12-Nights Off the Beaten Track in Japan - Tailormade Journeys

Soaring urban skylines and sleepy wooden villages, bustling food markets and silent, spectacular pilgrimage trails: Japan is an enigma that offers unforgettable yet contrasting experiences. This adventure begins in the cutting-edge city of Tokyo before heading back in time to the Edo period, when Japan’s borders were closed to foreigners and locals lived a life defined by ritual and the arts. Hike between some of the best-preserved mountain villages on the Nakasendo Way, an old trade and pilgrimage route connecting Tokyo and Kyoto; explore historic Shinto shrines in the under-the-radar Ise-Shima Peninsula, visiting the legendary Ama freedivers; and tour the timewarp of Kyoto, divining the art of the tea ceremony. While staying in a temple atop the sacred mountain of Koyasan, rise for morning prayer and tour the region’s ancient, atmospheric sites, learning about Shingon Buddhism from monastic guides. Your seamless journey through Japanese culture and heritage, woven with unforgettable experiences only A&K’s network can access, concludes in Nara, the nation’s original capital and home to its largest Buddha statue.