14-Day Japan Traditional Art & Craft Tour

38 Reviews

14 days 13 nights

Price On Request

Upon arrival, please meet your guide at the airport, who will escort you to the hotel.

Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel or similar class

After breakfast, we will go to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. This pristine nature spot is densely forested with over 350 types of trees, and is a place of calm amid turbulent Tokyo. We proceed from there to visit Pottery Galleries in Aoyama. A fair number of ceramics galleries are located in Aoyama, displaying everything from artistic works to quality tableware. Then attend a Kabuki Performance at Kabukiza Theatre - the preeminent kabuki theater in Tokyo. Although the building of Kabuki-za is a modern reconstruction, the history of the theater goes back to 1889, and now includes a garden on the roof and shops in the basement selling kabuki-related merchandise.

Breakfast / Lunch

Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel or similar class

In the morning, we start with a Sumo Stable in Tokyo. Sumo is the national sport of Japan, and the iconic sumo wrestler is a symbol of Japanese culture. On this tour you will be able to observe sumo wrestlers up close as they train. Then travel to Asakusa Sensoji Temple, in Tokyo’s Asakusa district. Enter by way of the Kaminarimon “Thunder Gate”, underneath an enormous red paper lantern. Don’t forget to look up to see the dragon sculpture under the lantern! Walk through the Nakamise District – a street lined with shops selling traditional goods of all kinds, before approaching Sensoji Temple. Take some time to explore Tokyo’s oldest temple and shrine complex. Then tour Kappabashi Kitchen Town - a street full of shops related to cooking. You will find authentic Japanese cooking knives, functional or elegant tableware, and even cutesy plastic food. Then we proceed to Ueno Park and the Tokyo National History Museum - one of the largest museums in the nation, housing thousands of priceless artworks and artifacts.

Breakfast / Lunch

Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel or similar class

In the morning, we depart for Hakone, where we will take a ride in an airborne gondola on the Hakone Ropeway, which offers spectacular views of the landscape below and surrounding natural area, including iconic Mount Fuji, if the weather is clear. The gondola lands in Owakudani, where you will have the chance to see roiling hot springs and sulfurous fumes along the trails of an active volcanic zone. Then we go to enjoy a Yosegi Zaiku Experience, where you can try the traditional Hakone craft of Yosegi Zaiku for yourself. Yosegi Zaiku is a form of wood marquetry that combines different woods to create intricate patterns. Then visit the Open Air Museum, which contains many outdoor sculptures and artistic structures (such as the stained glass-covered "Symphonic Sculpture"), and even art installations for children to enjoy. After, we travel to the region around Mount Fuji and enjoy a relaxing evening.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Hotel Kaneyamaen or similar class

In the morning, if the weather is in our favor, we will visit the 5th station of iconic Mount Fuji. In addition to being the best starting point for climbers looking to reach the summit, the 5th station is also the ideal location to appreciate the mountain's rich natural splendor. Then tour the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, which displays the silk-dyeing artworks of Itchiku Kubota. Kubota dyed silk using the lost dye technique called "tsujigahana", creating artworks that include his unfinished masterpiece "Symphony of Light", consisting of gorgeous dyed kimono. From there, we travel to Matsumoto and check into the hotel for a relaxing evening.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Hotel Kaneyamaen or similar class

In the morning, if the weather is in our favor, we will visit the 5th station of iconic Mount Fuji. In addition to being the best starting point for climbers looking to reach the summit, the 5th station is also the ideal location to appreciate the mountain's rich natural splendor. Then tour the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, which displays the silk-dyeing artworks of Itchiku Kubota. Kubota dyed silk using the lost dye technique called "tsujigahana", creating artworks that include his unfinished masterpiece "Symphony of Light", consisting of gorgeous dyed kimono. From there, we travel to Matsumoto and check into the hotel for a relaxing evening.

Breakfast / Lunch

Hotel Buena Vista or similar class

In the morning, we stroll through Takayama's Morning Market - a street market brimful with homegrown produce and flowers, pickled foods, handmade snacks, and locally-produced handicrafts. Even if you don't feel like buying anything, it’s the perfect spot for watching the locals as they browse the stalls. Then walk around Takayama Old Town, a heritage district dominated by traditional wooden buildings that make you feel as though you've stepped back in time to the Edo period. We continue to the Matsuri no Mori, or "Festival Forest", which features exhibits of the various elements involved in the two Takayama Festivals, especially the elaborate floats. We travel from there to the UNESCO World Heritage-inscribed village of Shirakawago, which is preserved for its traditional style of architecture called "gassho-zukuri", which refers to the thick, thatched roofs, folded "like hands in prayer". Observe the village from the Shiroyama Viewpoint, which creates a postcard-perfect scene, with charming farmhouses set in an idyllic valley. Then explore the Gassho-zukuri Minkaen - an open-air museum of preserved houses built in the village's signature style. The largest of these houses belongs to the Wada family, prominent merchants who also served as village leaders. In the evening, we travel to Kanazawa and check into the hotel for a relaxing evening.

Breakfast / Lunch

Hotel Nikko Kanazawa or similar class

After breakfast, we begin a day of sightseeing in Kanazawa with a walk through lovely Kenrokuen Garden. Hailed as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Kenrokuen was constructed according to the "six sublimities" of Chinese landscape garden design, and splendid scenes in every season. Next, attend a Gold Leaf Workshop, where you can experience decorating with gold leaf, which is Kanazawa’s signature product. The workshop includes a look into the local history and process of production, as well as a chance to try gold leaf decoration for yourself. Then, step back through time in the Nagamachi Samurai District where many old samurai residences remain at the foot of the former Kanazawa Castle. One such house, the Nomura family residence, has been fully restored and filled with artifacts of the time period to reflect how they lived. After, we appreciate the quality ceramics of the Kutani Kosen Kiln. The famous Kosen Kiln has been producing elegant hand-crafted pottery in the Kutani style for over 150 years, and guests will be able to admire their quality ceramics as well as look behind the scenes at their production process.

Breakfast / Lunch

Hotel Nikko Kanazawa or similar class

After breakfast, the tour continues to the ancient city of Kyoto - the former imperial capital and center of Japan's traditional culture for over a thousand years. Today, you will visit a Traditional Wooden Townhouse and take a fun and engaging lesson in Origami, Calligraphy, and Ikebana. Origami is the traditional art of paper-folding that has become almost as famous internationally as it is in Japan, and masters of this art can create an impressive array of designs. Calligraphy is a time-honored art that involves using a brush and black ink to draw meaningful Japanese kanji (characters) on a thin, white paper. The rules and traditions that govern the motion, angle, and pressure of the brush, as well as the mindful determination of the artist, make Calligraphy an art as fascinating to watch as it is to perform. Finally, there is the art of Ikebana, or Flower-arranging, which is considered one of the three classical Japanese arts of refinement. This art uses flowers and other plants to create beauty, meaning, and emotion, often connected to the changing seasons. Far from being an art solely for the ladies, flower-arranging is a discipline that has been practiced by such historical figures as shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and samurai warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Breakfast / Lunch

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel or similar class

After breakfast, we begin by viewing one of Kyoto’s most coveted sights – the elegant Golden Pavilion. The temple’s shimmering golden walls can be seen reflected in the Mirror Pond below, but don’t miss the dainty phoenix ornament sitting on the roof! We then head to Arashiyama to visit Tenryuji Temple, a fascinating Zen Buddhist Temple with a gorgeous traditional Japanese landscape garden that has survived in its original state for centuries. Then proceed on a path through the nearby Bamboo Grove, where towering stalks create an almost otherworldly feeling of awe as you walk the pathway through the center. Then we travel to Fushimi Inari Shrine – a shrine to Inari, the Shinto deity of agriculture and prosperity. This shrine is famed for its hundreds of bright vermillion “torii” gates that form a long pathway around the shrine’s forest landscape; a scene that was made world-famous by the film “Memoirs of a Geisha”. Try to spot as many statues of the fox – Inari’s sacred messengers – as you can while you explore the shrine grounds. From there, we head to the Fushimi Sake District, which has been one of Japan’s preeminent sake-producing districts for hundreds of years. The district is home to rows of old-fashioned buildings housing over 40 traditional sake breweries, which use the clear spring waters flowing underground to produce their premium products. Tonight, prepare for a silent spectacle unlike anything you've ever seen. At the GEAR Theater live show, 5 human performers play "robots" who come to life and learn through creative playfulness and skill how they might approach humanity. GEAR uses only silent motion – dance, performance art, and stage magic – to delight audiences of any age and language.

Breakfast / Lunch

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel or similar class

After breakfast, we continue to explore Kyoto with a visit to Kiyomizu Temple, also known as the Temple of Pure Water, a celebrated landmark famed for its iconic three-story pagoda and large wooden stage which offers dramatic views of the city, bordered by gorgeous cherry and maple trees. A trio of streams pouring from the base of the main hall are each believed to offer a different blessing – finding fortune in love, living a long life, and having success at school. Leading up to the temple are Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka; these streets are filled with preserved buildings that retain the character of the Edo period. Many of the buildings sell souvenirs and Kyoto-specific wares. Here is also where you will find Kimono rental shops where you will be able to try on the traditional Japanese kimono, as many locals do when visiting Kyoto in order to truly immerse themselves in the traditional atmosphere. Then, we will travel to Kodaiji Temple, which is a lavish temple built in the memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Here, we can experience the time- honored Green Tea Ceremony, a ritual once afforded only to nobility. We can also learn Zen meditation, or “zazen”: a discipline practiced by Zen Buddhist monks to gain clarity of mind and insight into the nature of existence. We will end our day in the Gion Geisha District, where its streets are lined with ochaya (teahouses), exclusive establishments where guests are entertained by Geisha and Maiko. Here, we will enjoy traditional Kyoto Cuisine in the company of a beautiful Maiko – a geisha in training.

Breakfast / Dinner

Kyoto Tokyu Hotel or similar class

After breakfast, we will travel from Kyoto to the vibrant city of Osaka, and begin the day's sightseeing with a tour of Suntory Yamazaki Distillery. Suntory is one of Japan's leading whiskey brands, and touring their Yamazaki Distillery not only gives you an introduction to the history of Suntory whiskey and their distillation process, but you will be able to taste some their premium Yamazaki label whiskey. Next, we visit Osaka Castle, which was originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi near the end of the Warring States Period as the new center of a recently unified Japan. This magnificent castle retains its traditional exterior, though inside is a modern museum about Hideyoshi and the castle’s history. Then, we experience the classical dramatic artform of Noh theater. Noh is Japan's oldest form of drama, and uses rich costumes and expressive masks to tell stories that can range from dramatic to comedic to thrilling. Every performance is elegant and beautiful, often incorporating music, poetry, dance, and precise movements.

Breakfast / Lunch

Hotel Granvia Osaka or similar class

After breakfast, we take a short trip up to Sakai - a city known for strange key-hole shaped burial mounds of various sizes throughout the city. During the Edo period, it was a place that produced fine samurai swords, but nowadays is known for making high-quality kitchen knives. Today we visit a knife-making factory for an introduction to the local style of forging cutlery.. From there, we tour a Bonsai Nursery end discover the careful artistry that goes into creating these miniature trees. The art of bonsai can be applied to a wide variety of trees, and you will have the opportunity to appreciate these different works of art, as well as gain an understanding of the history and methods of bonsai creation. Then, visit the colorful, neon-lit entertainment district of Dotonbori. This area is popularly known for being the heart of the Osaka’s food culture. Osaka is known as the city of “Kuidaore” or “to eat until you drop”, and you will find Dotonbori to be filled with numerous restaurants underneath large, eye- catching billboards, including the famed Glico “Running Man”. Lastly, we make our way to Shinsaibashi, the largest shopping district in Osaka. Originally established during the Edo period, this historic district is now home to various modern retailers including jewelers, trendy boutiques, western clothing and footwear stores, even traditional kimono tailors.

Breakfast / Dinner

Hotel Granvia Osaka or similar class

After breakfast, you are free for leisure until it is time for your transfer to Osaka Kansai Airport for your departure. Thank you for traveling with AJT!

Breakfast