(version 2023_07_16)

Walking actively engages one's mind and body, and Japan is rich with ideal destinations to be experienced on foot. On this small group tour (limited to 12 guests), we'll explore both rural and urban areas noted for their historical significance, cultural influence, and natural beauty. In our walks, we will also immerse ourselves in places and everyday activities that shape Japanese life, including quiet gardens, the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world, underground shopping centers, and where the teens hang out. Together we will learn about this unique country’s past, present, and future, gaining a deeper understanding of this unique Asian culture, and one's own.

Our ten night journey will begin and end in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, where we'll explore quiet corners of Edo-period (17th c) neighborhoods, take in the views from atop contemporary skyscrapers, and dip our toes into compelling virtual versions of the urban future. We continue to Hiroshima by bullet train to explore the dramatic “ground zero” Peace Memorial Museum and Park and visit other notable neighborhoods and attractions learn how this city has moved beyond that tragedy into the inspiring and vibrant international destination that it is today. We’ll travel by boat and spend a full day on the nearby island of Miyajima, noted for its Shinto shrine and floating torii gate, and a scenic ropeway and path to the top of Mount Mizen. Our third anchor destination is Kyoto, the ancient capital, where we will stroll in Zen Buddhist gardens and view the city from the deck of a pagoda, sit for a tea ceremony, enjoy a vegetarian temple lunch, visit artists who are carrying forward traditional crafts, and spend an evening of music and dance with a geisha-in-training.

Fall is an especially delightful time to visit Japan's countryside and the cities, with colorful foliage in evidence all around. Consider the past, present, and future of Japan, participants will become acutely aware of cultural connections, contrasts and contradictions, and through discussions with our local guides and guests, we'll explore how these are meaningful. We will have diverse food experiences from the everyday to the gourmet, quirky and common, simple and exquisite.  As tour co-creators, we are always mindful of our participants’ stamina / physical endurance limits. As much as possible, we design our Tiny World Tour Japanese itineraries to be flexible with attractive options, often including the option to take it easy.

DRAFT ITINERARY

Day 1 — Friday, 10 November: TOKYO

Welcome to Japan! Our tour starts today!

One quarter of all Japanese live in Tokyo or the near vicinity and with a population of over 12 million inhabitants, Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world. With its huge skyscrapers, underpasses, overpasses and crowds of pedestrians, the city has a vibrant charm all of its own. The street level detail is what makes Tokyo such an interesting place to explore, and at every turn you will be met with an array of sights, sounds and smells to enliven your senses. A stay in Tokyo is to experience one of the world's most vibrant and interesting cities; a capital hurtling headlong into the future while maintaining links with the traditions of ancient Japan.

Tiny World Tours will arrange your airport transfer to the comfortable Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo Hotel (or similar), our home for three nights. Please plan to arrive in Tokyo on this day—or consider arriving a day or two earlier to adjust to the time difference and get a head start exploring the joys of Japan. We will gladly arrange pre-tour activities based on your interests.

On this day we will plan an optional ~90-minute orientation walking tour of the neighborhood (time based on arrival times), and provide some ideas for dinner on your own or informally as a group.

Day 2 — Saturday, 11 November: TOKYO

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

We depart our hotel at 9 am for a day focused on the Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and the Omotesando district, noted for its fantastical and fashionable avant-garde architecture, ending the afternoon with a stroll in the Aoyama neighborhood noted the stunning Nezu Museum and Garden . Return to the hotel in the mid-afternoon.

The Meiji Shrine plays a central role in the history of modern Japan and in the lives of many Tokyo residents. Wide, tree-lined pathways lead us to the shrine itself, where we may see religious rituals, family blessings, weddings and other ceremonies connected to the Shintoism.

Departing the Meiji Shrine’s serene woods, the energy shifts as we make our way along Takeshita Dori, the epicenter of Japan’s urban youth culture. On the adjacent tree-lined Omotesando boulevard (also known as the “Champs-Élysées of Tokyo”) we’ll encounter upscale stores, notable architecture, and intimate shopping on the side streets. We’ll enjoy lunch together in this neighborhood, then continue on for a visit to the revered Nezu Museum and its spectacular strolling garden and its fall plantings, then return to our hotel, or continue on an optional walk in a different Tokyo neighborhood.

Celebratory welcome dinner near our hotel (included)

Day 3 — Sunday, 12 November: TOKYO

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

We will travel to the bustling district of Ueno, known for its important museums, a handsome park, an important transportation hub, and shopping, as well as its history as part of Tokyo’s shitamachi (“low city”), the historically working class area. We will head directly to the Tokyo National Museum, and be there when it opens.

Our morning is focused on a highlights tour of Japanese cultural history at this tremendous museum, filled with masterpiece “National Cultural Treasures” from pre-history to early modern times. We will see a wide spectrum of objects, including prehistoric pottery, early Buddhist art, samuri arms and armor, folding screens, calligraphy, lacquerware, ceramics, and ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

We will enjoy a picnic lunch in Ueno Park, opened in 1873 as part of the Westernization and modernization of the Meiji Period. We will select our meal alongside other Japanese at one of the enticing “depa-chika” (underground department store food halls), choosing from a spectacular range of prepared foods for takeaway.

After lunch, we will head take a short ride across town to Koshikawa Korakuen Garden, one of the oldest and best traditional Japanese gardens, acclaimed for its walking trails and dramatic viewpoints, as well as the vibrant fall colors of maple trees which surrounding the garden’s three ponds.

Dinner on your own (recommendations provided - advance reservations through the hotel are generally recommended)

(above) Autumn Colors at Enoura Observatory and Odawara

Day 4 — Monday, 13 November: TOKYO -> ENOURA->HIROSHIMA

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own, and check out.

After check out, a private van will take us to Odawara, a picturesque Pacific Ocean coastal town known for its historical significance and stunning natural surroundings. We’ll explore the castle grounds, enjoy the seasonal fall beauty, and stop for lunch at a favorite local restaurant.

After lunch, we'll have the unique opportunity to visit the renowned Enoura Observatory, crafted by artist/architect Hiroshi Sugimoto. The observatory offers breathtaking serene views of the Pacific coast and combines elements of an art gallery, art installation, architectural marvel, performance space, open-air museum, citrus orchard, bamboo grove, and garden (celebrated in a 2017 New York Times Magazine article). It features strategically placed structures and corridors designed to capture sunlight during solstices and equinoxes, reminiscent of ancient stone alignments like Stonehenge.

After Enoura, our private van will take us to Odawara train station. Before boarding our Shinkansen (bullet train) we will shop together for traditional train station bento box dinners to eat en route from Odawara to Hiroshima (about 3 hours), passing through Kyoto and Osaka along the way.

Welcome to Hiroshima, a city of resilience and peace! After arrival at Hiroshima station, we will transfer and check-in at the Grand Prince Hiroshima Hotel (our home for the next three nights). This hotel was host to the May 2023 G7 Summit (which turned into G8!), and was a primary shooting location for the 2022 Oscar-winning Best International Feature Film, “Drive My Car” - a film that also serves as a visual love letter to this region’s architecture and natural highlights. Each hotel room here has a view of the beautiful Seto Inland Sea.

Day 5 — Tuesday 14 November: HIROSHIMA

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

Hiroshima has risen from the ashes and transformed itself into a vibrant and thriving metropolis. Beyond its somber past, the city boasts a rich cultural heritage, captivating visitors with its historical landmarks, serene gardens, and delectable cuisine. As you walk through the bustling streets, you'll feel the warmth and hospitality of the locals, who have embraced progress and fostered a spirit of unity.

This morning we’ll make a solemn visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Park to help us comprehend the 6 August 1945 atomic bomb explosion over the city.

After our visit, we’ll have lunch nearby and discuss options for the rest of the day including returning to the hotel to rest, or strolling to the nearby reconstructed 16th century Hiroshima Castle and 17th century Shukkei-en Garden.

Tonight our group dinner will be delicious Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, a savoury cake created from batter, vegetables and noodles, which is fried and drizzled with sauce in an intimate and convivial restaurant setting. (included)

Day 6 Wednesday November 15 MIYAJIMA

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

Today we’ll embark on a captivating day tour to Itsukushima (also known popularly as Miyajima or “Shrine Island”), a mystical island near Hiroshima. Experience the perfect blend of natural beauty, spiritual wonders, and cultural treasures. We'll start with a scenic autumn-color ferry ride, passing by the iconic Itsukushima Shrine and its mesmerizing torii gate. We’ll explore charming temples and shrines along picturesque cobbled alleys and marvel at the centuries-old shrine complex, with its prayer hall, main hall, and captivating Noh theatre stage connected by wooden walkways over the water.

This morning we’ll have the option to attend a Fire Walking Ceremony, organized by the Daisho-in Temple. It is a religious rite performed twice a year by the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. The ceremony includes purification rituals, chanting of Buddhist sutras, arrow shooting, and igniting a cypress branch arrangement. The highlight is when the head Buddhist monk, along with mountain monks and worshippers, walk barefoot across the red coals while chanting a prayer for good health and fortune.

You’ll have the option to walk through tranquil landscapes, encounter gentle deer, and savor the renowned Miyajima oysters. We'll take a cable car to the summit of Mount Misen, where awe-inspiring panoramic views and hiking trails await amidst the primeval forest. This is a great spot to appreciate Japan’s diverse ecosystems, from evergreen broadleaf forests to unique plant populations.

Before concluding our day tour, we’ll visit the shrine’s treasure hall, housing a remarkable collection of valuable items, including exquisite national treasures and cultural artifacts from the Heike Clan.

Dinner on your own (recommendations provided - advance reservations through the hotel are generally recommended)

Day 7 — Thursday, 16 November: HIROSHIMA->KYOTO

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

Hotel check out out around 8 AM and taxi to train station

Board a 9 AM bullet train to Kyoto (about 2 hours). You’ll be impressed by the extraordinarily futuristic Kyoto station, a vivid contrast to this city’s many traditional historic sites. Our Kyoto hotel is next to the station. We’ll drop off our bags at our hotel, and take taxis to lunch and the spectacular Sanjusangen-do Temple, (12th Century). This temple houses 1001 more-or-less identical carved wooden statues of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, each with twenty arms. Afterwards we’ll take taxis to Kiyomizu Temple with spectacular fall foliage, stunning view of the city, and great traditional craft shopping. Taxi back to our hotel to rest, or walk down the slope to enjoy more traditional craft shopping (and people watching).

Kyoto Welcome Dinner near our hotel (included)

Day 8 — Friday, 17 November: KYOTO

7 AM Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

7:30 AM Meet in hotel lobby for private van for half-day tour

Our guide for the day is Masa Fujiwara, an expert on Japanese history, religion, and architecture.

We will visit one or two Kyoto highlights such as the iconic temple and zen dry rock garden at Ryoan-ji. Lunch will be included, and after lunch you’ll have free time to relax or explore Kyoto on your own.

Kyoto is one of the most culturally rich cities in Asia. Home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, over 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines, this ancient city showcases the heart and soul of traditional Japan. Kyoto boasts an array of world-class gardens, majestic festivals and delicate cuisine, all of which make much of the rhythms of nature and the changing of the seasons. On first glance however, visitors will see that like any large Japanese city, grid-like Kyoto has its fair share of neon and concrete. But the discerning eye will soon pick out Kyoto’s treasures: sacred shrines tucked in among shopping arcades, time-honoured teahouses nestling among modern businesses and mysterious geisha scuttling down backstreets among the tourists and souvenirs. Kyoto’s charm lies in these details and whether you’re here for a short, medium, or long stay, the closer you look, the more you’ll discover.

This evening we will have the pleasure of visiting our guide Masa Fujiwara’s home for an immersion in contemporary art and traditional Kyoto architecture, cuisine, and geisha culture. Masa’s wife is the renowned American Japanese paper (washi) artist, Sarah Brayer, and we will visit Sarah’s studio and Sarah and Masa’s home with both of them. We will hire a private Maiko (young Geisha-in-training) - to join us and tell us about her traditional training and life.

Day 9 — Saturday, 18 November: KYOTO->TOKYO

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

To celebrate our final morning in Kyoto, we will apply for the limited admission spots to the sublime Saiho-ji Moss Temple and Garden. After arrival, we will sit in the main hall of the temple and hand copy sutras with a brush and ink to prepare us to view the mystical garden. One is then asked to write down one’s wish, name, and address. The monks keep all the sutras in the pagoda and continue to pray for all.

The site features a main hall, several tea houses, and gardens on two levels, a Karesansui (dry style garden) and a "classical style garden" with a circular promenade around a pond, culminating in the stunning, but extremely fragile moss garden featuring over 120 types, in an incredible range of shades and textures, and will be a dramatic visual experience with the fall foliage.

We will transfer directly to Kyoto station, shop for bento-box lunches for the train and board the shinkansen to Tokyo (about 2 hours) and check into the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel in the Shibuya district, a destination for restaurants, entertainment, and shopping. Afternoon and evening on your own.

Dinner on your own.

Day 10 — Sunday, 19 November: TOKYO

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

Today we focus on a walking tour of Shibuya to showcase its unique cultural, architectural, culinary, and shopping experiences. In contrast to the Ginza district, where we began out trip, Shibuya offers significantly different urban walking experiences, including underground tunnels, lively streetscapes, retail promenades, overpasses and sky bridges, rooftop gardens, and the dizzying (but fun!) Shibuya Crossing, “the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world.”

Our walking tour will start with the architecture of our hotel, one of the newest mixed-use skyscrapers in the area, and include Shibuya Station, the nexus of eight train and subway lines serving 2.4 million people on an average weekday, the famous Hachiko dog statue, commemorating the loyalty of a dog and his owner, and some of the best department and specialty stores in the neighborhood. Finally, we will explore the recently opened Miyashita Park, a new complex built on the site of a much loved neighborhood park parallel to the train tracks. With street level retail, engaging passageways and escalators, myriad restaurants, and a multi-level roof garden including a skateboard park. Our lunch spot will be at he colorful Shibuya Yokocho, a gathering of 19 restaurants serving local specialties from all over Japan. The afternoon is open for you to do last-minute shopping, explore another garden, or visit a museum.

Evening: Shibuya-Sky Observation Deck and Tokyo Tour Finale Dinner (included)

Day 11 — Monday, 20 November: Tour Conclusion

Enjoy hotel breakfast on your own

Hotel check out

Head to the airport on pre-arranged transfer for your flight—or consider extending your Japan stay!

Please Note:

The itinerary is a sample and is subject to change. The final schedule will be determined approximately 30 days prior to departure to allow for the inclusion of special exhibitions, visits, and events and are dependent on the schedules of our Japanese colleagues, and opportunities which may arise.  In the event that a requested visit is not available, a similar visit will be substituted.  A final itinerary will be sent to all participants about three weeks prior to the tour departure.

Experiencing Japan on foot is a central part of this itinerary. Each day will be different, and some days will have up to three hours of walking over the course of a day. Also, guests should be able to climb up to three flights of stairs, as some buildings do not have elevators or escalators. There will be days with a short and long course as options. If you have concerns, please notify us and we can discuss further.

Japanese cuisine, both traditional and contemporary, is unique and a key part of this trip. We will do our best to accommodate allergies and other food preferences, however we regret that we cannot provide gluten-free, vegan, or fish-free meals.  If you have other food restrictions, please inquire.

What’s included:

• 10 nights hotel accommodation, sharing a room (please inquire if you’d prefer a private solo room, or an upgraded room at additional cost, pending availability).

• All breakfasts and lunches are included, and five dinners as indicated

• Admissions to group visits to museums, gardens and temples

• Local transportation as described: airport transfers, local taxis, charter buses, trains (first class)

• Services of guides and experts

Please Note: This tour starts and ends in Tokyo. We suggest flights into Tokyo via Haneda Airport (HND) or Narita Airport (NRT) and we will arrange airport pickup.

We strongly recommend coming at least one day early to recover from the long flight and adjust to time zone and have a little extra time to explore, or stay longer at the end to deepen the experience. Tiny World Tours can arrange pre-trip and post-trip accommodations and local experiences based on your interests.

Tour Cost $10,000 per person (double occupancy)

Tour Design: Tiny World Tours (Mark & Dana) with local Japanese collaborators

Tour Leader: Tiny World Tours (Mark & Dana) with local Japanese collaborators

* ask us about single supplement for single traveler requiring their own private room, if available

As a firsT step, please click below and pay the $1000 tour deposit. This deposit is fully cancellable and refundable through 24 July 2023 (100 days before the official tour start date).