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 NEW TRIP! November 9-18, 2008 Plan your arrival in Osaka/Kyoto for November 8, 2008 Plan your departure from Nagoya for November 19, 2008 Printable Version of itinerary  Behind contemporary Japan's facade of modernity lies an alluring, centuries-old culture that's yours to discover! Join us on this inaugural cultural adventure to uncover the best of Japan's cultural heritage! |
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| Day 1: Begin your Japan adventure in Kyoto, Japan's capital and residence of the emperor from the end of the eighth century to the middle of the nineteenth. Because of this prominence, Kyoto contains a overwhelming treasury of cultural sites. Today we'll visit the visually stunning Kinkakuji ("Golden Pavilion") originally constructed in the fourteenth century as the residence of a shogun and later converted to a Zen temple. The temple of Ryoan-ji, another Zen temple, is famous for its rock garden. Later in the day, you'll have a chance to walk the "Path of Philosophy" from the temple Ginkaku-ji ("Silver Pavilion") to Nanzen-ji. The Museum of Traditional Industry with its craft shops along with the Kyoto Handicraft Center are possibilities for the afternoon. Settle into your centrally-located Kyoto hotel where you'll spend the next three evenings. Enjoy a welcome dinner this evening. | |||
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Day 2: Continue your exploration of Kyoto's sights with a visit to the massive structure of Kiyomizudera ("Pure Water Temple"), one of the most celebrated temples in Japan. The temple is set on the flanks of a wooded hillside and its large wooden terrace offers wide-ranging views over the city of Kyoto. The springs for which the temple is named are said to possess healing properties. Then, visit the Fushimi-Inari shrine, the best known of several shrines dedicated to the Shinto god of rice. Countless vermilion torii ("gates") cover the walkways that wind over the slopes of Inari-san, the wooded hill behind the shrine. We can also consider a visit to Tofuku-ji (a Zen temple built in the style of the temples of Nara) renowned for its fall foliage display. (Kiyomizudera and Tofuku-ji, along with several other shrines and temples in Kyoto are part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto" World Heritage Site. ) Later, a stroll through Gion, a district that dates from the middle ages, is a possibility. Here are narrow streets (like Shinmanzen-dori) lined with fine examples of Kyoto's wooden vernacular architecture. You may perhaps spot a maiko ("geisha apprentice") walking past the long established restaurants and tea houses along the street of Hanami-Koji. | ||
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Day 3: Travel by "bullet
train" (or shinkansen, which actually means "new trunk
line") to the city of Himeji, forty-five minutes away. The
centerpiece of the city is the Himeji castle (Himeji-jo),
widely considered to be the finest remaining example of a feudal
castle in Japan. Unlike many other Japanese castles,
Himeji-jo has not been reconstructed and survives in its
original form. Construction of the Himeji castle began in the
fourteenth century and reached its finished form at the
beginning of the seventeenth century. Himeji-jo has been
designated a national treasure by the Japanese government and is
also a World Heritage Site. Return by train to Kyoto and
overnight. Day 4: Travel from Kyoto to the Kii Mountains southeast of the city. A cable car provides access to the car-free temple complex at Koyasan, perhaps Japan's holiest place (and a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site). Leave modern Japan behind and immerse yourself in this place that writer Pico Iyer describes as "consecrated to everything old and changeless and hushed." There are 117 temples in the Koyasan complex and you'll have the opportunity to spend two nights in simple, but comfortable temple lodgings, or shukubo, in Japanese.
Day 5:
Arise early to witness morning chants and the goma fire
ceremonies where monks burn pieces of wood and sesame seeds to
purge illusions and invite enlightenment. Spend the day in this
peaceful place. A three-hour walk along a pilgrimage path that
takes you past temples and shrines and through deep, solemn
woods of cedar and cypress is an option today. Visit the
graveyard of Oku-no-in ("innermost sanctum") featuring
the distinctive five-tiered monuments, the Garan (Koyasan's
central temple complex), the 16th century Kongobuji
(mother temple of Shingon Buddhism noted for its painted doors),
and the mausoluem of Kobo Daishi, founder of the Shingon sect of
Buddhism who has been called the "father of Japanese culture."
Enjoy a second evening at Koyasan. |
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Day 7: This morning depart
Nara bound for the mountain town of Takayama in the Hida region
of Gifu prefecture. The town is well-known for its Spring
Festival, but with luck, we'll be able to enjoy a flush of
autumn color on the forested hillsides surrounding the town!
Spend the afternoon walking the streets of Takayama enjoying its
Edo Period (17th to 19th centuries) wooden merchant houses
particularly on the street called Sannomachi. Coffee
houses line the street and old sake breweries (indicated
by a ball of cedar branches over the entrance) can be found at
the southern end of the street. We'll also try to take a peek at
the Takayama Yatai Kaikan, a hall next to the
Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine, where four of the elaborately
decorated floats (yatai) used in the town's festivals are
on display. The floats are hundreds of years old and are carried
through the town's streets by teams of men during the festivals.
Takayama is also known for its cuisine which features sansai,
or wild mountain vegetables. Overnight in Takayama. Day 8: Spend a couple of hours at leisure this morning in Takayama before traveling to Shirakawago, a remote, mountainous region in northern Gifu Prefecture. Shirakawago is famous for its old farmhouses built in a style called gassho-zukuri in reference to the shape of the steeply pitched roofs resembling two hands folded in prayer. An open fireplace, or irori, is a characteristic feature of these houses. You'll stay overnight in one of the farmhouses for a rustic, but unforgettable experience. |
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Day 9: Spend the early
morning wandering through the picturesque rice fields of
Shirakawago. Later, travel to Nagoya and visit neighboring Seto,
the best known of the Nihon Rokkoyo, the six oldest
pottery centers in Japan. The word seto-mono ("things
from Seto") is a Japanese colloquialism for "pottery." Overnight
in Nagoya. Day 10: This morning, travel east of Nagoya to the Kiso Valley, traversed by the well-known Nakasendo Way. The Nakasendo was one of the two main "highways" between Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) during the Edo Period. "Post stations" along the route offered food and accommodation to travelers and a few a few of these stations survive to this day. Two of the best preserved are Tsumago and Magome. If you desire, you'll have the opportunity to walk a five mile segment of the old Nakasendo Way between these villages. Return to Nagoya for the evening. Depart Japan from Nagoya's brand new Central Japan Airport the following day. |
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Details about this Trip Dates: November 9-18, 2008 Trip Leaders: Amy Osaki and Japanese guides Price: $4,695 Single room for entire trip: $400. Please note that the single supplement price does not include a single room for two nights at Koyasan, one night in Takayama, and one night at Shirakawa-go since single accommodations may not be available for these evenings. Lodging: Eleven nights in small hotels/inns. Please note that we plan to overnight at traditional Japanese inns on four evenings. At these inns those traveling in pairs can expect to have a private room; those traveling as singles may need to "double up" though we will endeavor to secure you private rooms as well. At inns, bathing and toilet facilities will be shared. There are normally separate bathing rooms for men and women with showers and a hot water tub (ofuro) intended for use only after showering. On other evenings you can expect private hotel rooms (either Western or Japanese-style) with private bath facilities. Note: Your hotel in Kyoto for the evening of November 8 is included in the trip price. Meals: Eleven breakfasts, ten lunches (packed lunch or restaurant depending on the day), and ten dinners are included and will normally be Japanese-style. Trip Begins at hotel in Kyoto, Japan Trip Ends at hotel in Nagoya, Japan |
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Printable Version of itinerary
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Other Resources
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Softly Adventures, Inc., PO Box 86250, Portland, OR 97286 |
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Read Pico Iyer's account of his visit to Koyasan in "The
Magic Mountain" in the April 2007
issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine.
