Best of Japan & China

(15 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Beijing & Great Wall, Xian, Guilin & Yangshuo, Shanghai

Experience the highlights of Japan and China—in style—on this two-week private tour. It features private cultural touring with your own guide and driver, accommodation in the best luxury hotels, private airport transfers, first-class train travel in Japan, internal flights in China, access to a wide range of unique activities and more.

Begin in Tokyo, the capital of contemporary culture and style in Japan. During touring with your private guide and driver, visit Tokyo’s most interesting neighborhoods, such as Ginza, Aoyama, Shibuya and Harajuku. Experience Japanese pop culture and also tour important historical sites such as Meiji Jingu Shrine and Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. See striking contemporary architecture and the latest Japanese gadgets. Visit some of Tokyo’s best museums according to your interests, such as the Mori Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum or Tokyo National Museum. Also experience Tokyo’s exciting culinary scene by visiting Tsukiji Fish Market, the Kappabashi kitchenware district, and our favorite specialty shops and department store food halls. Upon request, additional experiences can be arranged such as watching sumo wrestlers practice at a sumo stable, meetings with culinary and sake experts, private martial arts lessons, seeing a Japanese baseball game, visiting favorite family attractions such as the Ghibli Museum, and attending local festivals. Artisans of Leisure can also make reservations at our favorite restaurants in Tokyo, which range from local noodle shops to some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world.

Continue to Hakone, a volcanic national park renowned for hot springs and views of nearby Mount Fuji. Stay at one of Japan’s most luxurious and renowned ryokan (traditional inns), where you can soak in your own private outdoor hot spring bath and enjoy a gourmet kaiseki ryori (seasonal tasting menu) dinner. During private touring, explore Hakone’s geothermal areas, forested mountains and historical sites. Also enjoy a private boat ride on Lake Ashinoko for views of Mount Fuji. Perhaps also visit one of Hakone’s best art museums. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can incorporate hiking or a drive up the base of Mount Fuji.

Next, travel by first-class shinkansen (bullet train) to enchanting Kyoto, the heart of Japanese culture and tradition. During touring with your private guide and driver, experience the best of this elegant city. Visit important temples and shrines. Gain access to imperial villas and private gardens such as Katsura Rikyu and Saihoji (the Moss Temple). Enjoy an exclusive private tea ceremony. Stroll through a bamboo forest. Enjoy a Buddhist vegetarian lunch at a local temple. Tour traditional geisha districts such as Gion. Visit markets and food purveyors to sample Kyoto’s culinary specialties, considered the most refined in Japan. Explore antiques districts, and browse our favorite shops for exquisite ceramics, lacquerware and other crafts. One day, enjoy an excursion to the I. M. Pei-designed Miho Museum; to ancient Nara, the birthplace of Buddhism in Japan; or to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Park and Museum and nearby Miyajima with its iconic torii (Shinto gate) that seems to float on the water. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can also arrange a wide range of other unique activities in and around Kyoto, such as an exclusive private dinner accompanied by geisha and maiko entertainment, private Zen meditation in a local Buddhist temple, meetings with local craftspeople, ikebana (flower arranging) lessons, visiting a master swordsmith, meeting with ceramics experts, tea tastings and tea plantation visits, attending a sumo tournament, manga drawing lessons, a visit to a private machiya (traditional merchant house), hiking to temples in the hills surrounding the city and private Japanese cooking classes.

Next, fly to Beijing, China’s centuries-old capital. With your private guide and driver, tour imperial masterpieces such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. Travel by rickshaw down the narrow hutongs (lanes) of a traditional residential neighborhood. See lesser-known temples, and venture to a little-visited hilltop for panoramic views over the rooftops of the Forbidden City. Dine on traditional specialties at favorite family-run restaurants, and enjoy reservations at private clubs and Beijing’s most acclaimed restaurants. Visit markets specializing in pearls, silk, food and furniture, and, if desired, explore new art gallery districts that showcase the city’s burgeoning contemporary art scene. One day, take an excursion to a stunning section of the Great Wall.

Continue to the ancient capital of Xian, a major stop on the Silk Road. See the famed Terracotta Warriors and the massive city walls. Explore a local night market and the lively streets of the Muslim Quarter. Dine on dumplings, a local specialty. Visit the important Big and Small Goose Pagodas. Tour the impressive Shaanxi Provincial History Museum and the Forest of Stelae, a fascinating library of tall stone tablets.

Next, fly to Guilin, home to some of China's most breathtaking scenery. Cruise the Li River to Yangshuo, China’s most beautiful river journey, passing through a storied landscape of limestone peaks and rice paddies. With your private guide and driver, explore local villages along the back roads of the picturesque region around Yangshuo.

Conclude in Shanghai, China’s most stylish and modern city. During private touring, learn about fascinating Shanghai’s history through the architecture of the Bund, the French Concession, Pudong and other districts. Tour some of China’s best museums, such as the Shanghai Museum. Visit Shanghai’s old town to sample sweets and have tea at the city’s oldest teahouse. Also, visit up-and-coming neighborhoods filled with art galleries, design shops and stylish new restaurants.

 

Itinerary Overview

Day 1 Arrive Tokyo, Japan Private arrival transfer to hotel for 2 nights Day 2 Tokyo Full-day private city tour Day 3 Tokyo - Hakone Private transfer to station for first-class shinkansen (bullet train). Afternoon private tour and transfer to luxury hot springs ryokan inn for 1 night, including kaiseki ryori dinner Day 4 Hakone - Kyoto Private transfer to train station for first-class shinkansen. Private arrival transfer to hotel for 3 nights. Afternoon private tour Day 5 Kyoto Full-day private city tour, including private tea ceremony and vegetarian lunch at a temple Day 6 Kyoto Private city touring, or private excursion to Miho Museum or Nara, or privately guided excursion to Hiroshima and Miyajima Day 7 Kyoto - Beijing, China Private transfer to KIX airport for flight (not included in cost). Private arrival transfer to hotel for 3 nights. Afternoon private tour Day 8 Beijing Full-day private tour. Evening Peking Opera Day 9 Beijing & Great Wall Private excursion to the Great Wall Day 10 Beijing - Xian Private transfer to airport for flight. Private arrival transfer to hotel for 1 night. Afternoon private tour including Terracotta Warriors Day 11 Xian - Guilin Morning private tour. Private transfer to airport for flight. Private arrival transfer to hotel for 2 nights. Afternoon private tour Day 12 Guilin Li River cruise and private tour of local villages Day 13 Guilin - Shanghai Private transfer to airport for flight. Private arrival transfer to hotel for 2 nights Day 14 Shanghai Full-day private tour Day 15 Depart Shanghai Private airport transfer

Hotels

Tokyo: Aman Tokyo Hakone: Gora Kadan Ryokan Kyoto: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto or Four Seasons Kyoto Beijing: Peninsula Beijing Xian: Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Guilin: Shangri-La Hotel Guilin Shanghai: Peninsula Shanghai

Cost

Upon request