INSIDER'S JAPAN

Day 1 Arrive Tokyo

Arrive in Tokyo and check in to your central tower ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn) hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure, exploring the city or enjoying the hotel’s hot spring baths and spa in the specially-designed bath hall on the top floor.

Overnight: Hoshinoya Tokyo

Day 2 Tokyo

Meet with your English speaking guide in the hotel lobby and leave for a full day introduction to Tokyo using public transport. Perhaps visit the Meiji Jingu Shrine, the fashionable districts of Omotesando and Harajuku (home of Kawaii kitsch), the quiet of the Shinjuku Gyoen Gardens and the bustling Shinjuku Station area. Create personalised memories in the popular purikura photo booths.

Overnight: Hoshinoya Tokyo

Day 3 Tokyo

Visit the bustling Tsukiji fish market followed by an immersive session making fresh sushi with the help of a professional sushi chef. After lunch, visit Hamarikyu Garden that is home to hundreds of beautiful cherry trees, and take a boat ride on the Sumida River to Senso-Ji, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple. See one of Tokyo's most recognisable modern landmarks, the Philippe Starck designed Asahi Beer Hall, and enjoy the vibrant Ameykoko Market Street or head to the restaurant supply district of Kappabashi.

Overnight: Hoshinoya Tokyo

Day 4 Kanazawa

Take the bullet train to the ancient city of Kanazawa, where you check into a charming, four-bedroom little ryokan, as the personal guests of the owners. Spend the afternoon walking through Kenroku-en, one of Japan's most beautiful gardens, full of blossoming flowers, ancient trees, and impressive landscaping. We also highly recommend visiting the elegant Seison-kaku Villa in the park while you are there. There's a lot to see, including the Kanazawa Castle Park, where you can explore the recently reconstructed buildings of what was one of Japan's largest castles.

Overnight: Maki No Oto

Day 5 Kanazawa & Yamashiro Onsen

Spend the day exploring Kanazawa. Visit the museums in the samurai district of Nagamachi before heading to Higashi Chaya-gai, one of Japan's best preserved geisha districts, filled with a maze of traditional wooden buildings. Stop for lunch at the Ōmichō Ichiba Markets before visiting the collection of temples at Teramachi and the Kutani Kosen Gama Kiln to see how traditional ceramics are made. End the day with a visit to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. In the mid-afternoon, transfer south a short distance into the quiet Ishikawa countryside to stay in a luxury onsen resort, enjoy a private hot-spring onsen bath on the terrace of your suite before an amazing kaiseki dinner.

Overnight: Beniya Mukayu

Day 6 Yamashiro Onsen

A day at leisure to enjoy the quiet surrounds of the ryokan, to perhaps have a spa treatment and to luxuriate in your hot spring baths. You might also decide to take a picnic (payable locally) and head out into the surrounding hills and forest for a hike to Tsurugataki waterfall. The scenery all around is extremely beautiful, and on arrival at the waterfall, you can throw an egg into the pool, an action that represents "a gift to the Dragon God".

Overnight: Beniya Mukayu

Day 7 Kyoto

Catch the morning Express Train to Kyoto where you will meet your guide for a half-day tour of the city. Visit the stunning Golden Pavilion and Ryoanji Zen Garden before heading to the nearby Ninnaji, which houses one of Kyoto's loveliest gardens.

Overnight: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

Day 8 Kyoto

This morning, dress in kimonos for your private Tea Ceremony, perhaps the most ritualised of all the Japanese traditions. The afternoon is at leisure for independent exploration. Perhaps see the amazing Nishiki Market, before heading out to Arashiyama, famous for its bamboo groves, temples and gardens. This evening enjoy a privileged insight into the life of a geisha with a hosted dinner - something very few visitors get to experience.

Overnight: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

Day 9 Nara

Spend the day with your guide visiting Japan's ancient capital of Nara. See the amazing giant bronze Buddha, housed in the famous all-wood Todai-ji temple. Walk through Nara-koen Park and visit the Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Explore the charming Isui-en Strolling Gardens, where you can wander amongst the plum, cherry, and maple trees. Return to Kyoto via the amazing Fushimi Inari Shrine, most noted for its 'tunnels' of red torii gates leading up the hill behind the main shrine.

Overnight: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

Day 10 Kyoto

This morning, head straight to Gion, where you may be able to catch sight of some of Kyoto's apprentice geisha on their way to lessons, as you step back in time amidst the traditional machiya houses. From there, head on to Yasaka-jinja Shrine and into Maruyama Park, where the path will lead you past Kodai-ji Temple and on to Kiyomizu Temple, which looks out over the city from the hillside. In the afternoon, head to the Zen Buddhist Temple where you will be staying this evening. Enjoy an exclusive, private stay in a Zen temple not open to the public, as guests of the Chief Priest. Here, you will experience some of the customs of the monks, such as seated Zen meditation, Zen Sutra recitation and a tea ceremony in the temple's special tea room. You will be served dinner and breakfast as the monks take it.

Overnight: Working Zen Temple

Day 11 Hakone

Catch a bullet train to Odawara. Spend the day discovering Hakone's incredible museums and art galleries. Explore the amazing Open Air Museum or the Pola Museum of Art before seeing over 4,000 works of contemporary Nihonga paintings at Narukawa Art Museum. After exploring the museum, relax with a drink at the museums cafe that offers stunning views over Lake Ashinoko and Mt Fuji.

Note - for a true insider experience and immersion into Nihonga, an early morning private tour of Narukawa Art Museum can be arranged with the museums general manager, Mr Katsunori Kanagawa.

Overnight: Gen, Hakone

Day 12 Hakone

Today discover Hakone's stunning nature with a hike along Hakone Hachiri with your local guide. This part of the old Tokaido Highway constructed by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century, still to this day connects the cultural capital of Kyoto, with the political and economical centre of Tokyo. With towering cedar trees that parallel the cobblestone streets, and with soft light pouring in, it creates a fresh and sweet atmosphere. This path has been utilised by feudal lords, merchants and pilgrims alike for over 400 years. Surrounded by nature, feel the breath of history as you get to interact with the locals who protect these treasures that quietly mark the passage of time.

Stop by a marquetry store in the birthplace of Hakone's traditional craft, yosegi-zaiku before some respite at Tea House Amazake Chaya. Located at the foot of Mt. Futagoyama this tea house has been in business since the Edo-period (1603-1986). The current 13th generation owner's menu of rice cakes and amazake, as well as the warm hospitality of the locals, have remained unchanged for hundreds of years.

Overnight: Gen, Hakone

Day 13 Tokyo

Catch the bullet train back to Tokyo and enjoy a last day in Tokyo exploring at leisure and enjoying the amazing spa at your hotel, in preparation for your departure tomorrow.

Overnight: Hoshinoya Tokyo

Day 14 Depart Tokyo

Transfer to the airport to catch your flight home.