Private PARTY JAPAN TOUR
May 7-21, 2023
Tokyo, Kaga Onsen, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Naoshima Island
Escorted Private Group Tour
A Private Cultural Tour Through Japan
Enjoy spectacular scenery and intimate windows into Japan while learning about the arts and culture on your personal journey to the heart of Japan. Travel back in time, from the contemporary capital of Tokyo, through the arts areas of Ishikawa prefecture, to the traditional and spiritual heart of Japan, Kyoto. From Kyoto, continue on to end at Naoshima Island. This private 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. Next, Kanazawa was ruled by the Maeda family for three centuries after the first lord Toshiie Maeda entered Kanazawa Castle in 1583. Since the Kaga Clan invited many artists and craftsmen to this area, it achieved a high level of craftsmanship that continues to flourish to this day. Today it is a bustling small city. We'll visit artists and museums in the area before heading to Kaga Onsen for your two-night stay at an authentic ryokan. We end in Kyoto, with lush summer foliage, at our five-star hotel. Kyoto, with its wide-range of arts, crafts, traditions, gardens and history will fill your 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. This itinerary also includes travel to the Benesse Art Site – three islands of museums and installation art located in the Inland Sea of Japan. A visit to this continually evolving site is often a highlight for museums, curators, docents and art enthusiasts.
Tour Leaders
Andy Bender
Tour Manager
The moon and sun are travelers through eternity.
Even the years wander on.
Whether drifting through life on a boat or climbing toward old age leading a horse, each day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)
Tour Highlights
φ Learn about the aesthetic of Japanese arts and fine crafts, from traditional to contemporary
φ Share thought-provoking introductions to Buddhism and Shintoism, through private meetings with priests and monks in their temples or shrines
φ Enter the studios of revered artists and craftsmen, the sensei who carry forward Japan’s rich artistic heritage. Meet masters of cha no ya (tea ceremony), calligraphy, textiles and more.
φ Visit selected galleries and museums in exciting Tokyo
φ Spend time in exquisitely maintained gardens
φ Stay in a beautiful, deluxe ryokan and enjoy a multi-course kaiseki meal.
φ Ride on Japan’s famous Shinkansen bullet train
φ Sample a variety of local, seasonal cuisine
φ Visit the Benesse Art Site's three islands
Daily Itinerary
Day 1
Sunday, May 7
Depart Home
Depart for Japan on your individually arranged flight.
Day 2
Monday, May 8
Arrive Tokyo
Travel by private car transfer to our downtown hotel, the four-star Hyatt Centric Hotel, located in Tokyo’s famed Ginza district, home of famed architecture, shops and cultural venues.
Accommodations: Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo
Meals included: None
The Ginza
Glitz, glamour, world-class retailers and architecture – the Ginza is the Tokyo the world sees with bright lights, crowds of shoppers and all-night bars and restaurants. You'll find luxury shopping brands combined with amazing architecture in this concentration of Japan’s wealth. Every street is lined with international brand stores, a wide range of restaurants and multi-storied buildings with hidden piano bars and intimate restaurants.
Day 3
Tuesday, May 9
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 Boulevard to see contemporary architecture and trendy street life. We will lunch today at a restaurant specializing in tofu and unique Japanese creations. After lunch, we will arrange a private presentation at Nuno Gallery, known for innovative textiles and clothing by renowned designer Reiko Sudo. This visit will be followed by a trip across town to visit the new teamlab Planets experience. This evening you are free to enjoy dinner on your own.
Accommodations: Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Meiji Shrine
Meiji Jingu is one of the Shinto shrines in Japan, with the vast land of the forest (70 ha.), located in the middle of the megacity, Tokyo.
Once you step into this precinct, you will forget that you are in the hustle bustle city, and will find Japanese traditional scene amidst greenery nature.
It was established in 1920, to commemorate the virtue of Emperor Meiji and Emprerss Shoken who took the initiative to make a foundation of modernized Japan.
teamlab PLANETS
teamLab Planets is a museum where you walk through water, and a garden where you become one with the flowers. There are four massive exhibition spaces and two gardens. By immersing the entire body with other people in these massive body immersive artworks, the boundary between the body and the artwork dissolves, the boundaries between the self, others, and the world become continuous, and we explore a new relationship without boundaries between ourselves and the world. Enter barefoot, immerse your body with others in the artwork spaces, and become one with the world.
Day 4
Wednesday, May 10
Tokyo
Today, we will set out to enjoy a leisurely walking tour of the Ginza neighborhood featuring the current architecture and including a visit to one of Tokyo’s famed department stores for the opening ceremony. After a lunch of Japanese fusion cuisine, we will travel to the Nihonbashi district for an introduction to bamboo basketry at a small private gallery. The gallery is located directly across from the famed Takashimaya flagship department store so we will have a chance to visit the lower floor food halls and the gallery space on the upper floors. We’ll end the evening with a group dinner in one of Tokyo’s fine restaurants, which are continually re-interpreting traditional cuisine, and a curated sake-tasting.
Accommodations: Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Depato and depachika
Where would you be most likely to go in search of exquisite handcrafted objects or clothing? If you live in North America or Europe, your first answer probably isn’t “the nearest department store.” The idea of Bloomingdale’s or Neiman Marcus selling handwoven baskets or lathe-turned wooden plates and bowls is about as implausible as it is thrilling. But in Japan, grand urban department stores (depāto) function almost like retail-supported craft museums. Venerable stores like Isetan, Takashimaya, and Mitsukoshi carry all the sorts of designer clothing, jewelry, accessories, and high-end cosmetics that you’d expect of a posh emporium. And in their basement-level food halls, depachika, you’ll find edible treasures like perfectly spherical watermelons and cantaloupes.
Bamboo Basketry
Hanabako is a basket specialty gallery for exceptional Japanese bamboo artcrafts with graceful and sculptural beauty. It is one of only two galleries in Japan specializing in one-of-a-kind bamboo baskets for flower arrangement. Masami Oguchi opened Hanabako in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, with a bamboo focus, as a branch of her father's long established antique gallery. She will discuss some of the baskets in her collection.
Day 5
Thursday, May 11
Kaga Onsen
Travel by Shinkansen (bullet train) and local train from Tokyo to Ishikawa prefecture. The Kaga Onsen area, south of Kanazawa, will provide an opportunity for staying at one of Japan’s delightful onsen ryokans to enjoy traditional Japanese hospitality, multi-course kaiseki meals and soothing hot spring onsen bathing. The natural beauty of the area can be found in stunning sea views, mountain hikes and rolling rice farms. Yamanaka Onsen is the hot spring town nestled in the mountains, where the traditional culture of Yamanaka lacquerware prospered. Running through the center of the beautiful green Kakusenkei valley is the Daishoji River. You will have the rest of your day, after arrival, at leisure before enjoying a banquet kaiseki dinner tonight.
Accommodations: Kayotei Ryokan
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Kaiseki Meal
Kaiseki, a formal Japanese fixed menu, is one of the most popular cuisines in Kyoto and is served at ryokans throughout Japan. It originated in the late 1500’s as part of the Way of Tea. In the present day, kaiseki is a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. To this end, only fresh seasonal ingredients are used and are prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavor. Local ingredients are often included as well. Finished dishes are carefully presented on plates that are chosen to enhance both the appearance and the seasonal theme of the meal. Dishes are beautifully arranged and garnished, often with flowers, as well as edible garnishes designed to resemble various kinds of fruit or flowers.
Yamanaka Onsen
The Kakusenkei Gorge was carved by the Daishoji River. Stroll along the narrow, winding path clinging to the gorge, which is spanned by both the traditional wooden arches of the old Korogi-bashi (cricket bridge) and the ultra-modern web of the new Ayatori-hashi (cat's cradle bridge).
Day 6
Friday, May 12
Kaga Onsen
Start your morning with a multi-course, traditional Japanese ryokan breakfast using organic local ingredients and specially selected eggs, nori and rice. We will leave the ryokan by bus for our touring day, where we start at the home and studio of Yasushi Satake, at the Kobo Senju workshop. Satake-san carries on his father’s and grandfather’s tradition of artisanal craftsmanship in woodturning. Not just a simple craft, some of Satake san’s works are original and significant in their own right. See a demonstration of wood turning as he creates an original Yamanaka-style bowl before your eyes. Next, we travel on to visit the washi-making village of Imadate. The area directly adjacent to Kaga Onsen has famed monasteries, historical sites, a taiko drum factory, a knife foundry and so much more. Dinner tonight will be at a delightful Japanese/French fusion restaurant near the inn, run by a young couple who studied in Europe.
Accommodations: Kayotei Ryokan
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Hikimono
Hikimono is traditional Japanese woodturning using a lathe. As the wood is rotated, the woodworker applies a blade to shape the wood as it turns. By keeping the lathe spinning at a consistent speed, balanced, symmetrical forms are made such as bowls, trays, plates and other cylindrical and circular forms.
Imadate Washi paper Village
Imadate is one of Japan's classic paper making villages where handmade
washi
paper has been produced since the year 400. Beautiful in color and texture,
washi is completely natural and sustainable. Unlike western-style pulp paper production which depends on the felling of trees,
washi is made by harvesting branches from mulberry bushes that regenerate themselves the following year. The bark from the bushes is mixed with a viscous plant-based fluid and water.
Washi is the preferred medium for many artists around the world and is also used for a variety of purposes from stationary, to interior wallpaper to official certificates. The
washi
shop in the village offers a huge selection of both paper and paper products.
It is possible to see washi being made at a few venues in Imadate village. A highlight of a visit to the town is the Okamoto Otaki Shinto Shrine, dedicated to the Shine god of paper making and one of the finest examples of Japanese joinery construction.
Day 7
Saturday, May 13
Kanazawa
Travel via private coach to Kanazawa. Start the morning at
Kenroku-en gardens, a large municipal park containing a very famous strolling garden that also dates back to the feudal era. Continue on to the nearby 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
and lunch.
Next we will visit the Nagamachi Samurai quarter. Then we will visit with a 3rd-generation
contemporary ceramic artist
who has reinterpreted the Kutaniyaki style of his native Kanazawa. His work expands the traditional 5-color Kutani color palette, combining color with reddish, rough-hewn, unglazed surfaces. His work is collected world-wide and is in museum collections, including the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Our last visit in Kanazawa today is to the home and
yuzen studio of Shunji Hisatsune. Yuzen is the traditional technique of dyeing silk fabrics for kimonos dating back to the 17th century. In addition to seeing his traditional and elegant
kimono dye work, Hisatsune-san can show new work that he is creating for a wider audience. Tonight we will stay at a centrally located hotel near the station. Dinner tonight will be local fare served in a casual environment.
Accommodations: Hyatt Centric Kanazawa
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Kenroku-en
Kenroku-en is considered one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. It's name means a garden combining the six attributes of a perfect garden: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas. It was developed from the 1620s to the 1840s by the Maeda clan, the daimyōs who ruled the former Kaga Domain. As a strolling-style landscape garden it incorporates fancy designs in every corner, achieving peerless scenery in each season.
Nagamachi Samurai Area
During the Edo period, the dimensions and structures of the houses and the height of the mud walls differed according to the samurai’s salary and rank. Most of the houses are now privately inhabited; only two interiors in Nagamachi are open for viewing: the Kanazawa Kutani Museum (mostly a shop for Kutani ware with a pretty café) and the Nomura Family Samurai House. You can tell that the Nomuras were high ranking samurai by the cypress ceilings and glass-fitted sliding doors. Its garden with elaborate lanterns and bridges is splendid.
Day 8
Sunday, May 14
Kyoto
After breakfast, travel by train to Kyoto. Kyoto is famous for its artisans, many of
whom are part of long generational families. Unlike folk craft found in rural areas of Japan, the crafts of Kyoto are urban crafts, highly innovative and refined. Kyoto is known for its textiles which include the highly complex 3-dimensional weaving of the Nishijin weaving district and Kyo Yuzen, a dyeing technique that utilizes tiny brushes to produce very complex and detailed "paintings" on silk. Other textile techniques include delicate shibori tie dyeing, kassuri ikat weaving, embroidery and the ancient process of indigo dyeing. There are many hundreds of potters working in the city, both in the traditional decorative Kyoyaki or Kiyomizuyaki styles as well as in innovative contemporary styles. To start our time in Kyoto 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). For dinner on your own this evening, we might suggest one of the many restaurants located in the lovely old
sukiya-style houses in the Ponto Cho Geisha District. In addition to Ponto-cho, the old Gion district is home to another one of the four communities of Geisha in Kyoto. This beautifully preserved area is a fine place to stroll on your own and see Kyoto the way it looked up to 150 years ago.
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
Yakimono Gallery
Visit Robert Yellin, one of Japan's foremost ceramics experts, in his Yakimono Gallery, which offers a wide selection of ceramics from the potters of Japan, both antique pieces and those by contemporary artists. You can see one-of-a-kind ceramics, and learn about the styles and traditions of Japanese pottery, from longtime Japan resident, pottery journalist, and ceramic specialist Robert Yellin. Robert has lived in Japan since 1984 and writes and lectures on the topic of Japanese ceramics as well as assists as a subject-matter expert on specialty tours.
Geisha Districts
Two of the five geisha districts of Kyoto can be easily seen during a delightful evening stroll. This can be enjoyed on any night after dark, although weekends are the most lively evenings of the week.
Start with a visit to the Ponto-cho Geisha district, a delightful street that runs about ¼ mile between Sanjo and Shijo Streets, along the west side of the Kamo River. As you walk along the narrow, pedestrian-only street, you will see the beautifully designed facades of some of Kyoto’s most exclusive tearooms, restaurants and bars. In the Gion district you can see brightly dressed geisha and maiko moving from appointment to appointment, usually thronged by avid photographers.
Day 9
Monday, May 15
Kyoto
Spend the morning at Daitokuji Zen monastery, for a private experience of the Way of Tea with the abbot of Zuiho-in sub-temple and visit some of the lovely gardens there, including Koto-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. Alternatively, we could have a visit with a textile or other artist. 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.
NOTE: The Aoi Matsuri takes place every year on May 15th. We can incorporate it into your plan by moving things around. If you are interested, I can explain the options (ticket vs. no ticket, where to view, etc.) Aoi Matsuri, which is also known as the Hollyhock Festival, is one of the most important and oldest festivals in Kyoto. It celebrates the two Kamo shrines of Kyoto—Kamigamo and Shimogamo, and takes place on May 15th every year. The name of the festival comes from Futaba Aoi, which means hollyhock in Japanese. It is a majestic symbol of the festival, and all people, animals, and belongings are decorated with beautiful Aoi leaves and flowers.
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Daitoku-ji Monastery
This is one of Japan’s most significant sites, aesthetically, historically and culturally. The massive monastery complex consists of a central core of buildings and 22 semi-autonomous sub-temples. The central core is of a Sino-Japanesestyle, incorporating Chinese Buddhist architecture that was imported into Japan over hundreds of years between the 7th and 13th centuries and was modified and refined through history by the Japanese. In contrast, the sub-temples are shoin-style, a 16th century native Japanese form with a strong Zen influence and a major inspiration to contemporary western minimalist architecture. Sub-temples we recommend are Koto-in for its entrance and beautiful green garden and Zuiho-in, home to a nearly 500-year-old main hall with a delicate cypress bark shingle roof that overlooks a world-renowned 20th century rock, sand and shrub garden designed by Shigemori Mirei. It is one of the most professionally photographed gardens in Japan, yet it is almost never crowded
Aoi Matsuri
The Aoi Matsuri, or "Hollyhock Festival," is one of the three main annual festivals held in Kyoto each year. There are two parts to Aoi Matsuri: the procession (rotō-no-gi) and the shrine rites. The procession is led by the Imperial Messenger. Following the imperial messenger are: two oxcarts, four cows, thirty-six horses, and six hundred people. The six hundred people are all wearing traditional dress of Heian nobles (ōmiyabito), while the oxcart (gissha) is adorned with artificial wisteria flowers. The parade lasts about 2 hours and can be viewed from numerous places around Kyoto. It is cancelled in the event of inclement weather due to the sensitivity of the costumes.
Day 10
Tuesday, May 16
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. After a special event, dinner will be on your own this evening.
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Kumihimo
Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese artform of making braids and cords. Literally meaning "gathered threads", kumihimo are made by interlacing reels of yarn, commonly silk, with the use of traditional, specialized looms - either a marudai (lit. "round stand") or a takadai (also known as a kōdai). Visit a 3rd-generation kumihimo (silk cord weaving) artisan who works together with his wife as cord weavers and tassel and knot makers. There are about 800 knots in the Japanese culture, not including nautical knots. In addition to making cords and knots for Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines all over Japan, our artist weaves intricate tapered silk cords for Else Peretti’s jewelry line as well as her gold and silver leaf basket purse line for Tiffany’s.
Ikebana
Ikebana is the refined Japanese art of flower arranging. There are numerous schools and theories on this art. In 1927, when everybody believed practicing ikebana meant following established forms, Sofu Teshigahara recognized ikebana as a creative art and founded the Sogetsu School. Anyone can enjoy Sogetsu Ikebana anytime, anywhere, using any material. You can place Sogetsu Ikebana at your door, in you living room or on your kitchen table. Ritsuko Beimel has been studying Ikebana for over 20 years, and holds a teaching license with the Sogetsu School of Ikebana. As part of her demonstration, she will share with you some flower arrangement techniques that you can try at home.
Day 11
Wednesday May 17
Kyoto
Today we will travel to western Kyoto, to the Arashiyama area, and have an in-depth exploration of Tenryu-ji, one of the oldest gardens in Kyoto, dating from the early 14th century. The garden was the design work of Muso Kokushi, a renowned priest, diplomat, meditation teacher and garden designer of the 1300’s. After a quick visit to the Sagano strolling area of quaint thatched-roof homes and shops we’ll walk through one of Kyoto’s famous bamboo forests or the more adventurous can climb to the Iwatayama Monkey Park. After a light lunch in the area, we’ll travel to the Nishijin textile district to meet a 5th generation master of gold leaf. In his beautifully preserved, traditional Kyoto-style merchant house, he will introduce you to his intricate process. End the afternoon at a performance of the Kamogawa Odori, a traditional geisha show that runs in the month of May. For dinner tonight we will gather for a special izakaya extravaganza at one of Kyoto’s fine restaurants.
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Arashiyama
Walk through ancient stands of bamboo trees rustling in the breeze. During the summer season the bamboo forest, located behind Tenryu-ji Temple in Arashiyama, is a rich, verdant green. The Sagano strolling area is near Arashiyama and comprises many blocks of side-streets and residential housing areas near Tenryu-ji Temple. The Iwatayama Monkey Park, located across the river from Tenryu-ji, is located a 45-minute climb up the hill, allows you a chance to feed the free-moving monkeys (the visitors are behind the cages) and offers sweeping views of Kyoto. If you don’t want to battle the crowds at Kiyomizudera, this is a great alternative.
Odori
The Odori is an authentic geisha show that we like to recommend if you happen to be in Kyoto while it is taking place. The Odori is a posture dance, with down movements of the body, feet, arms and hands. The dancers employ fans, sprays of blossoms, baskets of flowers, flags and other accessories according to the story the dancers endeavor to interpret. They are accompanied by one or more samisen players, and frequently by players on Japanese drums.
Day 12
Thursday, May 18
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 vermillion torii gates of Fushimi Inari or traveling by train to nearby Nara.
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Chishakuin
Chishaku-in is a Shingon temple, similar to Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, and the people in robes are either resident monks or are from other parts of Japan. Early each morning you can experience a Buddhist chanting ceremony, which may followed by a short talk by the abbot, welcoming the lay people. This can be followed at a smaller wooden temple where you can watch a fire and taiko drum ceremony. It is very lively and interesting, and it should not be missed.
Fushimi Inari
Fushimi Inari Shrine is the largest Shinto shrine in Japan, with ten thousand bright orange gates forming a 2 ½ mile tunnel that snakes up the side of the hill, forming a wonderful pilgrimage hike.
Day 13
Friday, May 19
Naoshima Island
This morning travel via train and ferry to Japan’s premier art site, Benesse House, located on Naoshima Island in the Inland Sea. We will enjoy bento lunches en route. After arrival on the island we’ll take time to explore some of the installations and museums, including the Chichu Museum, the Lee Ufan Museum and the Art House Projects, before checking into the Benesse Park hotel. This Tadao Ando designed hotel houses numerous art pieces and is located right along the island’s edge. Each room has its own installed art for you to enjoy while you are in residence. Dinner tonight will be at the Terrace restaurant, serving continental cuisine.
Accommodations: Benesse Park Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Benesse Art Site
A Journey to Islands Alive with Art...
One day, a giant pumpkin appeared on the island pier.
The pier, once an unassuming sight that could be found anywhere,
was reborn as a sight so unique that it could be found nowhere else.
People began to visit from distant cities and even distant countries.
The island transformed itself into something new...
Here, a story featuring art and island was born—a story to be found nowhere else in the world.
How does the story unfold? Visit, and see for yourself.
Chichu Art Museum
Chichu Art Museum was constructed in 2004 as a site rethinking the relationship between nature and people. The museum was built mostly underground to avoid affecting the beautiful natural scenery of the Seto Inland sea. Artworks by Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria are on permanent display in this building designed by Tadao Ando. Despite being primarily subterranean, the museum lets in an abundance of natural light that changes the appearance of the artworks and the ambience of the space itself with the passage of time, throughout the day and all along the four seasons of the year.
Taking form as the artists and architect bounced ideas off each other, the museum in its entirety can be seen as a very large site-specific artwork.
Lee Ufan Museum
A museum resulting from the collaboration between internationally acclaimed artist Lee Ufan, presently based mainly in Europe, and architect Tadao Ando.
The Ando-designed semi-underground structure houses paintings and sculptures by Lee spanning a period from the 1970s to the present day. Lee's works resonate with Ando's architecture, giving visitors an impression of both stillness and dynamism. Located in a gentle valley surrounded by hills and the ocean, the museum offers a tranquil space where nature, architecture and art come in resonance with each other, inviting to peaceful and quiet contemplation, in a society overflowing with material goods.
Art House Project
The Art House Project is an art project underway in Naoshima's Honmura district. It began in 1998 with Kadoya, and currently comprises seven locations: Kadoya, Minamidera, Kinza, Go'o Shrine, Ishibashi, Gokaisho, and Haisha. In this project, artists take empty houses scattered about residential areas and turn the spaces themselves into works of art, weaving in history and memories of the period when the buildings were lived in and used. Going from one of the houses to another, visitors pass through the Honmura district, where everyday life unfolds around them, in the process not only engaging with works of art but also sensing the layers of time and history interwoven in the community and the fabric of local people's lives. A notable feature of the Art House Project is that because viewing it means traversing a zone of daily life, it acts as a catalyst for interaction between visitors and local residents, giving rise to many a memorable episode. A truly organic project that changes day-to-day, it has evolved to present a new model of community, characterized by positive interaction between urban and rural, young and old, residents, and visitors.
Day 14
Saturday, May 20
Teshima and Inujima Islands
Today, travel by private ferry to visit nearby Teshima Island to experience Christian Boltanski’s Archive and the Teshima Museum. Travel on via ferry in mid-afternoon for lunch and to visit the art museums and projects of Inujima Island, including Inujima Seirensho Art Museum and the F-Art House. This evening, enjoy dinner at Issen restaurant in Benesse Museum. We will be served a contemporary interpretation of traditional kaiseki (multi-course, exquisitely presented meal) served on an array of artistic functional ware from kilns all over Japan. We will then explore the Benesse Museum after hours. Alternatively, if we are able to obtain reservations for the group, we will endeavor to include James Turrell's Open Sky Night Program in the itinerary.
Accommodations: Benesse Park Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Teshima Museum
Uniting the creative visions of artist Rei Naito and architect Ryue Nishizawa, Teshima Art Museum stands on a hill on the island of Teshima overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. The museum, which resembles a water droplet at the moment of landing, is located in the corner of a rice terrace that was restored in collaboration with local residents.
This setting, in which nature, art and architecture come together with such limitless harmony, conjures an infinite array of impressions with the passage of seasons and the flow of time.
Seirensho Art Museum
Breathing new life into the ruins of a former copper refinery, Inujima Seirensho Art Museum was built around the idea of "using what exists to create what is to be". Exhibited here are works created by Yukinori Yanagi who used Yukio Mishima as a motif, a vocal critique of Japan's modernization, together with the remodeled architecture designed by Hiroshi Sambuichi. By using the existing smokestacks and karami bricks from the refinery as well as solar, geothermal, and other natural energies, the architectural design minimizes the construction's environmental impact. The building also employs a sophisticated water purification system that makes use of the power of plants. The project truly embraces the concept of a recycling-based society through its focus on industrial heritage, architecture, art, and the environment.
Art House Project
Inujima "Art House Project" was launched with the objective of inspiring the local community of Inujima, allowing them to experience the beautiful landscapes of everyday life and the familiar natural environments that extend beyond the artworks.
Three galleries, F-Art House, S-Art House, and I-Art House, designed for special displays, and Nakanotani Gazebo (a rest area) were first opened on the island in 2010. In 2013, with the opening of two new galleries, A-Art House and C-Art House, works are shown at each venue and elsewhere around the village. The galleries, scattered around the area, are constructed out of a diverse range of materials including roofing tiles and other components of old houses, transparent acrylic glass and aluminum that reflects the landscape.
James Turrell's Open Sky Night Program
James Turrell's Open Sky installation at the Chichu Museum can be viewed at any time during museum open hours , but you can also enjoy the serenity of a special 45-minute sunset viewing (Night Program). We will attempt to arrange a reservation for your party after museum closing hours.
Day 15
Sunday, May 21
Final Tour Day
Depart today for the US. Travel via ferry, bus and train to Osaka Kansai airport or on via train to your final stop in Japan.
Meals included: Breakfast
Note: Actual visits and events will be finalized approximately 30 days prior to departure to allow for the inclusion of special exhibitions, visits and events, and are dependent on the schedules of our Japanese colleagues. A final itinerary will be sent to you about two weeks prior to tour departure. The itinerary is subject to change at any time.
Hotels
An upscale hotel in the heart of the Ginza. Begin your adventures at Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo, your perfect launchpad for exploring near and far. Centrally located on Namiki-dori Street, Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo is just steps from shopping, sightseeing and unique local flavors that reflect the vibrant energy of Tokyo, Japan.
This luxury ryokan is located in the small hot springs village of Yamanaka in Ishikawa prefecture. The village remains much the same as it has for many years, seemingly untouched by time. The inn is surrounded by majestic trees and lovingly nurtured gardens encircled by thickly forested hills.
Kayotei's ten suite rooms are arranged in the traditional sukiya style of a tea ceremony pavilion. Guests wear no slippers in this ryokan; the walkways are tatami, as one would in the home of a relative or close friend. These are the rare and subtle differences that make time spent in Kayotei such a warm and welcoming experience.
A stroll through Kayotei is one of discovery, for original painted screens, fine works of pottery, and antique tansu adorn the hallways and spaces of this inn.
Situated just seconds from the Kanazawa station, Hyatt Centric Kanazawa is the perfect spot from which to explore the authentic art, shops, restaurants and culture of Kanazawa. Experience this well-preserved historical city; renowned for its geisha and samurai districts as well as wonderful cuisine.
A luxury hotel in the heart of Kyoto, Japan. A lush grove of bamboo marks the entrance to Hyatt Regency Kyoto in Higashiyama Shichijo, a leafy district suffused with the elegance of the old capital. Our team of expert concierges carefully curates tours and programs that offer insight into Japanese culture, meeting the needs of business and leisure travelers alike.
Built on a gentle slope and surrounded by the natural beauty of Setouchi, this is one of the rare wooden buildings designed by Ando. The guestroom verandas look out across the lush green lawn dotted with open-air artwork to the Inland Sea, with the mountains of Shikoku standing against the blue sky on the far shore. Inside, there are art spaces created by the artists, an exclusive lounge for guests at Park, the Terrace Restaurant, shops, and the Park Hall, which is capable of accommodating up to 120 guests.
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St. George, Telluride, Santa Monica,
Tokyo, Kyoto