Gardens & Traditions of Japan

Day 1 : Kansai Airport > Osaka

You will be welcomed by your driver and transferred to your hotel in Osaka by chartered taxi. Enjoy your evening at leisure to explore the food culture that the city is famous for.

Day 2 : Osaka > Hiroshima

Travel by bullet train to Hiroshima, where you will be welcomed by your private guide and transferred to your hotel by local taxi. This afternoon, enjoy a privately guided walking tour of the city. Hiroshima has rebuilt itself as one of Japan’s most laid back yet vibrant cities full of wide boulevards and art museums, great food and friendly, welcoming people. Visit the Peace Memorial and Museum and A-Bomb Dome, followed by a stroll through the Shukkeien Japanese garden. Directly translating to “shrunken-scenery garden”, Shukkeien was created by a famous master of the tea ceremony in 1620 and features miniaturised scenic views with a rich diversity of landscapes. Takui Pond and its many islets sit at the centre, with a walking path that winds around the water.

Day 3 : Hiroshima > Iwakuni > Yuda Onsen

Depart Hiroshima by car for a full day tour of the Yamaguchi prefecture’s eastern highlights. In the ancient castle town of Iwakuni, see the Kintaikyo Bridge, a marvel of engineering. This national treasure is one of the most famous wooden bridges in the country, with five hill-like arches on stone bases over the Nishiki River. Near the bridge is Kikko Park, the former site of the third lord of Iwakuni, with several walking paths and two former samurai dwellings. Many of the large trees here were planted during the Edo period. From here, take the ropeway to Iwakuni Castle, where the curving Nishiki River creates a natural moat. Enjoy sweeping views of the city and perhaps walk around the ruins of the original fortress that also remain on the site.

Stop at the Dassai Sake Brewery for a tour and tasting before continuing to the five-storied pagoda of Rurikoji. Considered one of the top three pagodas in Japan, the tower narrows at the top, giving it a refined appearance. The temple grounds, known as Kozan Park, are also home to the burial site of the Mori family and a teahouse that Saigo Takamori and others secretly planned the successful overthrow of the Edo Shogunate. After a full day of touring, overnight in a traditional inn once used by the revolutionaries of the Meiji Restoration. Soak in the serene atmosphere with a stroll around the ryokan’s circuit-style Japanese garden, complete with colourful koi. A multi-course dinner full of seasonal specialties will be served in the privacy of your room, and you can experience the soothing hot spring waters of Yuda Onsen from your private open air bath.

Day 4 : Yuda Onsen > Akiyoshidai & Nagato > Hagi

Continue your exploration of the Yamaguchi prefecture with a full day private tour by car. Start the morning at Akiyoshido, a plateau of uplifted coral reef that was under the sea 300 million years ago and has since been eroded into an undulating karst landscape. Walking trails wind through the rocky grassland, and the unique landscape takes on a different appearance through the seasons. Underneath is the Akiyoshido Cave, the country’s largest and longest limestone cave and easily accessed via a well-maintained path. The large cavern is gently lit to highlight the beautiful limestone pools, stalactites and stalagmites.

Head to the coast to visit Motonosumi, an atmospheric clifftop shrine in the remote northwestern region of the prefecture. A trail of more than 100 vermillion torii gates lead to a small shrine, said to be built at the request of a white fox spirit. Rather than placed in the usual easy to access location, the offering box at this shrine is hung from the top of the torii gate. Good luck is bestowed upon those who can manage to toss their coin in the box. Nearby are the Higashiushirobata terraced rice fields, where over 200 ocean-facing rice paddies have been constructed in graduated steps along the Mukatsuku Peninsula. During the months of May and June they fill with water, creating a mirror-like effect. From the steep hillside you can see the fishing boats in the port below in Yuya Bay.
Finish in the historic town of Hagi, where you will overnight in a ryokan with beautiful spacious gardens and 14 different types of hot spring baths. An included dinner will introduce you to the delicacies of the surrounding sea, mountains and fields.

Day 5 : Hagi & Tsuwano > Tamatsukuri Onsen

Start the morning with a private tour of Hagi, a well-preserved former castle town. The merchant and samurai district retains so much of its original layout that it can be navigated using an Edo era map. The area is famous for its enchanting white-walled streets lined with orange trees, along with some of the country’s finest pottery (Hagiyaki) that is revered by tea enthusiasts. Visit the temples of Tokoji and Daishoin, both home to burial sites of the Mori feudal lords. Located in the woods just outside of town, the moss-covered stone lanterns lining the paths create a spiritual and peaceful atmosphere. Head to the town of Tsuwano, where the main streets house traditional samurai residences, sake breweries, historic merchant storehouses and waterways filled with colourful koi. In the forested hills above the old town is the Taikodani Inari shrine, considered one of the five greatest Inari shrines in the country. Originally for the exclusive use of the ruling samurai, the main grounds are accessed via a 15 minute climb of stairs lined by a zig-zagging tunnel of 1,000 vermillion torii gates and statues of foxes. Perched higher atop the hills are the ruins of Tsuwano Castle, offering panoramic views of the valley and town below. Farewell your guide at Tsuwano station, where you board the train to Tamatsukuri Onsen. On arrival, make your way to your ryokan, where a spacious room with a private outdoor hot spring bath awaits you. Savour an included multi-course seasonal dinner, and perhaps visit the resort’s Japanese garden or tearoom.

Day 6 : Tamatsukuri Onsen > Matsue area > Tamatsukuri Onsen

Start today’s full day private tour by car at the Adachi Museum of Art and its celebrated garden. Founder Adachi Zenko hoped that visitors would be inspired by the museum’s magnificent Japanese style garden to view the many paintings by Yokoyama Taikan with a renewed sense of appreciation. The museum also houses a large collection of 20th century paintings and artworks which are rotated seasonally. Next head to the Yuushien Japanese garden, located in the centre of Daikonshima Island. Created by Kadowaki Sakae it features a variety of seasonal flowers as well as several traditional landscape garden elements. The garden is most famous for its collection of 250 types of Japanese peony flowers, planted with carefully planned timing to allow visitors to see the flowers year-round in dedicated indoor and outdoor displays. Continue to Izumo Taisha, one of Japan’s most ancient and important shrines. It is home to the country’s largest shimenawa, a sacred rope made of straw, and the god Okuninushi is said to reside here. End the day at Lake Shinji, a large brackish water lake famous for its sunset view. Return to your ryokan for another included dinner.

Day 7 : Tamatsukuri Onsen > Okayama > Kyoto

This morning make your own way to the station for your train to Okayama. Enjoy a few hours of free time to independently visit the acclaimed Korakuen Garden, widely known as one of Japan’s best three landscape gardens. Constructed in 1687 by an order of the local feudal lord, this beautiful strolling garden features a large pond, impressive lawns, cherry trees, plum trees, rice paddies and tea rooms. Korakuen also demonstrates the concept of “borrowed scenery”, with nearby Okayama Castle playing a major role in the garden’s background scenery. Return to the station and transfer to Kyoto by bullet train. Your home for the next three nights is The Thousand Kyoto, an oasis of tranquillity only 2 minutes on foot from Kyoto Station. Rooms blend minimalist design with modern luxury to create a harmonious space that is the essence of Japanese comfort.

Day 8 : Kyoto

Today experience splendid examples of various garden styles on a full day private tour of Kyoto. Start at Nijo Castle, built in 1603 as the residence of the first Edo shogun. The grounds feature numerous varieties of cherry trees and a plum orchard that bloom in spring, and trees such as maple and ginkgo that provide brilliant colours in autumn. Of the several gardens, the highlight is the traditional landscape garden Ninomaru. Designed by the tea master Kobori Enshu, it has a large pond with islands, carefully placed ornamental stones and topiary pine trees. Carry on to Kinkakuji, a three-story Zen temple also known as the Golden Pavilion. The top two stories are covered with pure gold leaf, and each floor of the temple displays a different architectural style. Set in a Muromachi period strolling garden, the temple is integrated within the landscape in an artistic way. At Ryoanji, see the garden considered to be one of the finest examples of a Zen garden in all of Japan. Fifteen stones are carefully placed atop white sand, with one rock that is always hidden from view no matter where you stand. Next visit Saihoji, also known as Kokedera or Moss Temple. Constructed during the Nara period by Gyoki, this UNESCO World Heritage site has strongly influenced subsequent Japanese garden design. The two-tiered garden resembles a beautiful green carpet with many subtle shades, and it is estimated to have over 120 varieties of moss. Finish at Museum Richo, which focuses on porcelain from Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. There are beautiful gardens around the building, and a tea room designed by Teruhito Iijima.

Day 9 : Kyoto

This morning you will have a special tour of the Murin-an Japanese garden with a “Garden Craftsman”. This is a rare opportunity to be guided by a master of the garden – the artisans who oversee the ever-changing form of the garden. A nationally designated “Place of Scenic Beauty”, Murin-an was created by master gardener Ogawa Jihei and completed in 1896 as the garden villa of Prime Minister Yamagata Arimoto. Enjoy a unique in-depth tour of the garden’s scenic points, history and more, including a translator with a specialised knowledge of gardens. Continue to Nanzenji, a Zen temple known for its rock garden – also called a “dry landscape garden” or karesansui. The Hojo, Nanzenji’s main hall, houses the garden built in the 1600s by Kobori Enshu. The garden mirrors natural forms and is seventy percent gravel. The Hojo building itself is also admired for its variety of screen paintings on gold backgrounds on the sliding doors (known as fusuma). Your afternoon and evening is at leisure to explore Kyoto independently.

Day 10 : Kyoto > Kansai Airport

Transfer to the airport by Limited Express train Haruka in time for your onward flight.