Kyoto, Jan Morris has written, “remains to the Japanese something special . . . the supreme repository of their ancient traditions, their religion, and their high-flown patriotism, their golden heritage and their resilient pride.”

In this expertly choreographed, highly phenomenal trip, we’ll delve deeply and thoughtfully into the grand city and its environs (including a foray to I. M. Pei’s masterpiece Miho Museum), ranging from its famed temples and gardens (“more than hymns to tranquility,” Kanto Shigemori has written, “they contain a world of beauty unbounded by limits of time”) to its galleries and artisans’ studios, its meandering streets and markets, and its pure and enchanting Japaneseness. We’ll learn the rudiments of the ancient arts of calligraphy, ikebana, and the tea ceremony, and we’ll dine on local specialties (“Ordering in Japan may seem overwhelming,” our Japan magnate Kristina Tuohey says, “but it’s where one learns an important lesson—language is not a barrier to kindness in Japan”), all the while enjoying the “electric repose” so characteristic of Japan and Kyoto, in particular.

Days 1 & 2: USA to Kyoto via Osaka • Day 3: train to Arashiyama, Tenryuji and Saiho-ji Temples, famed Moss Garden • Day 4: Buddhist statuary at Sanjusangen-do, Fushimi Inari Shrine • Day 5: Silver Pavilion, the Philosophers’ Walk, Nanzen-ji Zen Temple • Day 6: Shisendo temple of the poet-hermit Jozan Ishikawa • Day 7: leisurely Kyoto wandering • Day 8: train to Rengei-ji Temple and gardens • Day 9: I. M. Pei’s Miho Museum • Day 10: Daitoku-ji Zen Monastery, galleries, Nishiki market • Day 11: Ryoan-ji Temple and garden and the Gold Pavilion • Day 12: Nijo Castle of the Tokugawa shoguns, Kawai Kanjiro’s pottery studio • Day 13: return to USA.

• General Description
• Health Precautions
• Reading List
• Travel Conditions
• Visa Information
• Weather Information

• More Japan Trips
• More Touring Trips
• More Featured Trips