Classic Japan Explorer: A Luxury Introduction to Japan

Upon arrival into Tokyo's Narita airport, you will be met by an english speaking Jacada representative and assisted through immigration. You'll then be transferred in a private vehicle to your chosen hotel in Tokyo.

Tokyo, Japan’s bustling capital, mixes the ultramodern and the traditional, from neon-lit skyscrapers to cherry trees and temples. Enjoy the stunning views of Mount Fuji and the city's infectious energy with our recommendations for the best things to see and do.

This morning, your private guide will meet at your hotel at 9 a.m. and drive you in a spacious private vehicle to Tsukiji morning market. Tsukiji is one of the largest wholesale fish markets in the world, importing a diversity of seafood from 60 countries on six continents. Stroll around the outer-market before entering the actual wholesale market, where you will see fish and seafood being prepared and sold. Sample some fresh sushi at a nearby restaurant.

Next, we'll take a pleasant and peaceful stroll in Hamarikyu Garden, a vast landscaped park in the middle of Tokyo characterised by its tranquility. When we reach the reach the pier we'll board a cruise boat and sail down the Sumida River to Asakusa, discovering Tokyo’s skyline and bridges from a different perspective. Asakusa is one of Tokyo oldest and best-preserved districts and on arrival we'll walk along the Nakamise Dori merchant street to reach the Sensoji Temple, marked by its huge lantern. The Nakamise Dori merchant street dates back to the Edo period when the temple’s neighbours were given special permission to open their shops in the approach to the temple. Your guide will lead you to small streets where you can still feel the presence of Ancient Japan.

You then have the choice of participating in one of two private traditional ceremonies, a Japanese tea ceremony or a calligraphy class. We finish the day with a visit to the Ginza district, known for having the most expensive real estate on earth and home to some of the country’s most prestigious companies, numerous brand shops, department stores, boutiques, bars and restaurants. Here, architects rival in imagination with fashion designers from all over the world, including the Swatch and the Hermes buildings. Also take some time to visit some of Ginza’s famous department stores, especially their basement floors and high-end food courts, where Tokyoites buy their delicacies.

Today is free to explore Tokyo at your own pace. Top attractions include the Harajuku area where you'll see some of Japan's most extreme fashion styles, the important Meiji Jingu Shrine and the Mari Art Museum. Your travel designer can help you to experience the city at its best with private guided tours and excursions.

Take Japan's unbelievably fast "Bullet Train" from Tokyo Station, reaching Kanazawa in under two hours and 30 minutes.

Spend your time in the historical centre of Kanazawa discovering the Nagamachi samurai district and the Chaya geisha entertainment quarter. There's also the 17th century castle to explore alongside a horde of other cultural attractions such as the Ishikawa Gate, the Sanjikken Longhouse and the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden. Your travel designer can help you to experience the city at its best with private guided tours and excursions.

Visit Omchi Market, regarded as the "Kitchen of Kanazwa" the vibrant market showcases a diversity of fresh fish and shellfish caught in the Sea of Japan afterwards enjoy a sushi lunch. Explore the Nagamachi Samurai District, lined with beautiful wooden homes hidden behind gold-coloured mud walls, the streets are bordered by canals, used as defence in the Edo period. Visit the fascinating Nomura-ke, a restored samurai residence displaying the artefacts from this ancient era. Next spend time in the Kenroku-en Garden. Reputedly the most beautiful of the three important landscape gardens in Japan, Kenroku-en Garden was originally built as the outer garden on the city's castle as a private garden of the powerful Maeda family during the Edo period. It stands for the six attributes of the perfect garden: extensiveness, quiet seclusion, artifice, antique elegance, abundant waterways and spaciousness. You private driver will then transfer you your chosen ryokan just outside of Kanazawa in Yamashiro and Yamanaka.

Spend the remainder of the day relaxing in your ryokan's onsen, soaking up the benefits of the mineral-rich waters. Once you've built up an appetite, you'll be served a traditional kaiseki dinner consisting of between 12 and 15 dishes made with fresh seasonal ingredients and carefully presented on beautiful plates.

Your guide and driver will pick you up from your ryokan in the morning. The day will start with a visit to the Higashiyama Geisha District and its craft shops. Established in 1820 by the Maeda government, the district features stunning wooden lattice fronts of old geisha houses preserving an ambience of feudal times and transporting visitors to the Japan of antiquity. Next visit the D.T. Suzuki Museum which is dedicate to the ideas and achievements of Suzuki, a prominent Buddhist philosopher. In the afternoon explore the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art before finally learning the art of sake brewing at one of the city's sake breweries.

You'll board the super fast "Bullet Train" again and head to Kyoto.

Spend your time in Kyoto admiring the impressive imperial beauty of the city, evident in the abundance of prewar buildings such as grand palaces, traditional "machiya" townhouses and ornate shrines. See kimono-clad geisha on their way to engagements and stroll in the celebrated Ryoan-ji rock garden. Make sure you visit the magnificent wooden Kiyomizu-dera and the Golden and Silver Pavilion Temples. Your travel designer can help you to experience the city at its best with private guided tours and excursions.

This afternoon, your English speaking guide will meet you at Kyoto station where you will firstly visit Nijo Castle. Built around 16000 for the warrior Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo period. Nijo Castle is particularly famed for its "nightingale floors" which squeak when walked upon as to warn residents on intruders. Next visit Kinkaku-Ji, widely known as the Golden Pavillion. It was built by the third Ashikaya shogun Yoshimitsu in 1397 as his retirement villa. Finally visit Ryoan-Ji Temple, prominent for its zen garden's simplicity, displaying a stark difference from the opulence of Kinkau-Ji. Your driver will now transfer you to your Kyoto based hotel.

Start off your day by going to the Kiyomizu-dera temple which is popular for its cliff top main hall with a magnificent panoramic view of Kyoto. Stroll downhill to the Sannenzaka Neighbourhood, which has been perfectly restored with small shops and traditional restaurants. Next visit the Kodaji Temple built in memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan's greatest historical figures, following this visit Yasakajinja, a shrine founded over 1350 years ago before heading to Sanjusangendo Hall famed for its repository of more than 1000 Buddhist statues. During your excursion you will have lunch in the Gion, Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Find yourself mesmerised by the ancient culture that is still so strongly embedded within Kyoto.

Today is yours to spend at your leisure. Relax at your hotel or venture out to the western outskirts of Kyoto to see the natural beauty of the Arashiyama district and its famous bamboo groves. Stroll in the gardens of the Ginkakuji Silver Pavilion temple or visit the Nanzenji Temple. Your travel designer can help you to experience the city at its best with private guided tours and excursions.