Imperial Japan in the Grand Manner
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Highlights:
This program was created at the request of one of our repeat travelers for themselves and their college age children. It offered the best available hotels and a variety of private experiences including a visit to a Sumo training centre and dinner with a geisha.
This would be ideal for two or three couples interested in enjoying the best of Japan at a leisurely pace. Other activities can be added including calligraphy, sword fighting or fishing off Sado Island.
This program was created at the request of one of our repeat travelers for themselves and their college age children. It offered the best available hotels and a variety of private experiences including a visit to a Sumo training centre and dinner with a geisha.
This would be ideal for two or three couples interested in enjoying the best of Japan at a leisurely pace. Other activities can be added including calligraphy, sword fighting or fishing off Sado Island.
SKU:
Explore: Imperial Japan in the Grand Manner
Customizable Itinerary - 13 days (from $12,765 / person)
Day 1: Depart USA
In the morning you board an aircraft a flight to Tokyo’s Narita airport.
Day 2: Arrival in Tokyo
Upon your arrival, an Ultitude representative will meet you and escort you to your vehicle for the journey into the city. Upon arrival at your hotel you check-in and enjoy the views of the gardens of the Imperial Palace which sits across the street from your hotel.
Day 3: An Immersion in Japanese Culture
This morning your guide will meet you at the hotel and take you to Hamarikyu, a Japanese garden that once served as a private villa of a powerful feudal lord during the Edo period. Its wide collection of seasonal flowers makes it one of the most visited gardens in Tokyo but what make it more attractive is a teahouse called Nakajima-no-Chaya. You will stop at the tea house to learn about chado, the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Enjoy a tea break and then proceed to the river where you board a boat for a scenic river cruise to Asakusa, a part of Tokyo’s shitamachi or old town. Asakusa is the city’s oldest Geisha district and also home to Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple. The streets around Senso-ji feature many traditional shops and are a delight to wander through. Your guide can point out some good places for lunch. In the afternoon you will visit Meiji Jingu, Tokyo’s most famous shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and a popular venue for traditional Shinto weddings. The shrine is also home to around 120,000 trees, making you forget that just outside its grounds are two of the city’s popular shopping districts, Harajuku and Omotesando. Your guide will deliver you back to the hotel. We will provide a list of a variety of dining choices both in Tokyo and Kyoto offering a variety of food preparation methods. These will be authentic restaurants frequented by residents not expense account business persons.
Breakfast
Day 4: The Land of the Sumo
Today you meet your guide in the hotel lobby and be escorted to Ryogoku, the center of Japan’s sumo world, Kokugikan Sumo Stadium and to most of Tokyo’s sumo stables. All the rikishi (wrestlers) belong to one of these stables, or Heya, and here is where they live, train and eat. The tour starts by viewing the asa geiko or regular morning training of the wrestlers. The lowest ranked men are the ones who train the earliest as they need to carry out the usual house chores such as cleaning and cooking for the rest of the wrestlers and stable staff. Higher ranked wrestlers or sekitori, on the other hand start their training a bit later at about 7:00AM. After several hours of warm up and technique practice, the wrestlers play a game based on “King of the Castle” wherein one wrestler spars nonstop with other wrestlers until he wins or gets defeated and replaced by another. After the visit to the Heya the rest of the afternoon is left open for you to explore on your own or we can assign a guide to take you to the main shopping areas to join in the hustle and bustle that is Tokyo.
Breakfast
Day 5: The Sacred Island
After breakfast you will be transferred to Haneda airport where you board a flight for Hiroshima. Upon arrival in Hiroshima you will be met by an Ultitude representative who will escort you to your vehicle. From mainland Hiroshima, a short ferry ride will take you to Miyajima, a small sacred island located in the Seto Inland Sea. As you enter the port you may see deer wandering around. Tonight you will be staying at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese-style inn that comes with tatami-floored rooms and sliding rice-paper doors. For dinner, you will be having a multi-course meal that consists of local produce. Before you bed down you may want to soak in the ryokan’s hot spring bath.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: War and Remembrance
This morning your guide will meet you at your ryokan and together you will enjoy a full day tour. You will explore the island and sample some local delicacies like oysters, saltwater eel and maple leaf-shaped cakes. Start your tour with Itsukushima Shrine, declared as one of Japan’s three most beautiful views. The shrine is designed in a pier-like structure and dates back to the 6th Century. Its huge vermillion o-torii gate seems to be floating in the water when viewed at high tide. Walk towards the mountain to visit Daisho-in, the most visited Buddhist temple on the island. Along the stairs is a row of spinning sutras that lead up to the main hall. It is believed that anyone who spins these sutras will be blessed. Early in the afternoon head to Hiroshima to visit Peace Memorial Park with the A-Bomb Dome and Children’s Peace Monument. After the tour you will make your way to Hiroshima Station, where you will board the Shinkansen and travel to Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital and home to around 2,000 shrines and temples, including 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Utilize the list we will provide to select a good place for dinner.
Breakfast
Day 7: Legacy of the Shoguns
After your breakfast (either European or Japanese) you meet your guide who will escort you to your vehicle. You start today’s tour with a visit to Nijo Castle, an ornamental castle that was originally built to serve as the private villa of a powerful feudal lord. The main building was completed in the early 1600s and has since been known for its Momoyama-style architecture, decorated sliding doors and “chirping nightingale” floors. Next will be the serene Ryoanji Temple, which is famous for its well-maintained rock garden. Just a short distance from Ryoanji is the stunning golden pavilion collectively known known as Kinkakuji Temple. The temple grounds are relatively small than that of most temples and shrines in Kyoto but what is undoubtedly impressive is that the pavilion is completely covered in handmade gold leaf. Stop for lunch along the way before visiting Kiyomizu-dera Temple whose view from the 40 foot high building is impressive especially when you realize that the veranda was built without the use of nails or glue. Your guide will deliver you back to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: The Tea Ceremony and the World of Geisha
Today you will travel to Higashiyama district and the Zen temple complex of Kodai-ji. Although not normally open to the public we have arranged for you to have special access to attend an exclusive Japanese tea ceremony held here. This traditional art will be demonstrated by a professional teacher taking advantage of the 400 year old temple setting. After a stroll around the surrounding Zen garden the ceremony begins with an explanation about Japanese tea and tea ceremony practices along with its long history and relationship with Zen Buddhism. The tea master will also explain the meaning behind each movement involved in the making and serving of the tea. To gaijin (or foreigners) Japanese tea might taste surprisingly bitter, but it is a very healthy drink and is always accompanied by traditional Japanese sweets. After the ceremony your guide will take you on a walking tour around the Higashiyama District known for its picturesque views, historical temples, gently sloped stone stairways lined with tea houses and artisan shops. Late in the afternoon your guide will escort you to the Gion District. A captivating walking tour begins in front of Minami-za Theater. After your tour you enter a local restaurant where you will enjoy Kaiseki ryori (a traditional multi-course dinner) in the company of a Maiko (an apprentice Geisha). During the dinner, there is ample opportunity to interact with the hostess and ask questions about her craft and the world of Geisha. During dinner the Maiko will perform traditional dances and even invite you to play Japanese drinking Games.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: The Home of Shingon Buddhism
Before departing today, make sure you have light luggage for a two night stay. We will arrange for your main luggage to be forwarded to your hotel in Hakone. You will travel by private vehicle from where you will take the cable car to Koyasan. Home to over 100 temples, Koyasan has been the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect for over 1,200 years and it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. You will be staying at a shukobo (temple lodge) offering comfort, tranquility and authenticity. Your dinner with be shojin Ryori which is vegetarian cuisine prepared and served by the monks but the meal is unlike most vegetarian meals so you will dine well.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Exploring Koyasan
This morning your guide will meet you at your hotel and, together, you will explore the popular sites that give an insight into Japanese Buddhism. Visit Kongobu-ji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism and home to Japan’s largest rock garden. On rare occasions you might witness a small group of worshippers, led by a monk, chanting some scripts in front of the temple. Continue on to Okuno-in, Japan’s largest cemetery that holds the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (the founder of Shingon Buddhism). The classic approach starts from Ichinohashi Bridge and stretches a little over a mile filled with more than 200,000 tombstones that belong to feudal lords, samurai warriors, prominent monks and even well-known Japanese companies. At the end of the trail you will find Gokusho Offering Hall, Torodo Hall of Lanterns and Kobo Daish’s Mausoleum.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 11: Koyasan to Hakone
Although not required, it is highly recommended that you rise a little early to join the monks for their morning prayer which usually starts at 6:00AM. Be immersed in the calming chants of the monks inside the prayer hall. While the prayers are in Japanese some priests will provide an explanation in English at the end of the ceremony. You then enjoy a shojin ryori breakfast. You have some time after breakfast to hike through the surrounding area before boarding your private car from Gokurabashi Station in Koyasan to Shin-Osaka. From Shin-Osaka you will travel by bullet train to Odawara where a vehicle will be waiting to take you to your accommodation in Hakone. In Hakone you will be staying in a (Deluxe) ryokan. This evening, relax in your yukata (a lightweight kimono). An onsen in your private bath is highly recommended before you bed down on your futon. Breakfast and Dinner
Day 12: Mount Owakudani and Lake Ashinoko
After breakfast your guide will pick you up from your ryokan and take you on a full day of sightseeing via Hakone’s various forms of public transport. You will ride the world’s longest cable car all the way up Mt. Owakudani, passing over sulfurous fumes and hot springs. You will then head to Togendai, located between Mt. Owakudani and the northern shores of Ashinoko, a lake formed by a volcanic eruption that took place 3,000 years ago. From here you will embark on a majestic replica pirate ship which will carry you across the lake giving you amazing views of the surrounding natural scenery. While sailing the lake you will, weather permitting, have a glimpse of Mount Fuji. When you reach the southern shores of the lake you can pay a visit to the Hakone checkpoint, a reconstruction of the ancient structure that once was used to serve as a custom control point on the Tokkaido route, connecting Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo). Later, follow the scenic paths among the cedar woods. About an hour of light hiking will bring you to the well-known Amazaka Chaya, a traditional house serving Japanese style snacks accompanied by amazake, sweet rice wine. After your “tea break” you will board the Hakone Tozan ‘switchback train’, a train line famous for its zigzags through the mountains giving you amazing views of the surrounding valleys.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 13: Hakone Art and Nature
You start your day with a visit to the Hakone Open Air Museum a contemporary art museum that creates a harmonic balance between nature and art by exhibiting various sculptures (including the works of Henry Moore), on its spacious grounds in combination with beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. Besides the sculptures the museum also features indoor galleries, including a sizable Picasso Collection. After the museum you will head to Lake Kawaguchi one of the five lakes at the foot of Mt. Fuji. From here you will travel to Okuniwa Nature Park situated at 6,700 feet above sea level. Spend some time trekking around the park and discovering the plants that have survived the harsh weather and land conditions of the area.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 14: Return to USA
In the morning a car will be waiting to take you to the airport for the return trip to the USA.
Breakfast
In the morning you board an aircraft a flight to Tokyo’s Narita airport.
Day 2: Arrival in Tokyo
Upon your arrival, an Ultitude representative will meet you and escort you to your vehicle for the journey into the city. Upon arrival at your hotel you check-in and enjoy the views of the gardens of the Imperial Palace which sits across the street from your hotel.
Day 3: An Immersion in Japanese Culture
This morning your guide will meet you at the hotel and take you to Hamarikyu, a Japanese garden that once served as a private villa of a powerful feudal lord during the Edo period. Its wide collection of seasonal flowers makes it one of the most visited gardens in Tokyo but what make it more attractive is a teahouse called Nakajima-no-Chaya. You will stop at the tea house to learn about chado, the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Enjoy a tea break and then proceed to the river where you board a boat for a scenic river cruise to Asakusa, a part of Tokyo’s shitamachi or old town. Asakusa is the city’s oldest Geisha district and also home to Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple. The streets around Senso-ji feature many traditional shops and are a delight to wander through. Your guide can point out some good places for lunch. In the afternoon you will visit Meiji Jingu, Tokyo’s most famous shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and a popular venue for traditional Shinto weddings. The shrine is also home to around 120,000 trees, making you forget that just outside its grounds are two of the city’s popular shopping districts, Harajuku and Omotesando. Your guide will deliver you back to the hotel. We will provide a list of a variety of dining choices both in Tokyo and Kyoto offering a variety of food preparation methods. These will be authentic restaurants frequented by residents not expense account business persons.
Breakfast
Day 4: The Land of the Sumo
Today you meet your guide in the hotel lobby and be escorted to Ryogoku, the center of Japan’s sumo world, Kokugikan Sumo Stadium and to most of Tokyo’s sumo stables. All the rikishi (wrestlers) belong to one of these stables, or Heya, and here is where they live, train and eat. The tour starts by viewing the asa geiko or regular morning training of the wrestlers. The lowest ranked men are the ones who train the earliest as they need to carry out the usual house chores such as cleaning and cooking for the rest of the wrestlers and stable staff. Higher ranked wrestlers or sekitori, on the other hand start their training a bit later at about 7:00AM. After several hours of warm up and technique practice, the wrestlers play a game based on “King of the Castle” wherein one wrestler spars nonstop with other wrestlers until he wins or gets defeated and replaced by another. After the visit to the Heya the rest of the afternoon is left open for you to explore on your own or we can assign a guide to take you to the main shopping areas to join in the hustle and bustle that is Tokyo.
Breakfast
Day 5: The Sacred Island
After breakfast you will be transferred to Haneda airport where you board a flight for Hiroshima. Upon arrival in Hiroshima you will be met by an Ultitude representative who will escort you to your vehicle. From mainland Hiroshima, a short ferry ride will take you to Miyajima, a small sacred island located in the Seto Inland Sea. As you enter the port you may see deer wandering around. Tonight you will be staying at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese-style inn that comes with tatami-floored rooms and sliding rice-paper doors. For dinner, you will be having a multi-course meal that consists of local produce. Before you bed down you may want to soak in the ryokan’s hot spring bath.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: War and Remembrance
This morning your guide will meet you at your ryokan and together you will enjoy a full day tour. You will explore the island and sample some local delicacies like oysters, saltwater eel and maple leaf-shaped cakes. Start your tour with Itsukushima Shrine, declared as one of Japan’s three most beautiful views. The shrine is designed in a pier-like structure and dates back to the 6th Century. Its huge vermillion o-torii gate seems to be floating in the water when viewed at high tide. Walk towards the mountain to visit Daisho-in, the most visited Buddhist temple on the island. Along the stairs is a row of spinning sutras that lead up to the main hall. It is believed that anyone who spins these sutras will be blessed. Early in the afternoon head to Hiroshima to visit Peace Memorial Park with the A-Bomb Dome and Children’s Peace Monument. After the tour you will make your way to Hiroshima Station, where you will board the Shinkansen and travel to Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital and home to around 2,000 shrines and temples, including 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Utilize the list we will provide to select a good place for dinner.
Breakfast
Day 7: Legacy of the Shoguns
After your breakfast (either European or Japanese) you meet your guide who will escort you to your vehicle. You start today’s tour with a visit to Nijo Castle, an ornamental castle that was originally built to serve as the private villa of a powerful feudal lord. The main building was completed in the early 1600s and has since been known for its Momoyama-style architecture, decorated sliding doors and “chirping nightingale” floors. Next will be the serene Ryoanji Temple, which is famous for its well-maintained rock garden. Just a short distance from Ryoanji is the stunning golden pavilion collectively known known as Kinkakuji Temple. The temple grounds are relatively small than that of most temples and shrines in Kyoto but what is undoubtedly impressive is that the pavilion is completely covered in handmade gold leaf. Stop for lunch along the way before visiting Kiyomizu-dera Temple whose view from the 40 foot high building is impressive especially when you realize that the veranda was built without the use of nails or glue. Your guide will deliver you back to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: The Tea Ceremony and the World of Geisha
Today you will travel to Higashiyama district and the Zen temple complex of Kodai-ji. Although not normally open to the public we have arranged for you to have special access to attend an exclusive Japanese tea ceremony held here. This traditional art will be demonstrated by a professional teacher taking advantage of the 400 year old temple setting. After a stroll around the surrounding Zen garden the ceremony begins with an explanation about Japanese tea and tea ceremony practices along with its long history and relationship with Zen Buddhism. The tea master will also explain the meaning behind each movement involved in the making and serving of the tea. To gaijin (or foreigners) Japanese tea might taste surprisingly bitter, but it is a very healthy drink and is always accompanied by traditional Japanese sweets. After the ceremony your guide will take you on a walking tour around the Higashiyama District known for its picturesque views, historical temples, gently sloped stone stairways lined with tea houses and artisan shops. Late in the afternoon your guide will escort you to the Gion District. A captivating walking tour begins in front of Minami-za Theater. After your tour you enter a local restaurant where you will enjoy Kaiseki ryori (a traditional multi-course dinner) in the company of a Maiko (an apprentice Geisha). During the dinner, there is ample opportunity to interact with the hostess and ask questions about her craft and the world of Geisha. During dinner the Maiko will perform traditional dances and even invite you to play Japanese drinking Games.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: The Home of Shingon Buddhism
Before departing today, make sure you have light luggage for a two night stay. We will arrange for your main luggage to be forwarded to your hotel in Hakone. You will travel by private vehicle from where you will take the cable car to Koyasan. Home to over 100 temples, Koyasan has been the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect for over 1,200 years and it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. You will be staying at a shukobo (temple lodge) offering comfort, tranquility and authenticity. Your dinner with be shojin Ryori which is vegetarian cuisine prepared and served by the monks but the meal is unlike most vegetarian meals so you will dine well.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Exploring Koyasan
This morning your guide will meet you at your hotel and, together, you will explore the popular sites that give an insight into Japanese Buddhism. Visit Kongobu-ji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism and home to Japan’s largest rock garden. On rare occasions you might witness a small group of worshippers, led by a monk, chanting some scripts in front of the temple. Continue on to Okuno-in, Japan’s largest cemetery that holds the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (the founder of Shingon Buddhism). The classic approach starts from Ichinohashi Bridge and stretches a little over a mile filled with more than 200,000 tombstones that belong to feudal lords, samurai warriors, prominent monks and even well-known Japanese companies. At the end of the trail you will find Gokusho Offering Hall, Torodo Hall of Lanterns and Kobo Daish’s Mausoleum.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 11: Koyasan to Hakone
Although not required, it is highly recommended that you rise a little early to join the monks for their morning prayer which usually starts at 6:00AM. Be immersed in the calming chants of the monks inside the prayer hall. While the prayers are in Japanese some priests will provide an explanation in English at the end of the ceremony. You then enjoy a shojin ryori breakfast. You have some time after breakfast to hike through the surrounding area before boarding your private car from Gokurabashi Station in Koyasan to Shin-Osaka. From Shin-Osaka you will travel by bullet train to Odawara where a vehicle will be waiting to take you to your accommodation in Hakone. In Hakone you will be staying in a (Deluxe) ryokan. This evening, relax in your yukata (a lightweight kimono). An onsen in your private bath is highly recommended before you bed down on your futon. Breakfast and Dinner
Day 12: Mount Owakudani and Lake Ashinoko
After breakfast your guide will pick you up from your ryokan and take you on a full day of sightseeing via Hakone’s various forms of public transport. You will ride the world’s longest cable car all the way up Mt. Owakudani, passing over sulfurous fumes and hot springs. You will then head to Togendai, located between Mt. Owakudani and the northern shores of Ashinoko, a lake formed by a volcanic eruption that took place 3,000 years ago. From here you will embark on a majestic replica pirate ship which will carry you across the lake giving you amazing views of the surrounding natural scenery. While sailing the lake you will, weather permitting, have a glimpse of Mount Fuji. When you reach the southern shores of the lake you can pay a visit to the Hakone checkpoint, a reconstruction of the ancient structure that once was used to serve as a custom control point on the Tokkaido route, connecting Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo). Later, follow the scenic paths among the cedar woods. About an hour of light hiking will bring you to the well-known Amazaka Chaya, a traditional house serving Japanese style snacks accompanied by amazake, sweet rice wine. After your “tea break” you will board the Hakone Tozan ‘switchback train’, a train line famous for its zigzags through the mountains giving you amazing views of the surrounding valleys.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 13: Hakone Art and Nature
You start your day with a visit to the Hakone Open Air Museum a contemporary art museum that creates a harmonic balance between nature and art by exhibiting various sculptures (including the works of Henry Moore), on its spacious grounds in combination with beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. Besides the sculptures the museum also features indoor galleries, including a sizable Picasso Collection. After the museum you will head to Lake Kawaguchi one of the five lakes at the foot of Mt. Fuji. From here you will travel to Okuniwa Nature Park situated at 6,700 feet above sea level. Spend some time trekking around the park and discovering the plants that have survived the harsh weather and land conditions of the area.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 14: Return to USA
In the morning a car will be waiting to take you to the airport for the return trip to the USA.
Breakfast
