Arrive and explore the many local restaurants and lesser known yet quaint areas and nightlife in Kyoto, within a few blocks of your hotel.

Explore the ancient capital city of Kyoto, with its fantastic wealth of seventeen Unesco World Heritage sites.   But not to worry about keeping them straight, you’ll have a dedicated professional guide to help you make the most of these cultural gems. But be prepared for a lovely only-in-Kyoto Kaiseki meal to bring your first day to a satisfying close.

Continue the exploration of Kyoto’s World Heritage Sites, including Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), originally built as a retirement villa for the Shogun. As the mood fits, we may may also see Nijo Castle. From there we’ll walk down Nishiki Market, another foodie fantasy. Known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen”, this lively retail market specializes in all things food related, like fresh seafood, produce, knives and cookware, and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties. Your final stop today is a traditional teahouse where you will enjoy a genuine tea ceremony before a truly festive evening begins. The evening will begin with a walk through some of Kyoto’s geisha districts where you’ll learn about the geisha’s world – past, present and future.

This morning is all about exploring the weird, wild, and wonderful art and architecture that marks Naoshima. Imagine transforming a small traditional fishing island by letting some of the world’s best artists run free and you can understand why Naoshima rates as one of the ‘seven places in the world you should see next’ by Conde Nast Traveller. The island is a unique destination within Japan with its international perspective, sandy beaches, relaxed atmosphere and most importantly its unique modern art that infuses itself with its surroundings. After a local lunch, we’ll board a late afternoon ferry onto Takamatsu and onto the 4th largest island in Japan, Shikoku. A world apart from the rest of Japan in feel and history, we’ll start with a simple Sanuki Udon meal, here in this town famed for the best Udon in Japan.

Today make sure you wear your walking shoes! We’ll start with a morning visit to explore Ritsurin Gardens. During the Edo period feudal lords spent over a hundred years constructing this beautiful walking garden designed to provide year-round viewing pleasure. We’ll follow that by exploring the Kanpira Shrine and the 1368 steps up to its inner-sanctum. Then wander the pleasant Kotohira town, at the foot of Kanpira Shrine. Quench your thirst with a bit of local libation at the the Kinryo Sake Brewery, where a taster cup will set you back just 100 yen and we’ll visit the adjacent Sake museum. We’ll also stop by Kanamaru-za, Japan’s oldest Kabuki theatre. When no performances are being held, the theatre’s audience hall, basement, stage and backstage, including trap doors and a revolving stage, are open to visitors. We’ll leave Konpira-san and Kotohira town for the short journey to Zentsuji, one of the 88 temples and birthplace of one of the most important Buddhist figures. It is also happily known as the “Right Path Temple” and is one of the group of Temples collectively known at the “Dojo of Nirvana.” Here you’ll spend the night in the working Buddhist temple, dining on an traditional Buddhist evening and morning meals and sleeping in a simply prepared room as you get in touch with your inner Buddha.

Today we head to the mysterious and hidden Iya Valley where we will explore its fabled vine bridges and hidden valleys. Next we’ll take a scenic and mellow ride on the Yoshino river, which cuts deep through incredible gorges that used to shelter hiding samurai and other refugees over the centuries. In the afternoon we’ll head to Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen, the oldest hot spring in Japan, and a fantastic castle town. We’ll dine at a special Izakaya, full of local flavor and ambience.

In the morning we’ll refresh and relax the centuries old-way at Dogo Onsen, a 3 star Michelin rated destination and the oldest onsen in Japan tracing its roots back 3000 years. We’ll then explore Matsuyama Castle which dates back “only” to 1602. It stands in the heart of the city on a hill surrounded by moats. The fortress has been substantially reworked and restored at various times and stands out as a gem of defensive architecture. The area around the castle came to be populated by samurai and tradesmen and the area today remains true to that period. It now houses numerous interesting restaurants and shops which we’ll explore and experience.

Today we’ll head across the Japan Inland Sea again, this time by car, exploring a chain of 11 islands connected by bridges back to the main island of Honshu, stopping to bike a few of the island links, depending on weather. Once on Honshu, we’ll stop for an exceptional soba lunch and a stroll through the nicely maintained old merchant town of Kurashiki. During the Edo period, Kurashiki became an area directly controlled by the Shogunate. The old merchant quarter, with distinctive white-walled, black-tiled warehouses contains many fine examples of 17th century wooden warehouses (Kura). As time allows, we may also make a quick visit to Japan’s first museum for Western art, the Ohara Museum of Art which contains paintings by El Greco, Monet, Matisse, Gauguin, and Renoir. From Kurashiki we’ll continue onto the final destination of our trip, the ultramodern, vibrant, pulsing metropolis of Osaka. Truly different to the relaxed pace, mystery and natural beauty of the Seto Islands and Shikoku, seeing Osaka makes it easy to understand why Japan is often referred to as the land of contrasts. We’ll drop you off at your hotel for a final celebratory dinner and sake tasting, at one of Osaka’s best restaurants – associated with the Tsuji culinary school.

Your last day in Osaka is yours to explore, do a bit of last minute shopping or have a last tasty treat before your assisted transport back to the airport for your return journey. Or stay a bit longer and join us on our 3 day tour of Tokyo or other trips to parts of Japan experience another angle on this fantastic and fascinating country.