Japan Revealed

The tour starts in Kyoto. In the evening you meet your tour leader and the other group members for an initial briefing followed (for those who wish) by a simple dinner at a nearby local restaurant.

This morning an orientation tour takes us to some of Kyoto’s more important sites, including: the imposing and opulent Nijo Castle – formerly home of the Tokugawa shoguns and, nestling at the foot of Kyoto’s north-western hills, the extravagantly decorated Kinkakuji temple, which was immortalised in Yukio Mishima’s novel “The Golden Pavilion”. From here it is also possible to walk or drive the short distance to Ryoan-ji, perhaps Japan’s most famous Zen garden. We finish off at Kyoto’s handicraft centre noted for among things a fine selection of woodblock prints. The rest of the afternoon is free, for further exploration. Recommended is a gentle stroll through the nearby eastern hills along the ‘Path of Philosophy’ that links Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion, with Nanzen-ji Temple. This walk can be extended south through well-preserved ‘old town’ areas to Kiyamizu-dera (Temple of Clear Water) from where there is a justifiably famous view across a wooded gorge toward Kyoto. Also recommended, for those visiting in Spring, is a visit to the theatre for a presentation of Miyako Odori (the Cherry Blossom Dance) performed by elaborately dressed maiko (apprentice geisha). In the early evening, there will be an introductory briefing followed by dinner at one of the city’s many delightful restaurants, situated near the new and architecturally astounding railway station.

Kyoto is a city that lends itself to walking, and there are numerous possibilities for exploration during this day at leisure in the city. Close to our hotel the architecturally impressive Higashi Honganji temple and the almost surreal Sanjusangendo, home to 1001 statues of Kannon, (the bodhisattva of compassion whose name, incidentally, was later taken up by the camera company Canon) – both make for an interesting visit. Also nearby is Japan’s largest pagoda at Toji. Another recommendation is to take a walk in the wooded hills of Inari Mountain, famous for its Shinto ‘fox temple’ and atmospheric tunnels of red torii gates. In the late afternoon there will be a short walking tour of Gion – the geisha district – with its many old teahouses, some of them mentioned in the widely acclaimed novel “Memoirs of a Geisha”. At the end of the tour a good idea is to take traditional dinner in one of the many restaurants that occupy this exciting area.

This morning we make a short journey by train to begin our morning walking tour of Nara, formerly Heijo, Japan’s first true capital. The highlight of the day will be a visit to the awe-inspiring Todai-ji temple – the largest wooden structure in the world and home to Japan’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha. As we wander through the ancient woods of Nara’s famous Deer Park we also visit the important Kasuga-jinja Shinto shrine with its vermilion-pillared corridors, and the towering Kofuku-ji pagoda. After lunch we return to spend more time exploring Kyoto.

Today we travel by train to Koya San on a journey which, at least in its latter stages, travels through some of the finest scenery in all Japan. The last leg of the journey takes us on a mountain road rising almost to the heavens and certainly to a world very different from the one we have left behind. 3000 feet above sea-level Mount Koya, in similarity with Mt Athos in Greece, is home to scores of monasteries, the first of which was founded by Kobo Daishi in AD816. The most impressive sight on Mount Koya is without doubt the massive and mysterious Okunoin cemetery, resting place of many of Japanese history’s most famous personages. Some 200,000 stone statues, wooden totems and other, sometimes bizarre, memorials (including a rocket that marks the site of a mausoleum interring the workers of an aerospace company!) lie throughout this moss-laden forest. At the centre of it all, and the reason that this is such a popular resting place for those who could afford the privilege of proximity, is the mausoleum of Japan’s greatest saint, Kobo Daishi. According to popular belief Kobo Daishi never actually died but instead, in AD835, went into a state of catatonic meditation within the mausoleum. One day, upon the advent of the future Buddha Maitreya (Jap. Miroku), it is believed Kobo Daishi will reawaken to lead all humanity to salvation! The cemetery is particularly atmospheric around dawn or dusk. After visiting the more interesting of the mountain’s we make our way to the comfortable shukubo temple lodgings that will be our home for the night.

Fortified by a delicious temple breakfast we return by cable railway to Gokurabashi and make our way to Osaka where we board our first Bullet Train of the trip for our journey to Hiroshima. As we speed our way south we will stop en route and pay a visit to Japan’s most impressive samurai Castle at Himeiji. This castle was once featured in the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice”. is packed with innovative defensive techniques perhaps one of the reasons why it was never captured. We spend the night at a city centre hotel close to Hiroshima’s Peace Park.

This morning we visit the A-Bomb Museum and Peace Memorial Park, both of which stand testimony to the fateful day in August 1945 when Hiroshima was chosen as target for the first ever wartime use of the atomic bomb. In the afternoon we then head for the enchanting island of Miyajima, which we reach after a short ferry ride across the Inland Sea. The island is home to the venerable Shinto shrine of Itsukushima, famous for its huge vermilion gate or torii which rises majestically out of the sea. At high tide it is considered to be one of the most beautiful sights in Japan. The size and physical landscape of Miyajima makes it an ideal place for walking, and as we will be spending the night here there is plenty of time to explore. There is the lovely Momaji Park (known as Maple Valley) from where it is possible to walk or take a cable car up to the top of Mt. Misen. The summit is home to a colony of wild monkeys, and provides fine, sweeping views over western Honshu and the island-studded Inland Sea. Also of note is Daisho-in Temple. In the evening, after most visitors have returned to the mainland, Miyajima takes on a magic all of its own. Please note in busy times passengers of the same sex may be required to share triple and quad rooms in the ryokan.

Today we return to the Bullet Train tracks and head north to the mountainous centre of Japan to spend a night in a ryokan near the medieval village of Tsumago. Once a post town during the days of the Shogun Tsumago is the best preserved of the many staging posts along the Edo period Nakasendo Highway that once connected Tokyo with Kyoto and immortalized in the famous woodblock prints of Hiroshige.

This morning we have time to explore Tsumago and also the opportunity to walk along a short section of the Nakasendo Highway towards the next village of Magome. we return to the Bullet Train tracks and head north to the mountainous centre of Japan towards the picturesque castle town of Matsumoto. This afternoon we stroll through the former merchant district of Nakamachi, where we can find lovely local crafts, treasures and great restaurants. Matsumoto’s atmosphere is surprisingly cosmopolitan, while maintaining its historic charm and traditions. It has pretty streets and friendly people. We have the option of visiting its most famous site, the Matsumoto Castle, formerly known as Fukashi Castle. It has an elegant black roof and is sometimes nicknamed Crow Castle. It is one of Japan’s four castles to be listed as national treasures.

We continue our journey through this magical country by a combination of Bullet and local trains via Nagano, site of the 1996 Winter Olympics, making our way through the Kiso mountain range to Nikko. Nikko – meaning ‘sunlight’ – is justifiably one of Japan’s major travel destinations. Our accommodation for the night is a 10 minute walk from the Nikko shrines in a delightful modern ryokan near the Ganmanfuchi Abyss – a wooded riverside area. There is a lovely short walk near here passing by an interesting collection of jizo Buddha statues. The ryokan also has its own hot bath that looks out over the flowing waters of the Daiya River. Another place close to our ryokan and well worth a visit is the Tamozawa Imperial villa with its exquisite gardens – it was to here that the current Emperor was evacuated during the closing stages of the Second World War.

We have more time for exploration and relaxation in Nikko and for those who might have gone exploring or hiking further afield on the day before this would be a good time visit the Toshogu Shrine. Sacred to Buddhists since the 8th century, Nikko achieved its present grandeur during the 17th century when its forests of giant cedar and cypress trees became the site of the tombs and shrines of the Tokugawa shoguns. Grandest of them all is the wonderfully opulent Toshogu shrine which houses the mausoleum of the greatest shogun of them all, Ieyasu Tokugawa, as well as the famous ‘three monkeys’ carving that expresses the Zen maxim to “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

In the morning we make our way by local and then Bullet train to Japan’s amazing capital, Tokyo, and our centrally-located hotel where we will be based for the next three nights. This is the last day of our Japan Rail Pass which can be used for further train travel anywhere in Japan and also on quite a few lines within Tokyo so consequently this has been left as a free day. Alternatively for those who wish there is an optional tour to the Hakone region and the chance of a glimpse that most enduring of Japanese symbols, the serene and almost perfectly symmetrical Mount Fuji (3776m). On a clear day this now dormant volcano, that last erupted in 1707, is certainly a sight to behold but despite it beauty, just like Japanese women of old, Fuji is a shy mountain that, sometimes likes to hide its face. At Odawara we transfer to the Hakone-Tozan which after a dramatic series of switchbacks by the side of a ravine eventually brings us to the village spa resort of Miyanoshita. We continue our journey by narrow gauge train to Gora where we transfer to a funicular tram which will take us up the short but steep, lower slopes of Mont Sounzan. Transferring again, this time to a gondola-style cable car, we get a remarkable eagle’s eye view of the surrounding volcanic landscape as we carry on our ascent of the mountain. Eventually we arrive at Togendai at the northern end of Lake Ashi from where, weather permitting, we will get fantastic views of Fuji’s snow-capped cone. After sufficient time to marvel at Fuji’s majesty we board one of the lake’s slightly incongruous ‘pirate’ ships that will take us on a cruise to Hakone-machi on Ashi’s southern shore. This place was once known as the Hakone Barrier, a place through which all travellers on the Tokaido, another ancient highway connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with the former capital Kyoto, had to pass. Late in the afternoon or early evening we return to Tokyo.

Tokyo is well-known for its bustling energy and futuristic architecture. However, it also has a gentler side, and its citizens often reveal themselves – particularly outside of working hours – to be some of the friendliest of any capital city in the world. There are also many vestiges of the past, with historic temples and shrines still to be found in some of the most unexpected places, as well as an abundance of parks and gardens which are particularly exquisite in spring when the cherry trees and azaleas are in bloom. Today we have a varied, full-day tour of the city beginning in the lively Senso-ji temple district of Asakusa, with its many interesting craft and souvenir stalls. After lunch we are afforded an alternative view of Tokyo as we relax on a short cruise down the Sumida River. Our boat drops us off at the delightful Hama Rikyu gardens where we have time to stroll along paths that were once the sole preserve of the shogun. Later we make our way to the shopping district of Ginza where, depending on the theatre schedule, we have the chance to see a short performance of Kabuki, one of Japan’s more spectacular performing arts.

Today the whole day has been left free for further independent exploration or shopping. There are endless opportunities for sightseeing in and around Tokyo; in the east of the city the districts of Shibuya and Harajuku – a magnet for the city’s breathtakingly trendy youth – are particularly interesting, as is the important Meiji Jingu Shrine. In Shinjuku the city’s highest skyscrapers offer panoramic views that on clear days give great views of Mount Fuji. The area is also home to Kabuki-cho, the Soho (but more so!) of Tokyo. Ueno is also worth a visit particularly for its park which is home to the impressive National museum. Another great museum which gives insight into old time Tokyo is the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku. In the evening, the group come together over dinner to bid Japan sayonara and farewell.

The tour concludes in the morning.