Sample Itinerary: Spiritual Group

14 Days, 13 Nights

Tokyo, Matsumoto, Kyoto, Koyasan

Custom Escorted Group Tour

Japan's unique spiritual heritage is brought to life for two weeks of deeply personal experiences of the heart and soul of Japan and its arts, history and spiritual practices. 

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).  Visits include the original castle in Matsumoto, the kura district, a 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 and end the travel day in Kyoto, the traditional and spiritual heart of Japan with its wide-range of arts, crafts, traditions, gardens and history. After a through exploration of Japan, head to Mt. Koya for an overnight stay at a monastery before heading back to Tokyo for one final night.

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: Western-style Downtown Tokyo Hotel
Meals included: None

Day 3

Tokyo

You will start our time in Tokyo at Meiji Shrine to learn about Shinto and experience kagura, a blessing ceremony of ancient, sacred music and dance. A short walk through Harajuku, a center of Japan’s renowned youth fashion and culture, is followed by a walking 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. Tonight will be a special welcome dinner event customized to the group's needs.

Accommodations: Western-style Downtown Tokyo Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4

Tokyo

Today, set out to enjoy a leisurely walking tour of the Ginza neighborhood, including a visit to one of Tokyo’s famed department stores for the opening ceremony. After a special luncheon you will have private presentations from an exclusive Japanese basket gallery and a demonstration from an artist. Following that, you will visit a small, architecturally significant museum (pending exhibit announcement), before heading to Aoyama, home to some of Tokyo’s most fashionable and elegantly civilized stores and shops. Our visits there will include the Noguchi Sculptures on display at Sogetsu Hall.

Accommodations: Western-style Downtown Tokyo Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 5

Tokyo

This morning we’ll take a stroll through one of the quiet sections of Tokyo where we’ll get introduced to a Nihonga artist, who creates delicate Japanese masterpieces on paper and silk. We’ll end our touring day with a guided tour of the Tokyo National Museum. Afterwards you will be on your own for lunch and to explore other areas of Tokyo–Asakusa and the famous Senso-ji Temple; perhaps the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the nearby Sumo Museum or even to enjoy shopping in the newly revived Nihonbashi district. End the evening with a group dinner in one of Tokyo’s fine restaurants, which are continually re-interpreting traditional cuisine.

Accommodations: Western-style Downtown Tokyo Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6

Matsumoto

Start this morning with a bus journey to  Fuji Sanctuary, the headquarters of Byakko Shinko Kai. Open to the public since 1998, Fuji Sanctuary is a place where people of all faiths, nationalities and backgrounds can pray together for a brighter, more peaceful world. Continue on to Matsumoto and enjoy an authentic bento lunch en route. You will then start your touring at Matsumoto Castle, circa 1595, one of four remaining from Japan’s feudal period in its original condition. Afterwards, enjoy 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 by coach to your ryokan for the evening, a deluxe, Relais & Chateaux property, where you can enjoy the onsen (hot spring) baths and a full-course kaiseki (multi-course) banquet dinner served Japanese style.

Accommodations: Myojinkan Ryokan
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7

Narai

After your luxurious Japanese ryokan breakfast, travel by coach to one of the original eleven post-towns along the Nakasendo Road. This 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. Our hotel will be a five-star hotel located in the quiet Higashiyama area. Dinner will be buffet upon late arrival at the hotel.

Accommodations: Western-style Downtown Kyoto Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 8

Kyoto

Start our 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 we will visit an authentic Noh theater for a private introduction to this ancient art.  Tonight we will 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: Western-style Downtown Kyoto Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 9

Kyoto

This morning we travel to eastern Kyoto to visit two small gardens, include 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.  After group events in a beautiful garden-chapel, enjoy a Kyoto-style lunch followed by an energetic taiko drum performance. 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. After a special event, dinner will be on your own this evening.

Accommodations: Western-style Downtown Kyoto Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 10

Kyoto

We begin today in Western Kyoto in Arashiyama, where the hills will be ablaze with the bright scarlet and burnished gold of fall foliage. We will 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. After a short walk through the Bamboo Forest, we will have a private tour of the Hogo-in villa, which is not open to the public. The villa is an outstanding example of highly refined and inventive sukiya-style carpentry. After our group lunch, we have a visit to one of Kyoto’s many stroll gardens, made special by the autumn foliage. 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.

Accommodations: Western-style Downtown Kyoto Hotel
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 next to our hotel, 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 walking 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. 

Accommodations: Western-style Downtown Kyoto Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 12

Koyasan

Travel this morning to Mt. Koya for a stay at a Buddhist monastery. A 9^th century Buddhist monastery complex set in the high hills of Wakayama, representing the Shingon esoteric sect. Shingon is a close cousin to Tibetan Buddhism, and is distinctly different from the other two main divisions of Buddhism in Japan: Pure Land and Zen. This mountain was the monastery of the great Buddhist priest Kobo Daishi (aka Kukai), who is credited with spreading esoteric Buddhism throughout Japan. Enjoy touring in the area and photographing the many temples, monasteries, cedar forests and the Okuno-in Cemetery. Among other possibilities, if weather and energy permit, you can hike a 3-mile trail, called the Women’s Pilgrim Course, circling the perimeter of Koyasan.  Dinner tonight is shorin, special temple vegetarian cuisine.

Accommodations: Temple guest house in special quarters
Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Day 13

Tokyo

This morning, the early risers may decide to join our tour guide to attend a full Buddhist service, including a fire ceremony, performed by chanting monks. After final visits in the area, travel to Osaka where you will board the Shinkansen (bullet train) for Tokyo. Enjoy bento lunch on board, as the Japanese do.  Upon arrival, you will have a final group dinner in a private dining room overlooking the city lights of Tokyo.

Accommodations: Deluxe Western-style Tokyo Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 14

Depart for home

You’ll have the morning free to take in the sights, shop or simply stroll Tokyo’s varied neighborhoods one last time. Transfer by private vehicle to Tokyo's Narita or Haneda airport.

Meals included: Breakfast

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