Japan Luxury Vacation With Takayama

Arrive in Tokyo, where your driver will be waiting with a sign bearing your name. You'll transfer privately to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.

Your Day in Detail

Visit Senso-ji Temple with your guide, from Kaminarimon Gate and Nakamise-dori to the main hall, and hear how Asakusa grew around it. Then take a rickshaw ride through the old streets nearby.

For lunch, you'll sit at REONA Sushi, a counter with only six seats. Watch the chef prepare each piece and hear about the fish and techniques behind Tokyo-style sushi.

Your Day in Detail

Start the morning at Meiji Shrine. Walk the tree-lined path to the main hall, see how visitors pray and make offerings, and enjoy the quiet before heading back into the city.

The rest of the day is yours. With your guide and vehicle, you can visit shopping and fashion districts, local neighborhoods, or anime and gaming areas. If there's somewhere special you have in mind, let us know in advance, as some places need booking ahead.

Today is yours to explore Tokyo at your own pace, with no fixed sightseeing schedule. You may spend the day shopping, exploring neighborhoods that interest you, or simply taking time to relax. Or, escape the city for a day in the countryside and take in views of Mount Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi.

Travel from Tokyo to Takayama by train in Green Car seating (1st class), with your luggage taken care of. Along the way, the view changes from city to rivers, valleys and mountains.

Upon arrival in Takayama, transfer to your hotel, a high-end Japanese ryokan with private onsen.

Note: This is a two-leg journey with a change at Nagoya Station, where you may catch a view of Mt. Fuji on a clear day. If you prefer another way to travel, such as a private car, we can arrange it to suit you.

Your Day in Detail

Meet your private guide at the hotel and walk to the morning market. Browse the stalls and choose fresh ingredients for lunch. Then join a local family at their 200-year-old home in the Old Town and cook a home-style meal together. Over tea and lunch, hear what daily life in Takayama is like.

Your Day in Detail

Travel from Takayama to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage village known for its distinctive gassho-style farmhouses and mountain setting. Explore the village with your guide and learn how these homes were designed to withstand the region's heavy snowfall and how they shaped life in the surrounding communities.

Take time to admire its unique architecture before returning to Takayama.

Journey onward to Kyoto, the cultural heart of Japan. When you arrive, check in to your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Your Day in Detail

Start at Fushimi Inari Taisha and walk under its long rows of red torii gates. Later, put on a kimono for a professional photo session. Then head back to your hotel to rest before the evening.

In the evening, you will watch geiko and maiko perform classical Japanese dance and music while you have a seasonal kaiseki dinner. The performance lasts about two hours.

Your Day in Detail

Take in the natural beauty of Arashiyama with a walk through the Bamboo Grove. Continue to Tenryu-ji Temple to see its beautiful garden, with a pond and views of the hills behind it. Then stroll across Togetsukyo Bridge before boarding a yakatabune, a Japanese-style boat, for a cruise along the Hozu River.

The day is yours. You can keep exploring Kyoto's temples, gardens and neighborhoods, browse shops and galleries, or take a day trip to Nara to see its temples and deer park.

For something more hands-on, travel to the mountains of Kameoka to meet a working swordsmith and learn about traditional Japanese blade-making techniques. Under his guidance, heat and shape steel using traditional techniques to create your own Japanese knife to take home.

At the appropriate time, meet your private driver for a transfer from Kyoto to Kansai International Airport. Bid farewell to Japan as your journey comes to an end.