The Pursuit of Beauty: Gardens, Temples and Cutting-edge Architecture in Japan

Depart London Heathrow in the morning for a flight to Osaka via Tokyo.

We land in Osaka in the morning, and transfer by private coach to Nara, Japan’s ancient capital. Check in to the JW Marriott Hotel, our base for the next three nights. After a light lunch in the hotel, there will be some time for a much-needed rest. Later in the afternoon, we take a coach to Nara Park, with its free-roaming deer, to visit the world’s largest and most magnificent surviving wooden structure, the 7th century temple of Tōdai-ji with its great bronze Buddha effigy. In the evening, enjoy dinner in the hotel before we retire for bed.

We start today with a short journey by private coach to Hōryū-ji Temple. Built in the early 7th century, it is Japan’s oldest temple complex and contains some of the earliest examples of wooden buildings in the world, as well as a fine collection of artworks. After lunch together close to the temple, we return to Nara for a brief rest. In the afternoon, walk to the picturesque zen temple of Kaidan-In, and to Kōfuku-ji for its magnificent example of pagoda architecture. Continue to downtown Nara for a simple dinner together in the market area.

Bid farewell to Nara in the morning and transfer by private coach to the Miho Museum, a masterpiece of choreographed architecture and design by architect I.M. Pei (who also conceptualised the Louvre pyramids), to view the small but exquisite art collection. The design was inspired by the ethereal utopia described in the ancient Chinese fable Taohua Yuan Ji (The Peach Blossom Spring), written by Tao Yuanming, and a visit is certainly a breath-taking experience. After lunch in the museum cafe, continue to the temple of Byōdō-In, set on the edge of water, to visit its impressive 11th-century Phoenix Hall and famous Amida image. Travel on to Kyoto and check in at the Celestine Hotel in Gion, the city’s ancient heart. After some time to settle in, enjoy a twilight walk through the streets of the traditional Gion area before returning to our hotel for dinner. This is our first of four nights in Kyoto.

Transfer by private coach to Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion) and its justly famous ‘moon-viewing’ garden. We begin the long ‘Philosopher’s Path’ below the Eastern Hills of Kyoto, a pedestrian walk that follows a cherry-tree-lined canal, named for the 20th-century Kyoto philosopher, Kitaro Nishida, who would walk along it on his way to university. Along the way, we will visit the temple of Hōnen-in and the important Nanzenji Temple complex, famed for its unusual aqueduct. After a Japanese tofu lunch, continue by foot to the Chion-in temple complex. Then back (by private vehicle) to the hotel for a rest. In the evening, cocktails and fine dinner at the Miyako Hotel.

Today, we journey by coach to the shore of the wide Katsura river at Arashiyama – frequently drawn and painted by the Japanese masters. We will visit one of Kyoto’s most important gardens at the Temple of Tenryū-ji, which incorporates elements of distant landscape or ‘borrowed scenery’ to enhance its beauty. Afterwards, a walk in the impressive bamboo grove and, if time permits, a visit to Jojakkoji temple and garden nearby. Have an independent lunch and shopping time in Arashiyama. After lunch, we visit gardens and some special windows in the north of the city: the garden of Daisen-in, one of the most succinct and meaningful of all Zen gardens, and the great monumental buildings of Daitoku-ji Monastery. Continue to the garden of Entsu-ji, one of Kyoto’s least known & least-visited, but simplest gardens, with a particularly fine ‘borrowed’ landscape. We finish with the ‘Infinity window’ at Genkō-an, perfectly designed for quiet contemplation. In the evening, there will be the option to reserve a Japanese fine-dining experience at tiny Ifuki in Gion, which has earned two Michelin stars.

After breakfast, free time in central Kyoto for independent visits, shopping and exploring. For those that wish to join a curated visit, there will be the opportunity to depart the hotel early to visit the tiny and very famous Zen garden of Ryōan-ji. Reconvene in the late afternoon to travel by coach to the dramatic Tōfuku-ji monastic complex of gardens, temples and parkland. We enjoy dinner together in Gion in the evening, our last night in Kyoto.

We check out of our hotel after breakfast, at which point, our luggage will be sent ahead to Tokyo. Transfer to Kyoto station where we board the Shinkansen ‘Bullet Train’ and travel east and north to the coastal city of Atami. Private transport will meet us and take us to our next state-of-the-art museum (reached by seven escalators with varying light effects and works of art): the MOA Museum of Art, with a fascinating and eclectic collection of Japanese art. Enjoy an independent lunch at the museum café. Our drive continues on, up into the mountains to a potentially very good viewing point for Mt. Fuji, weather permitting! Then on to Hakone, situated in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Here, we will enjoy an afternoon visit to the stunning collection of the recently opened Okada Museum, where a large assortment of East Asian sculptures, paintings and ceramics make for fascinating viewing. Continue to Tokyo, arriving in the early evening. Check in to the Blossom Hibiya in the centre of Tokyo for the last three nights.

A second tour of Tokyo, this time with a focus on the western side of the city. We begin at the the Meiji Jingū (National Shinto Shrine) and its surrounding park, a lush oasis of forest in the heart of Tokyo. Continue to the fashionable area of Omotesandō for window-gazing and shopping, a good chance to spot examples of Tokyo’s famed street style. Next stop is the beautiful Nezu Museum, with its private collection – a diverse selection of Japanese and Asian premodern art – and serene garden. Lunch at the Nezu Museum before an afternoon free for your own explorations. Meet in the evening for cocktails at the famous Imperial Hotel, followed by a delicious tempura dinner, an elegant way to mark our final evening in Japan.

Check out of our hotel after breakfast and transfer to Tokyo Haneda Airport for our return, direct flight with BA to London Heathrow.