Classic Japan

Day 1

Arrive Tokyo, Japan

With approximately 40 million residents, Tokyo is a dazzling city unique in the world. From the many-angled pedestrian dashes across Shibuya Crossing to the extravagant looks worn with panache in the Harajuku district, Tokyo offers a mad whirl of eclectic energy and culture framed by the distant backdrop of iconic Mount Fuji. Settle into your hotel, located near the Imperial Palace.

Day 2

Tokyo – Spiritual Centers and Exclusive Workshop

Visit Asakusa Kannon Temple, a colorful pagoda-style temple completed in 645 and dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Continue to a family-owned workshop that specializes in Japanese drum making — and try your hand at playing the taiko — on an Worldway Travels x A&K exclusive experience. After lunch at a local restaurant, explore the Edo-Tokyo Museum, built to preserve the heritage of the city’s last 400 years

Day 3

Tokyo – Design Your Day

Peruse a local fish market, a bustling hub of Japanese daily life boasting a dizzying array of seafood. Then receive a lesson in sushi making, followed by lunch, during a chef-led culinary experience. This afternoon, enjoy one of these **Design Your Day** activities.

Day 4

Hakone – Traditional Ryokan

Travel to Hakone, among Japan’s most popular hot-spring destinations and a peaceful contrast with bustling Tokyo. Immerse yourself in the stunning beauty of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, boarding an aerial tram for inspiring views of Mount Fuji. Stroll the grassy hillsides of Hakone’s Open Air Museum, admiring the sculptures and artworks on display, including pieces by Henry Moore and Rodin. The

Day 5

Osaka – Dotonbori District Delicacies

At the Okada Museum of Art, view a stunning collection of paintings, ceramics, lacquerware and bronzes from Japan, Korea and China. Ride by bullet train to Osaka. Historically known as a merchant city, it is today renowned as Japan’s undisputed culinary capital, where diners indulge in everything from octopus dumplings to okonomiyaki, a battered, grilled concoction of chopped cabbage, meat or seaf

Day 6

Nara – A Profoundly Spiritual Heritage

Travel to Nara, Japan’s first capital, to visit Todai-ji, a UNESCO-listed temple complex that holds the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. Proceed to Nara Park, home to hundreds of deer, venerated here as divine spirits, which you may feed by hand. Experience a Shinto ceremony at the celebrated Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and then eat lunch. Before returning to Osaka, watch two sumo wrestlers demons

Day 7

Kyoto – The Golden Pavilion and Bamboo Grove

Travel into Kyoto early this morning to contemplate the iconic Zen rock garden at Ryoan-ji, the perfect spot for a meditative moment, and discover the glittering Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion) — covered with gold leaf and surrounded by green gardens — casting its delicate reflection in the tranquil pond beside it. After lunch, explore the Arashiyama neighborhood, including the garden of Tenry

Day 8

Kyoto – Hillside Views and Tea Traditions

Visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple for inspiring views of Kyoto. At another temple, experience the art of the tea ceremony, noting its refined sense of hospitality and etiquette, which dates to the time of the samurai. Tonight, savor traditional Japanese cuisine while an attending geiko (the word for geisha in the Kyoto dialect) and maiko (apprentice geisha) dance, sing, pour sake and share stories about

Day 9

Depart Kyoto

Take your private transfer to the airport for your departing flight or join your post-tour extension.