Sample Itinerary: Physically Challenged

11 Days, 10 Nights

Tokyo, Matsumoto, Kyoto

Custom Escorted Group Tour

Enjoy a specially prepared journey designed to introduce the physically challenged to the arts and culture of Japan while enabling ease of travel and unique experiences.

Tokyo is vibrant, dynamic, exciting and cosmopolitan. We will visit museums and galleries, explore career-defining architecture, sample fine cuisine and learn how the historical has been integrated into the modern life of Japan. Then travel back through Japan’s history, heading to the Nakasendo Road; the well-traveled route taken by daimyo between their provinces and the capital of Edo (Tokyo).  Visit the original castle in Matsumoto and explore the kura district before heading to our luxury ryokan for onsen baths and a multi-course kaiseki meal. The next day travel to Narai, one of the post towns along the original Nakasendo Road to explore this historic reconstruction of one of the critical links in the economic and political life of pre-Edo Japan. End the travel day in Kyoto, alive with the blazing colors of autumn foliage, at our five-star hotel. Kyoto, with its wide-range of arts, crafts, traditions, gardens and history will fill the remainder of our trip with its delights. We’ll learn firsthand the importance the Japanese put on the concept of mastery and meet some of the masters, or sensei, who carry forward Japan’s rich artistic heritage. We will visit artists ranging from Nihonga to gold-leaf, textile, kumihimo and more.

Day 1

Depart Home



Depart for Japan on your individually arranged flight.

Day 2

Arrive Tokyo Japan

Travel by private car transfer to your downtown hotel.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: None

Day 3

Tokyo

Start your time in Tokyo at Meiji Shrine to learn about Shinto and experience kagura, a blessing ceremony of ancient, sacred music and dance. Travel through Harajuku, a center of Japan’s renowned youth fashion and culture, followed by a strolling or vehicle tour on nearby Omotesando to see contemporary architecture and trendy street life. Lunch today will be at a restaurant specializing in tofu and unique Japanese creations. After lunch, visits to some of the interesting museums in Tokyo Midtown will be followed by a private presentation at Nuno Gallery, known for innovative textiles and clothing by renowned designer Reiko Sudo.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 4

Tokyo

Today, set out to enjoy a leisurely tour of the Ginza neighborhood, including a visit to one of Tokyo’s famed department stores for the opening ceremony. After lunch at a restaurant specializing in a contemporary Japanese/French fusion cuisine, visit the Nezu Museum and garden, designed by Kuma Kengo. We suggest free time this afternoon so that each member of the party can visit the part of Tokyo that interests them the most. We can provide self-guided instructions for a range of options.  End the evening with a welcome dinner in one of Tokyo’s fine restaurants, which are continually re-interpreting traditional cuisine.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 5

Tokyo

This morning visit one of the quiet sections of Tokyo where you will be introduced to a Nihonga artist, who creates delicate Japanese masterpieces on paper and silk. End the group touring day with a guided tour of the Tokyo National Museum. Afterwards explore other areas of Tokyo–Asakusa and the famous Senso-ji Temple or perhaps the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the nearby Sumo Museum on your own.  You may want to enjoy shopping in the newly revived Nihonbashi district.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6

Matsumoto

Today you will start our journey back in time. Head by train to Matsumoto where you will enjoy lunch in a restaurant set in a beautifully restored traditional storehouse. Start your touring at Matsumoto Castle, circa 1595, one of four remaining from Japan’s feudal period in its original condition. You will have some free time for you to explore Nakamachi, a pretty neighborhood of historic homes, many of which have been converted to cafes and galleries for crafts and antiques. Afterwards, continue to your ryokan for the evening, the deluxe, Relais & Chateaux property, Miyojinkan, where you can enjoy the onsen (hot spring) baths and a full-course kaiseki (multi-course) banquet dinner served Japanese style.

Accommodations: Deluxe Traditional Ryokan with Accessible Room option
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7

Narai

After your luxurious Japanese ryokan breakfast, will travel by vehicle to one of the original eleven post-towns along the Nakasendo Road. The winding and arduous road through the mountains and the Kiso valley connected Kyoto to the capital in Edo. Several post towns have been carefully restored and a visit to one of these truly is like walking the path of the samurai and ronin of old. Narai juku was a prosperous inn town (called Narai Senken – a thousand inns) and its unique architectural style of overhanging second-floors survives to this day. You  will have several hours to stroll through the town, explore the small local temples and lunch on your own. Afterwards, transfer by express train to Nagoya before heading to Kyoto via Shinkansen (bullet) train.  The Japanese trains allow for disabled travelers to travel with ease and style as long as all plans are laid out in advance and coordinated.  On arrival in Kyoto, travel to your hotel for the remainder of our tour. Dinner will be at your leisure this evening.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 8

Kyoto

Start your touring day with a tea ceremony where you will be given a basic introduction to the Way of Tea, including the proper etiquette, in a private, authentic setting. Spend the rest of the morning at nearby Daitoku-ji Zen monastery, including visits to Koto-in and Zuiho-in.   After a Zen-style vegetarian lunch travel to eastern Kyoto to visit a young Rinzai zen priest at Zenge-in in the eastern hills, for a chat about his years cloistered in a classic Zen monastery and his new life as the abbot of a small Zen temple. To end the day, we visit a friend’s gallery for an introduction to Japanese ceramics. Afterwards you can have an optional walk along the Philosopher’s path or a visit to Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavillion). Tonight, enjoy a shabu-shabu dinner of luxurious Wagyu beef and crisp vegetables dipped into bubbling broth tableside and served with traditional condiments and dipping sauces.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 9

Kyoto

This morning we travel to eastern Kyoto to visit an artisan whose intricately woven silk cords and tassels are commissioned by shrines, temples and Tiffany and Co. Our next stop is Renge-ji, a classic Taoist-inspired garden with special symbolism, including references to the crane and the turtle as well as the land of the Immortals. A Kyoto-style lunch will be served in a private room at Kyoto’s oldest inn and garden, located along the Takano River. The current proprietor is the 20th generation in his family to run the inn. Afterwards we will have an ikebana demonstration featuring a wide array of ceramics and baskets used to enhance the display of seasonal blooms. End the day with a visit to the studio of a calligraphy master and performance artist to see her wield her gigantic brush to create a masterpiece-in-the-moment. Tonight we will have a group dinner in one of Kyoto’s many fine restaurants and can arrange local entertainment or even a geisha meeting.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10

Kyoto

You will begin today in Western Kyoto in Arashiyama. Start at Tenryu-ji, one of the oldest gardens in Kyoto, dating from the early 14^th century. The garden was designed by Muso Kokushi, a renowned priest, diplomat, meditation teacher and garden designer. Enjoy a group lunch of wagyu beef served in an small, authentic restaurant. Afterwards, travel a short distance in western Kyoto to a secluded, drive-through Bamboo Forest, that is not frequented by tourists.  Move on to the Nishijin textile district to meet a 5^th generation master of gold leaf. In his beautifully preserved, traditional Kyoto-style merchant house, he will introduce you to his intricate process used to create custom obi. The rest of the afternoon is free time for members of the party to explore Kyoto on their own. You may want to return to the central city for a visit to Nishiki Market then on to Nijo Castle, a huge, 400-year old castle surrounded by moat and gardens and featuring the famous “nightingale floors,” a medieval-era security device of squeaking floor boards that warn of intruders.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 11

Kyoto

This morning, the early risers may decide to join our tour guide for an optional temple visit to attend a full Buddhist service, including a fire ceremony, performed by 40 chanting monks. After breakfast, start touring with a visit to Sanjusangendo Hall, a 900-year old structure that holds an extraordinary collection of statuary in one of Japan’s longest wooden buildings. The 1001 wooden statues of the Kannon, well-known from Sugimoto’s “Hall of Thirty-Three Bays”, sit row upon row for the length of the building with their phalanx of 28 National Treasure guardian entities in front. End the morning with a tour of the Kiyomizu and Gion area, which a short introduction into the life of the geisha and maiko for which Kyoto is so well known. The rest of the day is free for lunch and to explore Kyoto on your own. Some suggestions include touring with Esprit’s custom shopping map in hand, visiting such iconic sights as Kinkaku-ji (Golden Temple), the 10,000 bright vermilion torii gates of Fushimi Inari or traveling by train to nearby Nara.  Your tour leader will have a list of available temples and directions. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner in one of Kyoto’s many fine restaurants.

Accommodations: Deluxe, Western-style hotel in Accessible Room
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 11

Depart for home



You’ll have the morning free to take in the sights, shop or simply stroll Kyoto’s varied neighborhoods one last time. Transfer by reserved van shuttle, per individual flight times, for your pre-arranged return flight from Osaka Kansai International Airport or Osaka Itami Airport.

Meals included: Breakfast

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