There are some items everyone knows should be on a Japan holiday checklist — tea ceremony, sumo wrestling, bullet train trip — but an Abercrombie & Kent Japan holiday does so much more than tick boxes.
The company’s new small group Japan itinerary delivers all the expected experiences, but with an extra level of exclusivity and refinement. And with a resident English-speaking tour guide on every trip, there’s also opportunities to go deeper and find the hidden gems and authentic experiences most tick-a-box Japan trips miss.
Here’s what to expect on the nine-day Classic Japan journey with Abercrombie & Kent:
Exquisite accommodation
St Regis is a hotel brand synonymous with elevated luxury and famed for its 24-hour butler service. Your trip includes two nights at St Regis Osaka, located on the Champs Elysée of Osaka, Midosuji. Soak in the deep bathtub in your marble bathroom, complete with Remede bath accessories. Head to the 12th floor terrace for sweeping views over the city. Book a treatment at the hotel’s signature Iridium spa and enjoy dinner at one of the hotel’s three acclaimed restaurants.
In Hakone you’ll stay at the top-rated ryokan (traditional inn) in the renowned hot springs destination, Gora Kadan. Located in the heart of Hakone National Park this former retreat of the Kanin-no-miya Imperial family has an onsen surrounded by forest, an on-site chef preparing meticulously presented traditional Kaiseki cuisine and futon beds overlooking a valley of pine and cherry trees.
Food you’ll never forget
In Osaka you’ll explore the food and entertainment hotspot, the Dontonbori District, sampling the likes of octopus dumplings and okonomiyaki from the huge variety of eateries lining its neon-washed streets. In Kyoto your exquisite traditional meal is accompanied by a geiko (as geishas are known in the city) and maiko (apprentice geiko) who will sing, dance, pour sake and share stories of life in the city. In Tokyo you’ll start the day with a visit to a local fish market before learning to make sushi and enjoying lunch with the chef.
Eye-opening classic and contemporary art
In Tokyo you’ll explore the Tokyo National Musuem, home to a vast collection of Japanese art and antiquities, and can also opt to visit the Mori Art Museum, known for its large-scale international exhibitions, or the Museum of Contemporary Art, dedicated to postwar art, and work by young artists.
In Hakone you’ll stroll the grounds of the Open Air Museum where sculptures by the likes of Henry Moore and Rodin dot the grounds surrounding one of the world’s best Picasso exhibits, with more than 100 works by the Spanish master.
Moments of Zen
In Nara, Japan’s first capital, you’ll visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Todai-ji, a temple complex containing the largest bronze Buddha statue in the country, before continuing to Nara Park, home to hundreds of deer. In Kyoto you’ll visit the iconic Zen rock garden at Ryoan-ji, and drink in the outdoor cathedral atmosphere of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, where sunshine filters through the towering shoots. Later, you’ll attend a tranquil tea ceremony, the refined sense of manners and hospitality dating to the samurai period.
Japanese icons
In Tokyo join a family-owned workshop dedicated to the art of drum making where you’ll try your hand at playing the taiko. The next day opt to test your sword skills at a private class by a modern-day samurai. Take in views of the instantly recognisable Mt Fuji from an aerial tram drifting above the forests of Fuji-Hakone Izu National Park. In Nara watch a demonstration of the fabled art of sumo wrestling at the Kehaya-za Sumo Pavilion. You’ll get from Hakone to Osaka on the bullet train. The shinkansen makes the 400km journey in two hours and twenty minutes, reaching speeds of 320kmh.
Zero stress
With guaranteed departures with a minimum of two guests, and an average of 13, you won’t just be a face in the crowd. And with an airport meet and greet, private transfers, travelling bellboy luggage service, valet laundry service, internet access, gratuities, entrance fees and 24-hour on-call support included, your only job is to enjoy the journey.
Abercrombie & Kent offers luxury small group tours, tailor-made journeys and luxury expedition cruises. Visit abercrombiekent.com.au or call 1800 161 352.
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