive to Okayama station (1 hour) and board a Shinkansen bullet train in comfortable first-class seats to Hiroshima (40 minutes). Upon arrival around noon, meet your private guide and start your visit by private chartered vehicle.

Visit the Peace Memorial Park & Museum and the A-Bomb Dome. The Peace Memorial Park and the museum are moving, yet educative and humbling moments, with sculptures and memorials from all over the world. The A-bomb Dome is the skeletal remains of Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall, situated just below the explosion point of the atomic bomb. It has become known to the world as a symbol of “No More Hiroshimas”.

Then either visit Hiroshima Castle also known as a “carp castle”. The exterior donjon was restored to its former condition in 1958. The exhibits explain the construction of the castle during the Edo Era and displays helmets and armors, used by feudal lords and warriors.

If time allows, you could also visit the Shukei-en Garden, originally built in 1619 and restored after being destroyed in 1945, which represents in miniature, several Chinese landscapes. In the limited space available, Udea Soko, the famous tea ceremony master and creator of this garden managed to re-create sceneries of a mountain, a valley, bamboo groves, rice fields, cherry & plum blossom and a lake with floating islands.

After your visit, transfer to your Ryokan (40 minutes drive) and check-in at Sekitei. Comprising only twelve rooms, The Sekitei is one of our favourite Ryokan in the region; not only for the calm of its magnificent Japanese garden but also for the soothing onsen & rotenburos (inside & outside baths). It is an ideal base to explore the neighboring Miyajima island and to return to for a delightful Kaiseki dinner in the privacy of your room.

Accommodation: Sekitei

Day 9

This morning at 10:00 am, meet your private guide and transfer by private chartered vehicle and ferry to Miyajima Island, one of the three most scenic places in Japan. Start visiting small & charming island on foot to the Itsukushima Shrine, with its Torii (shrine gate, symbol of Miyajima) which appears to be floating on the water during high-tide. The first Torii built in the bay dates back to the 12th century.

After, visit several other sights of interest in the same including the five-storey pagoda and Daishoin Temple. If you feel fit, you can climb up the “Daishoin Route” to the top of Mt. Misen, 530m-high, where you will see the superb view of the Inland Sea. The path strolls its way up, around the island, offering quiet moments and beautiful natural settings. Hiking is at intermediate level and takes around 2-3 hours depending on your pace. Come down using the Ropeway. Alternatively, you can take the ropeway both ways and enjoy a short hike to the top.

Come back to your Ryokan by 17:00 PM and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, with another blissful time in your private or in the communal hot-spring bath. In the evening a different Kaiseki dinner will be served.

Accommodation: Sekitei

Day 10

This morning, enjoy a relaxed morning and check out of your Ryokan by 10 AM. Transfer by private chartered car to Hiroshima station and board a direct Shinkansen train in comfortable first-class seats and reach Kyoto in the afternoon. You will be met on the platform by your private English-speaking driver and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.

Upon request, additional visits can be organized.

Very centrally located close to Kyoto’s famous downtown districts such as Gion, Kawaramachi and Pontocho streets, The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto sits serenely on the banks of the Kamogawa river and offers expansive views to the river and the Higashiyama mountain in the distance. A discreet entrance from the street leads through a covered walkway surrounded by water, to the heart of the hotel where artworks and F&B outlets create a sense of “living space”. The 134 rooms are among the largest in town and incorporate traditional elements of Kyoto. In addition to the expansive Spa, the hotel also features a swimming pool and a gym equipped with state of the art technology

Accommodation: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

Day 11

This morning at 9:00am, meet your private guide, and leave by chartered vehicle for your first day of Kyoto excursion. Start your visit at Sanjusangendo founded in 1164 and famous for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the Goddess mercy. Entering the main hall, guests can notice a centrally located large Kannon, flanked on each side by 500 smaller statues, standing in neat rows side by side, each as tall as a human being.

Transfer to Kodaiji Temple, which is a temple of the Rinzai (Pure Land) school of Zen Buddhism and was founded during the Momoyama-period, by the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the powerful general who unified Japan at the end of the 16th century. Kodaiji is interesting, not only for its formal gardens, including “artificial mountains’ garden and dry rock garden, but also a bamboo grove leading to two famous teahouses and the splendid Maki-e, which give this temple its nickname as “Maki-e Temple.

Reach Yasakajinja Shrine which is one of Kyoto’s most famous shrine, particularly for travellers and funds the annual Gion Matsuri Festival. Enter the peaceful grounds and witness the multiple offerings made by local people & businesses. You may also witness or even experience a ceremony performed by the Shrine’s maidens (advance notice is required). The Shrine is also very pretty at night, when its numerous lanterns are lit.

After lunch, visit the National Museum of Modern Art, a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. The permanent collection has several galleries, displaying selected works of nihonga (Japanese style painting), yōga (Western-style painting), prints, sculpture, crafts (ceramics, textiles, metalworks, wood and bamboo works, lacquers and jewelry) and photography from the museum collection. Also shown are outstanding and monumental works of modern art in Japan, as well as modern and contemporary European and American art.

Then take a stroll in Teramachi, a quiet and relaxing district, offering great shopping opportunities. Seikado (traditional Japanese metal craft) and Ippodo (exclusive Japanese tea) and other time-honored shops have long made Teramachi Street a popular yet distinctive area.

Alternatively, you can enjoy exclusive visits to Art Galleries, including a meeting with the owner of the gallery or the artist. 

Finally, if time allows, terminate with a visit to Nishiki Market, a narrow shopping arcade only 400 meters in length with over 100 vendors. Here, guests can discover Kyoto’s distinctive culinary delicacies and be surprised by the sights, the sound and the smells. “Aritsugu” which features a variety of excellent kitchen tools, is a recommended shop to visit.

Return to your hotel by 17:00 PM and enjoy time at leisure.

Optional unique encounter: tonight, you may experience a unique encounter in one of Kyoto’s most exclusive Japanese restaurant, in the company of two personal “maiko & Geisha” who are finely schooled in the arts of songs, dance and games, accompanied by a musician. Your guide will be here to act as an interpreter, while you chat with the Geisha before they perform games and dances. This is a once in a lifetime experience, reserved to the elite, even for Japanese. Return to your hotel around 21.00 pm.

Accommodation: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

Day 12

This morning, meet your private guide at 09:00 AM and transfer by chartered vehicle to the Miho Museum (1.5 hour drive from Kyoto). Although not a contemporary art museum, this Museum is well worth a visit, both for its architecture & its exhibitions. The museum was designed by I.M.Pei, who also designed the glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre. More than 80% of the museums structure is beneath the earth so as to preserve its natural environment and the surrounding scenery. The museum comprises of two wings: the South Wing focuses on the Silk Road and contains a collection of treasures from the old-world civilizations of Egypt and Eurasia, such as a Statue of Queen Arsinoe II (Egyptian) and a standing Buddha from Gandhara, one of the largest in the world. The North Wing periodically hosts various exhibits and displays of Buddhist art, teamaking utensils, maki-e and other lacquer works.

Enjoy your time in this remote location and return to Kyoto early afternoon. Visit the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Temple, built in 1397 to serve as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, whose grandson actually used as the inspiration for the Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) Temple.

Continue to the serene Ryoan-ji Temple, prominent for its rock garden comprised of nothing but clay walls, raked sand and fifteen rocks. It is intriguing to interpret the garden’s mysterious arrangement based on intuition. Compare the stark differences between magnificence of Kinkakuji and the simplicity of Ryoanji temples.

Around 17.00 pm, return to your hotel and enjoy your evening at leisure.

Accommodation: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

Day 13

Enjoy a day at leisure and continue discovering Kyoto, on your own. Upon advance request, additional excursions either to Nara or to Arashiyama, can be organized.

Optional full day visit in Arashiyama
This morning at 9:00am, meet your private guide and your driver for a visit of Arashiyama, surrounded by nature and providing a welcome break from the city’s hustle. Start at the Tenryuji Temple. This famous Zen Buddhist Temple is the head temple of the Tenryu-ji branch of Rinzai Zen sect and part of World Cultural Heritage monuments. It has an excellent garden with a pond stroll that was laid out by a garden designer of genius. From here, take a relaxing stroll around the Bamboo Forests, designated as one of the three most beautiful bamboo forests in Japan. Here, the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind is nice to listen to and gives a peaceful atmosphere.  Arrive at Okochi Sanso, a splendid mountain retreat, previously occupied by Ōkōchi Denjirō, a silent screen actor. The grounds have something beautiful to offer each season and at their best during autumn. Take a leisurely walk through the villa's beautiful gardens and savor the fine views of the city below. Enjoy lunch in the area and continue to the Adashino Nembutsuji Temple where you will find 8,000 stone Buddha and pagodas. The area was originally a cremation ground, with stone grave makers dating from Heian period dotted around the surrounding bamboo forests. About a century ago, these gravestones were gathered up and placed here. Adashino means fragile, expressing the fragility of human lives. A few minutes’ walk from here is the unique and quiet Otagi-Nenbutsuji Temple. The attraction of the Tendai-shu sect Buddhist temple are the 1200 Rakan figures, carved by worshipers from 1981 to 1991 to pray for the prosperity of the temple. Completely different from other Buddhist figures, these Rakans have been sculpted with much humor and fun and will surely enlighten your day on this last visit and provide interesting photo opportunities. Come back to your hotel by 17:00 pm, enjoy time at leisure.

Optional daytrip to Nara
This morning at 9:00am you will meet your private guide and your private chauffeur to Nara, the ancient capital of Japan in the 8th century. Start your visit from Nara Park; a large pleasant park in the center of the city, commonly known as “Deer Park,” home to hundreds of freely roaming deers, regarded in Shinto religion as messengers of the gods and symbol of the city. A large numbers of historical sites in Nara are located in and around this park. Visit Kasugataisha Shrine, originally established in 768A.D. as the shrine of the powerful Fujiwara Family. See the magnificent interior famous for its numerous bronze hanging lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns that lead up to the shrine. Move on to the gigantic Todaiji temple, reputedly the largest wooden buildings in the world and one of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples to be overwhelmed by the giant statue of Buddha Virocana. Finish your Nara tour in Naramachi, the former merchant district of Nara, which was not affected by bombings during the Second World War. The district features several traditional warehouses and residential buildings including the Naramachi Koshi-no-ie, an old residence open to the public for free. Small boutiques, shops, cafes and restaurants can also be found along the narrow lanes in the district. Back to the hotel by 17:00pm and enjoy time at leisure.

Accommodation: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

Day 14

Check out of your hotel depending on your departure time and transfer in a chartered vehicle with an English speaking driver to Kansai International Airport. An airport assistant can be arranged upon request to assist you with check-in & luggage. Board your international flight for your journey back home & depart Japan.