Tailor Made Holidays in Japan: Highlights

Pay an early morning visit to Tokyo's Meiji Jingu

Meiji Jingu is one of Tokyo's busiest sights but when jet lag wakes you up at the crack of dawn there is nothing more rewarding than an early morning visit to this important shrine. It is an oasis of calm in Japan's bustling capital city and still a working shrine used for weddings and for crowds to gather at to see in the New Year.

Read more about: Tokyo
 
Experience a traditional pastime in a local home

Instigated by the Kyoto Women's Association, this is the opportunity to try your hand at a traditional pastime in a local Kyoto home. There is a whole range of activities to choose from, with some of our favourites being kimono wearing, cookery, calligraphy and ikebana flower arranging.

Read more about: Kyoto
 
Experience the tranquility of Mount Koya

After the throng and bustle of Japan’s larger cities, you may want to take some time out to enjoy a tranquil night or two learning more about the fascinating life of the monks on Mount Koya. A stay in one of the simple temple lodgings or shukubo, will also allow you to enjoy the traditional shojin ryori (vegetarian cuisine of the monks) as well as participating in the early morning prayers. Koya is experienced by very few westerners and will leave a lasting impression on anyone who does make the journey up the mountain to this sacred spot.

Read more about: Mount Koya
 
Indulge in a hot spring spa

As a thermally active country, due to its many volcanoes and mountains, Japan is blessed with numerous hot springs (onsen), where you can relax and unwind in the soothing hot waters, which often boast healing and calming properties for various aches and pains. Rotemburos (outdoor baths) with mountain or ocean views are exquisite and a soak in one is the best way to relax after a busy day sightseeing. Hakone, in the Mount Fuji National Park and Yudanaka in the alps both have plenty of wonderful spa properties for you to choose from.

Read more about: Hot Springs
 
Learn about Geisha culture in Kyoto

At tea time, in Gion district, where the ancient tea-houses of Kyoto are located, you can sometimes see Geisha girls scurrying between appointments. Learning about the life of these fascinating ladies and catching a glimpse of them is enchanting. Also enjoyable is watching the geisha dances in Kyoto or just learning about the culture of their dress, their artistic skills and the history behind it all.

Read more about: Kyoto
 
See a sumo bout

This unique and highly ritualized national sport is great fun to watch. On a cultural, sporting and visual level, it is fascinating. Catch it in May and September in Tokyo and make sure you have your bento box meal to eat, while enjoying the spectacle.

Read more about: Tokyo
 
Stay in a ryokan

For a taste of true Japanese hospitality there is nothing better than a night at a traditional ryokan inn. Be it at one of Kyoto's refined establishments or at a more modest guesthouse in the countryside, you can expect the same warmth of welcome and wonderful attention to detail. Enjoy a delicious kaiseki dinner then take a soothing hot spring bath while your futon is laid out in your traditional tatami-matted room.

Read more about: Accommodation
 
Taste delicious, authentic sushi

Japan's national dish and oh so much more than just "raw" fish. Sushi and sashimi are delicate morsels of fresh fish, uncooked yes, but melt in the mouth delicious and extremely good for you. The best way to try sushi for the first time is at a kaiten-zushi bar (also to be found popping up in the UK now as well), where plates of sushi pass by on a conveyor belt and you pick and choose the dishes you want, totting up the price at the end of your meal.

 
Enjoy the view from the Aso Caldera

The caldera is the world's largest active caldera and visits to the summit are frequently declared off limits due to toxic gas emissions. Do not be put off though- the 100,000 year old caldera is geologically spectacular and the views from the top are suberb.

Read more about: Kyushu
 
Admire the Floating Torii gates on Miyajima island

Once of Japan's most viewed attractions and designated one of it's top three most scenic spots, the huge red shrine gate that marks Miyajima as a holy Shinto island is one of our perennial favourite sights. The gate (torii in Japanese) is known as the "floating torii" due to the effect that is created by the high tides coming in from the Inland Sea and covering the base of the gate in water. Miyajima island is at its most beautiful at dusk when the crowds have dispersed, your only company is the tame deer which inhabit the island and the gate is lit up by flickering stone lanterns.

Read more about: Hiroshima & Miyajima
 
Travel on the Bullet Train

The best way to get around Japan, a trip on the bullet train is electrifying. You feel as if you are in a plane, but on the ground and it's not until you see one pass you that you actually realise how fast you are travelling! These amazing trains (shinkansen) can reach up to 300km/h, are very safe and are almost never late.

Read more about: Rail Travel
 
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