Japan: Historical and Contemporary

Travel with Jason James OBE, the Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, on a tour through Japan’s long history.

The itinerary follows Japanese history from the earliest historical records and continues via the shoguns, the arrival of the black ships, the Meiji Restoration and the opening of Japan, to the modern day.

The tour includes a range of specialist visits and experiences in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula and Tokyo, which are illustrated by short talks throughout the tour.

Options include visiting a traditional onsen and walking the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto.

Price (sharing a room)

per person

Price (room to yourself)

per person

Reference:

JPN1027-1

At a glance

What you need to know

Type of tour

Cultural

Nights

Countries

Tour grade

Moderate

Remaining places

Dates and places

Itinerary at a glance

Osaka

Sunday

October

Arrive in Osaka and check into the hotel. Meet with the group for a welcome dinner.

Osaka

Monday

October

Travel up to Mount Koya to visit Okunoin, part of Kongobuji Temple and one of the most sacred places in Japan. Visit the cemetery, which contains the graves of important Japanese figures and see some of the 100 temples on the mountain. Learn about the powerful 12th-century samurai Taira clan and hear a short talk by Jason James, “Capitals, Culture and Conflict.” Enjoy an okonomiyaki dinner.

Osaka / Kyoto

Tuesday

October

Transfer to Yoshino and visit Kinpusen-ji Temple. Walk up to the site of the Imperial residence of Emperor Go-Daigo. Lunch and visit Nara, Japan’s 8th-century capital. Visit Todai-ji, one of the Seven Great Temples, which contains the world’s largest bronze Buddha. Visit the sacred Shinto shrine of Kasuga Taisha and continue to Kyoto. Talk: “Kyoto: Art, Culture and the Imperial City.”

Kyoto

Wednesday

October

Visit the beautiful seventeenth-century Nijo Castle with its moat, huge stone walls, stunning gardens and rich art collection. Enter the Golden Pavillion, whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf and explore the famous geisha district of Gion. At leisure or option of walking the Philosopher’s Path.

Kyoto

Thursday

October

Visit the Buddhist Byodo-in Temple in Uji, including the Phoenix Hall, one of the few original wooden structures surviving from the Heian Period (794-1185). Travel to Fushimi Inari, famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails. Take the Tofuku-ji Temple walk, visiting the Hojo rock garden, Tsutenkyo Bridge and surrounding gardens.

Kyoto / Mishima

Friday

October

Transfer to Sekigahara and visit the site of the Battle of Sekigahara, fought in 1600. Visit the excellent museum, which includes a viewing deck. Continue to Inuyama Castle for a talk on Oda Nobunaga and the unification of Japan. Then take the bullet train from Nagoya to Mishima and check in to the Tokyu Hotel. Talk: “Barbarians at the Gate.”

Mishima / Shimoda / Mishima

Saturday

October

Visit Shimoda, a pleasant coastal town significant for being one of the first ports opened to foreign vessels after Commodore Perry forced Japan to open up. Visit Ryosenji Temple and the Commodore Perry Museum. Return to the hotel via the Nirayama Reverberatory Furnaces, an iron smelting facility built in 1857 at the start of Japan’s industrial revolution. Optional onsen.

Mishima / Hakone / Kamakura / Tokyo

Sunday

October

Take a coach to the old Tokaido, the centuries-old route linking Tokyo with the former capital, Kyoto, and walk along its Cedar Avenue. Continue to Hakone and visit the Okada Museum of Art. Lunch before driving to Kamakura to see the Great Buddha,cast from bronze in 1252. Learn about Minamoto Yoritomo, the first shogun to effectively rule Japan. Drive to Tokyo. Talk: “Edo – early Tokyo”.

Tokyo / Yokohama / Tokyo

Monday

November

Walk to Hamarikyu Gardens, once a royal hunting lodge and grounds, and take tea in the traditional tea house. Cruise through the canals of Tokyo to the historic Asakusa neighborhood and Senso-ji Temple. Visit the excellent and recently modernised Edo Museum, which depicts the history of Tokyo. Talk: “Making modern Japan”. Fresh fish Izakaya dinner.

Tokyo

Tuesday

November

Take part in a tour focusing on the arts of Japan. Visit Meiji Shrine and the fashionable Harajuku area, and see intricate woodblock prints at the Ota Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print Museum. Continue to the Nezu Museum to see its collection of Japanese and Asian pre-modern art and its exquisite garden. Farewell yakiniku barbecue dinner with views of Tokyo Bay.

Tokyo

Wednesday

November

Depart hotel after breakfast.