Japan Now & Then

November 14-25, 2025

Tokyo, Matsumoto, Narai-juku, Kyoto

Escorted Group Tour

Enjoy spectacular fall foliage while learning about the arts and culture of Japan on our, premier, cultural journey to the heart of Japan. Travel back in time, from the contemporary capital of Tokyo, down the Nakasendo Road, to the traditional and spiritual heart of Japan, Kyoto. This Japan Arts and Crafts tour will take you deep into the spirit that underlies the arts of Japan.

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. We 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).  We’ll 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 takes us 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. We end this 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 our downtown hotel, the four-star Marunouchi Hotel, located directly across from Tokyo Station and near multiple districts..

Accommodations: Marunouchi Hotel
Meals included: None

Day 3

Tokyo

We’ll 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. We will lunch today 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. This evening you are free to enjoy dinner on your own.

Accommodations: Marunouchi Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 4

Tokyo

Today, we will 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.  We will have a visit with the owner of a small bamboo basket gallery.  After lunch we 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. End the evening with a welcome dinner in one of Tokyo’s fine restaurants, which are continually re-interpreting traditional cuisine.

Accommodations: Marunouchi Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

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 nearby Sumo or Sword Museum or even to enjoy shopping in the newly revived Nihonbashi  district.

Accommodations: Marunouchi Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 6

Matsumoto

Today we will start our journey back in time. We head by train to Matsumoto where we will enjoy lunch in a restaurant set in a beautifully restored traditional storehouse. We’ll then start our touring at Matsumoto Castle, circa 1595, one of four remaining from Japan’s feudal period in its original condition. We 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, we continue by coach to our 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: Myojinkan Ryokan
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7

Narai

After our luxurious Japanese ryokan breakfast, we will travel by coach 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. We will have several hours to stroll through the town, explore the small local temples and lunch on your own. Afterwards, we will transfer by express train to Nagoya before heading to Kyoto via Shinkansen (bullet) train. Our hotel for the remainder of our tour is the five-star Hyatt Regency Kyoto, located in the quiet Higashiyama area. Dinner will be at your leisure this evening.

Accommodations: Hilton Kyoto
Meals included: Breakfast

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 to eastern Kyoto to 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 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: Hilton Kyoto
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. Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Accommodations: Hilton Kyoto
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 visit the lesser known garden at Hogo-in villa. 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, before visiting 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: Hilton Kyoto
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 walking tour of the 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. Tonight would be a good night for an excursion to one of the many temples and gardens in Kyoto that are lit up to highlight the start of the fall foliage season. 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: Hilton Kyoto
Meals included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 12

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 vehicle, 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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