Traditional Crafts of Japan

(15 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Tokyo, Kurashiki, Kyoto, Yamanaka Onsen, Kanazawa

This exclusive private tour is ideal for travelers wanting to explore the best of Japan’s incredibly rich art and craft traditions. It features Japan’s top cultural destinations, stays at ryokan (traditional inns) that showcase Japanese crafts and cuisine, and privately guided touring and activities such as meeting artisans in their studios, visiting craft and folk art museums, touring important temples and gardens, and browsing top crafts boutiques and antiques stores.

Begin in Tokyo, a dynamic city where tradition and modernity coexist. Stay at one of the city’s best luxury hotels, and enjoy flexible city touring with your private guide and driver. Visit Tokyo’s most interesting neighborhoods, such as Ginza, Asakusa, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Roppongi and Aoyama. Explore the Mingeikan (Japan Folk Crafts Museum), local galleries and folk art shops, and browse flea markets for Japanese antiques, textiles, ceramics, lacquerware and more. See striking contemporary architecture, and tour important historical sites such as Meiji Jingu Shrine and Sensoji Temple. If desired, experience the best of Japanese pop culture during visits to trendy districts, specialty shops and quirky cafes. Visit Tokyo’s best museums, such as the Nezu Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum and Tokyo National Museum, according to your interests. Experience Tokyo’s exciting culinary scene at the Tsukiji Outer Market or Toyosu Market, the Kappabashi kitchenware district, and our favorite specialty food shops and department store food halls. We also make reservations for our travelers at our favorite restaurants in Tokyo, which range from local noodle shops, sushi bars and izakaya (pubs) to some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world. 

Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can arrange additional experiences in Tokyo, such as watching sumo wrestlers practice at a sumo stable, a private sushi-making lesson, visiting a teamLab Borderless immersive video installation, shopping for the latest Japanese gadgets, meetings with culinary and sake experts, private martial arts lessons, seeing a Japanese baseball game, attending a kabuki performance and visiting the Ghibli Museum. We can also arrange touring to include Japanese seasonal events such as ohanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties in the spring, fireworks festivals in the summer and viewing koyo (fall foliage) in the autumn.

Next, travel by first-class shinkansen (bullet train) to Okayama. If desired, visit Korakuen Garden, one of Japan's most famous gardens. Continue to nearby Kurashiki, an atmospheric former river port known for its traditional black-and-white architecture and folk art. Stay at a luxurious ryokan, and enjoy private touring of the town’s historical quarter to see willow-draped canals, interesting buildings, specialty shops, the renowned Ohara Museum of Art and other highlights.

Next, travel to enchanting Kyoto, the heart of Japanese culture and tradition. Stay at one of Kyoto’s best luxury hotels or ryokan (traditional inns), and enjoy flexible private touring of the best of this elegant city with your private guide and driver. Visit the city’s most important historic attractions and temples and shrines such as Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), Ryoanji and its famous Zen rock garden, Kiyomizudera Temple, Nijo Castle, Ginkakuji, Saihoji (Moss Temple) and Fushimi Inari, famous for its tunnel of red torii gates. Take a private excursion to Arashiyama, a beautiful mountainside district, to see its enormous bamboo forest, historic gardens and sites, and to have a vegetarian lunch at a Zen temple. Enjoy a private tour of Gion, Kyoto’s traditional geisha district, walk on the Philosopher’s Path, and see traditional architecture in our favorite neighborhoods. Browse Nishiki Market, antiques districts, specialty museums and historic shops that have been selling traditional goods for centuries. Visit local crafts studios and boutiques to meet with local craftspeople and ceramics experts, or perhaps enjoy a private ikebana (flower arranging) or other lesson in traditional Japanese arts. Upon request, we can arrange access to imperial villas and private gardens such as Katsura Rikyu and other less-visited attractions. Artisans of Leisure will also arrange an exclusive private Japanese tea ceremony in a tea villa and reservations at Kyoto’s best restaurants.

Upon request, other activities that can be arranged around Kyoto include an exclusive private dinner with geisha entertainment, private Zen meditation in a local Buddhist temple, visiting a master swordsmith, tea tastings, visits to sake breweries and tofu factories, manga drawing lessons, a visit to a private machiya (traditional merchant house), hiking to temples in the hills, attending local festivals, private Japanese cooking classes, and visiting the best places around Kyoto to view cherry blossoms and fall foliage.

Continue to Yamanaka Onsen, a resort town known for hot springs, refined culinary and craft traditions, and a scenic gorge. Stay at one of Japan’s finest luxury ryokan inns, enjoy exquisite kaiseki ryori meals and relax in your private open-air onsen bath. During private touring, meet renowned artisans in their workshops, explore the historic town and perhaps walk through scenic Kakusenkei Gorge. If desired, visit the nearby traditional town of Yamashiro Onsen and its ceramics boutiques. Also visit Natadera Temple, an ancient Buddhist complex of buildings perched on cliffs and tucked into caves.

Continue to Kanazawa, one of Japan’s wealthiest cities during the feudal era and now a wonderful cultural and culinary destination on the Sea of Japan. With your expert guide, explore the highlights of the town, including traditional Japanese architecture in former samurai and geisha districts and beautiful Kenrokuen Garden, one of the most famous gardens in Japan. Learn about Kanazawa’s celebrated traditional crafts, including silk, lacquer and gold leaf products. Also tour fascinating Myoryuji (Ninja Temple), and visit museums such as the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art and Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts. Explore the city’s Omicho food market, and experience Kanazawa’s refined cuisine at our favorite restaurants. One day, Artisans of Leisure will arrange an exclusive private visit and culinary experience at a traditional Japanese farm in the countryside. Other touring options around Kanazawa include visiting the Ohi Museum, the D.T. Suzuki Museum, and a renowned pottery kiln and studio.

Return to Tokyo for additional touring or shopping according to your interests.

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