Delve into your exploration of Japan with the former capital of Nara, birthplace of Japanese culture, before heading on to the spiraling Himeji Castle, perhaps the most beautiful of Japan’s Tokugawa-era castles, and on for a couple of soothing days in Kurashiki. End in Hiroshima and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Miyajima, with its marvelous Itsukushima shrine, built over the water.

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 Nara, Japan's first capital • Day 2: Nara and environs • Day 3: Kurashiki via 14th-century Himeji Castle, one of the country's finest • Day 4: rice merchant town of Kurashiki, sometimes called "Japan's Venice" • Day 5: Hiroshima via Okayama • Day 6: Hiroshima and Miyajima• Day 7: depart.

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