Best of Japan & China

(14 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis )
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto & environs, Beijing & Great Wall, Shanghai & environs

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. 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.

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.

Continue to Beijing, China's centuries-old capital filled with UNESCO World Heritage sites. With your private guide and driver, tour imperial masterpieces such as the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Explore the narrow hutongs (lanes) of a traditional residential neighborhood, see lesser-known temples, and venture to a hilltop for panoramic views over the rooftops of the Forbidden City. Also visit other cultural highlights and enjoy time to explore fashionable districts filled with specialty boutiques and restaurants. One day, take a private excursion to the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu.

Conclude in Shanghai and experience the unbridled energy of China's most stylish and modern city. During private touring, learn about Shanghai's history through the architecture of the Bund, the French Concession, the Old Town, Pudong and other districts. Tour some of China's best museums, including the Shanghai Museum East or the Shanghai Museum on People’s Square. See traditional highlights such as Huxinting Teahouse (Willow Tea Garden) and Yu Garden. Enjoy plenty of time to browse sophisticated neighborhoods filled with stylish boutiques, art galleries, design shops and upscale cafes and restaurants.

One day, take an excursion to Suzhou or another nearby water town, such as Zhujiajiao or Tongli, to cruise canals lined with Ming Dynasty homes. See small shops and tea houses and tour classical Chinese gardens.

Booking Information >

All Artisans of Leisure tours are private and depart daily.

Please Contact Us for more information regarding the above tour, or to begin customizing your own itinerary.

The Artisans of Leisure Style of Travel:

• Private touring with your own personal guides and drivers
• Preferred rooms in the very best luxury hotels
• Firsthand, sophisticated destination knowledge and recommendations from our travel specialists
• Itineraries that are customized according to your interests and schedule
• Artisans of Leisure upgrades and amenities
• A seamless travel experience, including all logistics, skipping lines during touring whenever possible, restaurant and spa reservations, performance tickets, private airport transfers, internal transportation, VIP and fast-track airport assistance in many destinations
• Around-the-clock support in each destination during your trip
• Unique, insider travel experiences and access to the Artisans of Leisure network of experts around the world