Zen & the Art of Japan
Ancient Temples, Ryokan Stays & Cherry Blossoms
Japan is a country of contrasts held in perfect balance: ancient temples and neon cities, silent gardens and bustling markets, exquisite formality and warm welcome. This journey moves from the electric energy of Tokyo to the meditative calm of Kyoto, from mountain ryokans to art islands, revealing a culture where beauty is found in impermanence and perfection lies in simplicity.
This itinerary is a starting point. Every element can be adjusted—add days, change hotels, swap experiences, alter the pace. We'll craft the final journey around your preferences, travel dates, and dreams.
Your Journey Unfolds
Arrival in Tokyo
Land at Narita or Haneda and transfer to your hotel in the heart of Tokyo. The city's energy is immediate—even from the airport, you feel Japan's unique blend of order and intensity.
Tokyo was destroyed twice in the 20th century—by earthquake in 1923 and firebombs in 1945. Each time, it rebuilt itself completely. This is a city that understands impermanence, that knows how to begin again.
Stay: Aman Tokyo or The Peninsula Tokyo
Tokyo: Tradition & Modernity
Morning at the Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo's oldest. Afternoon in Harajuku and Shibuya—the crossing, the fashion, the controlled chaos. Evening: omakase sushi at a 10-seat counter.
Shibuya Crossing sees 3,000 people cross with every light change—more than any intersection in the world. Yet there's no chaos, no collision. Japan's gift is making the impossible look effortless.
Stay: Aman Tokyo or The Peninsula Tokyo
Tokyo: Art & Architecture
Explore Tokyo's art scene: the digital wonderland of teamLab Borderless, the quiet galleries of Roppongi, the architectural marvel of the Nezu Museum. Evening: izakaya hopping in Yurakucho.
teamLab creates art that responds to your presence—flowers bloom as you approach, waterfalls part around you. It's technology in service of wonder, which might be the most Japanese thing imaginable.
Stay: Aman Tokyo or The Peninsula Tokyo
Tokyo to Hakone
Take the romance car train to Hakone, gateway to Mount Fuji. Check into your ryokan, slip into yukata, and soak in your private onsen as steam rises and mountains frame the view.
Onsen culture goes back centuries in Japan. The ritual is precise: wash thoroughly before entering, soak in silence, let the mineral waters work their magic. It's not just bathing—it's meditation made physical.
Stay: Gora Kadan or Hakone Ginyu
Hakone: Mountains & Art
Morning exploring the Open Air Museum and its stunning sculpture garden. Afternoon boat across Lake Ashi, cable car up Owakudani to see the volcanic sulfur vents—and eat the famous black eggs.
The black eggs of Owakudani are boiled in volcanic hot springs, turning their shells black. Local legend says each egg adds seven years to your life. One is customary; more than two is greedy.
Stay: Gora Kadan or Hakone Ginyu
Hakone to Kyoto
Shinkansen to Kyoto—the bullet train covering 300 miles in just over two hours. Arrive in the ancient capital, where emperors ruled for a thousand years and temples outnumber convenience stores.
Kyoto was deliberately spared from bombing in World War II because of its cultural importance. Secretary of War Henry Stimson, who had honeymooned there, removed it from the target list. Beauty, sometimes, does save.
Stay: Aman Kyoto or The Mitsui Kyoto
Kyoto: Temples & Gardens
Dawn visit to Fushimi Inari before the crowds—10,000 vermillion torii gates climbing a sacred mountain. Afternoon at the zen gardens of Ryoan-ji and the golden perfection of Kinkaku-ji.
Ryoan-ji's rock garden contains 15 stones, arranged so that from any vantage point, you can only see 14. The meaning? Centuries of scholars have debated. Perhaps the point is that some things remain forever hidden.
Stay: Aman Kyoto or The Mitsui Kyoto
Kyoto: Tea & Craft
Morning tea ceremony with a master in a 400-year-old tea house. Afternoon visiting artisan workshops: a kintsugi master who repairs broken pottery with gold, a sword polisher, a sake brewer.
Kintsugi—repairing broken ceramics with gold—is a philosophy as much as a craft. The cracks become part of the object's beauty, its history visible and honored. Nothing is disposable; everything has a story.
Stay: Aman Kyoto or The Mitsui Kyoto
Kyoto to Naoshima
Travel to Naoshima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea transformed into an open-air art museum. Yayoi Kusama's pumpkins, Tadao Ando's concrete museums, James Turrell's light installations—art everywhere.
Naoshima was a polluted industrial island until Benesse Corporation began installing art in the 1990s. Now it's a pilgrimage site for art lovers worldwide. Industry gave way to beauty; pollution became transformation.
Stay: Benesse House
Naoshima Art Island
Full day exploring the island by bicycle. Discover art installations in abandoned houses, museums built into hillsides, sculptures on beaches. Each corner reveals something unexpected.
Lee Ufan Museum on Naoshima contains only a handful of works—stones, steel plates, brushstrokes—in Tadao Ando's concrete spaces. It's a meditation on emptiness, on what's left when everything unnecessary is removed.
Stay: Benesse House
Naoshima to Osaka
Ferry and train to Osaka, Japan's kitchen. Final afternoon exploring Dotonbori's neon-lit food streets. Farewell dinner at a counter where the chef's been grilling yakitori for 50 years.
Osaka's motto is "kuidaore"—eat until you drop. This is a city that takes food seriously, without the formality of Tokyo or the refinement of Kyoto. Here, deliciousness is the only standard that matters.
Stay: The St. Regis Osaka or Conrad Osaka
Departure
Transfer to Kansai International Airport for your departure. Japan says goodbye not with fanfare but with grace—a bow, a thank you, and the knowledge that you're always welcome to return.
The Japanese word "ichi-go ichi-e" means "one time, one meeting"—the idea that every encounter is unique and will never recur. It's why they treat every guest, every moment, with such care. Every goodbye is the only one of its kind.
Stay: Day use available
Ready to Begin?
This journey is waiting to be shaped around you. Tell us your dates, your preferences, your dreams—and we'll craft something extraordinary.