The Kyoto Way

Arrive in Tokyo, pass through immigration, collect your luggage, and clear customs.  If you have booked an arrival transfer through us, an assistant will meet you outside the secure area and take you to the hotel by private van transfer. You can also arrange transfers on the advice of our concierge. 

Check into the Millennium Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza and take some time to relax. Your host will be there to greet you. We’ll start our Japanese adventure with a ‘Welcome Dinner’ in Zen House at the hotel. This is a perfect opportunity to meet each other and discuss our plans for the week ahead.  

The best way to discover a city is by walking it and riding its rails. Today, we do both. Our first stop is a visit to the Tsujiki Outer Market on the edge of Tokyo Bay. While the big fish market has moved elsewhere, what remains is a lot of fun. The market is a maze of streets where you can feast on fresh sushi or pick up unique souvenirs, ranging from seaweed to sushi knives to handmade ceramics. (Take time to admire the knives at one of the city’s fabulous knife shops.) 

From here, we return to the Ginza district, Tokyo’s most famous up-market shopping, dining, and entertainment district. It is known for its architecture, dining, tea rooms, and varied entertainment.  We’ll stop at Ginza 6 to visit Tsutaya – one of Tokyo’s divine ‘design’ bookstores. We’ll visit the Mitsukoshi Ginza Depachika Food Hall. The in-house food halls – or depachika – are known for their gorgeous sweets and confectionery, immaculately packaged food, ready-to-eat dishes, and picture-perfect bento.

 Lunch is at a local sushi restaurant, after which we’ll stop at Itoya – one of the city’s most beautiful stationery shops. It’s also well stocked.  

We’ll stroll past Ginza Place, Louis Vuitton Ginza, and Mikimoto. Then, we'll hop onto a train to Shibuya to see the famous crossing. A visit to the 360° open-air observation deck at the Shibuya Sky Tower is next on the agenda. Shibuya Sky is more than just an observatory. It spans three floors. It has an indoor section that incorporates dazzling digital art displays that encourage you to see the city differently. We’ll sit back with a drink and enjoy Tokyo’s aerial views from the café or bar on the 46th floor, then return to our hotel.

Tonight, you're free to dine where you like. Find a local restaurant or relax with room service.

This morning, we’ll board our Shinkansen train to Kyoto after a short taxi ride to Tokyo Station. The train trip takes about two hours. We’ll travel first class, enjoying an onboard lunch from the Bento boxes we buy at the station before the trip. Our local guide will meet us on arrival in Kyoto. We’ll check into the Nogha Hotel before we head off on our adventures. 

Our first visit is to Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, perhaps Kyoto’s most iconic site. Originally built as a retirement villa for the Shogun, it became a Buddhist Temple after the Shogun’s death. Today, the Golden Pavilion is one of Kyoto’s most famous temples.  Our next stop is the serene UNESCO World Heritage Ryoanji with its famous Zen rock garden. 

The Japanese tea ceremony, Chadō or “The Way of Tea,” is a tradition steeped in history. Beyond serving and receiving tea, one of the primary purposes of the tea ceremony is for the guests to enjoy the host’s hospitality in an atmosphere far removed from the fast pace of everyday life. This afternoon, we immerse ourselves in a traditional Tea Ceremony in an old machiya house in the Gion district. You have the option of wearing a kimono to get into the spirit of the ceremony.  

We’ll return to our hotel and prepare for a dinner focusing on Kobe Beef near our hotel.

Our guide will meet us after breakfast for a morning class of ikebana, also known as kado or the “Way of Flowers.” This floral art form is more than just putting flowers into a vase. Japanese flower arranging requires patience and discipline. It is an authentic Japanese art through which you appreciate the beauty of simplicity. Everything to the smallest detail is considered, including the size and shape of the flowers, trunks, leaves, and branches. Ikebana encourages you to slow your thoughts, release stress, and get in tune with nature. 

Lunch is at a tranquil restaurant where the inventive meals feature the natural bounty of Kyoto prefecture’s Tango peninsula. The main ingredients include rice cultivated in-house and vegetables procured from nearby farmers. 

The Kyoto Handicraft Center is our next port of call. The store has seven floors of beguiling crafts ranging from key chains to hand-painted fans and swords.  

We’ll return to the hotel to rest & refresh. After an evening stroll through the atmospheric, lantern-lit alleyway of Pontocho, we’ll stop to taste whiskey at the Bar Liquor Museum. Dinner this evening is at a refined Japanese kaiseki restaurant in the lively Pontocho area featuring Kyoto kaiseki dishes using seasonal ingredients.  

This morning is all about Shibori at Aizen Kobo. After breakfast, we’re off to the Aizenkobo workshop, a famous indigo dyeing shop and workshop highly regarded for its beautiful, dyed works. We'll tour the building and discover the processes. 

Next up - the Nishijin Textile and Weaving district.  At Orinasu-kan, we’ll learn about the Nishijin district’s long history as the center of Kyoto’s textile industry. 

Lunch will consist of soba noodles at a small, much-loved local restaurant. The restaurant is the bridge between farmers and customers, a place where you can experience the flavor of the land in the Japanese buckwheat.  

You’ll have time to rest and refresh this afternoon.  We can meet in the hotel bar for a cocktail (own account) in the early evening. Then, we're off to our wonderful Maiko evening. Japan is associated with images of elaborate hairstyles, white-painted faces, and the bright red lips of geikos (a geiko is a geisha from Kyoto) wrapped in elegant kimonos. This evening, we’ll have dinner with a “maiko,” an apprentice geiko. We’ll dine on kaiseki ryori (a traditional multi-course dinner). During the dinner, you’ll have ample opportunity to interact with the hostess and ask questions about her craft and the world of maiko. She will perform traditional dances and invite guests to play Japanese drinking games.  

After this unforgettable experience, it is time to return to the hotel and wind down after the day’s events.

After a lazy breakfast, we will focus on how traditional incense is made. Kodo (Koh-do) means “Way of the Fragrance.” We’ll take a fragrance factory tour at the Shoyeido Incense Company store. The factory has crafted sensational scents since it opened in 1705, and even today, master crafters continue to preserve the art of ancient incense while constantly adding new, sublime fragrances.  

We’ll lunch on seasonal tempura at a restaurant a cut above your usual tempura restaurants. Then, we’ll visit a 200-year-old incense company and participate in a traditional practice called kneaded incense. You’ll have a chance to create an original blend of kneaded incense after learning about the ingredients. 

Before returning to the hotel, we’ll walk through the Nishiki-koji food market, known to the locals as Kyoto daidokoro or Kyoto’s kitchen. We’ll explore the local vicinity and the wonderful depachika (underground food hall) at one of Kyoto’s best department stores.  

Dinner this evening is an Omakase menu at restaurant Gion Motose or similar.  

Today, we’ll drive out of Kyoto for a day trip to the Miho Museum. The museum was designed by internationally recognized architect I.M. Pei, who also designed other famous structures, including the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The museum is named after Koyama Mihoko, one of the wealthiest women in Japan and the museum’s founder. The most appealing aspect of the museum is its structural design and how the structures integrate with the natural surroundings. This is highlighted in the museum's approach, which leads through a mixture of man-made and natural environments. 

Lunch is at a café in Shigaraki town. The café’s concept is to serve organically grown Koshihikari brown rice and fermented cuisine. Sit back and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and enjoy the wonderful garden.  

We’ll use the afternoon to discover Shigaraki town, home of the world-famous Shigaraki-yaki (Shigaraki ware). On a stroll around the area, we visit some local pottery artisans and view their kilns, workshops, and galleries. Most potters attach their studios and galleries to their homes so you can see their workspaces and experience parts of the artisan families' daily lives.  When we return to our Kyoto hotel, your evening is free. 

Today, you’ll experience "Kyogashi" at Kanshundo in Higashiyama. Wagashi, or traditional Japanese confectionery sweets, are an essential part of Japanese culture. Kyogashi is a type of wagashi made and created in Kyoto by specially trained artisans. Every season offers a new way to enjoy kyogashi. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to make a few delicate Kyoto-style wagashi as the teacher instructs us on the techniques used to shape the pieces. You’ll enjoy your finished creations with some delicious matcha green tea as a reward for your labors. 

We’ll stroll through the Higashiyama area and enjoy a wonderful udon noodle lunch. Then we’re off to the Gion area.  

Shinbashi-Dori, Kyoto’s most famous antique street, which runs straight to the Tatsumi Bridge. We’ll wander around the area, take in the sights, and make one last stop at Kagizen Wagashi Shop, one of Kyoto’s oldest and most esteemed tea and sweet shops. It has a serene tearoom where you can enjoy traditional sweets with cups of thick matcha tea. We return to the hotel to rest and refresh. 

We’ll meet at the hotel bar for a cocktail tonight before enjoying a last magnificent meal at Cenci Kyoto. 

It is time to pay tribute to our week in Japan and say farewell to new friends.

It's time to bid farewell to the captivating cities of Japan. Take a moment to reflect on the unforgettable experiences and cherished memories gathered throughout your journey. 

As you prepare for your transfer to Osaka Airport or Tokyo Airport, let the excitement of your adventures linger in your heart. Enjoy a delightful breakfast as you say goodbye to this remarkable land, carrying with you the spirit of Japan and the promise of future explorations.