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.

This is one of four handy, week-long itineraries designed to link together for an in-depth exploration of Japan, to stand alone as a Private Departure, or to act as a jumping-off idea for a Custom Journey.

Day 1: arrive in Kyoto (the city Edmund Blunden called the “temple of all the earth’s towns”) • Day 2: Philosophers’ Walk, Nanzen-ji Zen Temple • Day 3: Daitoku-ji Zen Monastery, galleries, Nishiki market • Day 4: excursion to Shigaraki, potter’s studio, I.M. Pei’s Miho Museum • Day 5: Gold Pavilion, Ryoan-ji Temple and garden (“More than hymns to tranquility,” Kanto Shigemori has written, “they contain a world of beauty unbounded by limits of time”) • Day 6: train to Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji and Saiho-ji Temples, famed moss garden • Day 7: depart Kyoto.

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