Japan

Escorted Tour | Group Size 2 - 15 People

The Nature of Japan

Art, History & Culture

Tour dates: 19 May - 01 June, 2020
Days/Nights: 14 Day Fly/ Tour
Tour Price: TBA per person dbl/twn;
TBA private room supplement

Overview:

Travel with Judith Salmon, former Sydney art gallery director and educator.

Judith Salmon has teaching experience
in History and English Literature and an
academic background in Fine Arts. Judith
was formerly Director of ‘Salmon Galleries’
in McMahons Point, Sydney. She designs
and leads art and cultural tours for people
seeking authentic and stimulating travel
experiences.

Day by Day Itinerary:

Abbreviation: [B,L,D] Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

May is an ideal time to visit Japan. The transition between Spring and Summer offers a colourful and comfortable opportunity for us to explore the aesthetic relationship between Nature and Japanese Culture. The cherry blossoms will have given way to the wisteria, azaleas and vivid-pink shiba flowers; and the crowds of sakura-spring tourists will have dispersed.

Arriving in Tokyo, we are instantly immersed in the hectic, hyper-modern cosmos of 21st century Japan. In just a few hours, however, at the Meiji Shrine, we enter a 70 hectare evergreen forest, the spiritual heart of Tokyo and are reminded of the historic and ongoing connections between Nature and Japanese culture.

Our exploration of this fascinating relationship will take us from Tokyo to Kanazawa, from Kanazawa to Hiroshima, and finally to Kyoto. Along the way we visit art galleries and museums, both traditional and contemporary; gardens, large and small; wander streets, old and new, and sample some of the best Japanese food imaginable.

It is in Kyoto though, the once Shogunate capital of Japan, that we most clearly feel the strong multi-layered past permeating the present - Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples, immaculate Zen gardens and bamboo forests, streets lined with traditional wooden teahouses, apprentice geisha giggling behind windows in Gion and strains of Edith Piaf from a tiny teahouse along the
Philosopher’s Walk. Traditional, handcrafted ceramics, Samurai swords, hand-woven and embroidered kimonos, bullet trains, Diamaru, Gucci and Hello Kitty – this is the nature of Japan today.

Inclusions & Highlights

Return Economy Class flights from Sydney to Tokyo with Japan Airlines
12-nights upscale accommodation with traditional Japanese hospitality, daily breakfast and WiFi
4nts Tokyo; 2nts Kanazawa; 2nts Hiroshima; 4nts Kyoto
Hyper-modern Tokyo culture, people and lifestyle + art museums, temples, shrines and gardens
Ota Memorial Museum, Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills and Nezu Museum home to thousands of artworks including calligraphy, painting, sculpture, archaeological work and more
Kanazawa with famous Kenrokuen Garden and Castle + geisha district + Samurai House + 21st Century Contemporary Art Museum
Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and Museum + Miyajima Shrine and Island
Kyoto’s Zen Temples and Gardens + Gion geisha district + Netsuke Museum + Jazz Club!
Explore Japanese Buddhism
Stunning Miho Museum, out of Kyoto
Travel by high-speed Shinkansen (the bullet train)
All sightseeing, cultural activities and private guiding, including entrance fees (as per itinerary)
Private coach transfers where required
Welcome Lunch and Farewell Dinner
Plenty of shopping time including world-famous Ginza and Mitsukoshi - the “Harrods” of Japan!
Pre-departure background information and reading with your host Judith Salmon

Small group journey limited to 15 participants! Contact Natalie to request your day-to-day itinerary.

Phone 0412 880 367, or email: natalie@absoluteluxury.travel

*Terms and conditions apply. Prices are per person, twin share and subject to availability. Ask for more information.