Golden Leaves of Japan

Tour members from across Canada will gather in Vancouver for the overnight flight to Narita (Tokyo).

Welcome to Japan! Upon arrival, we transfer to our hotel in the
heart of the city. 

Hotel New Otani Garden Tower - 4 nights

Our introduction to Tokyo begins in Asakusa, its narrow lanes and centuries-old Sensoji Temple offering a striking contrast to the city’s relentless modernity. From there, we ascend Tokyo Skytree for views across the metropolis before heading to Shibuya Scramble Crossing, one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world. Just outside Shibuya Station, we see the Hachiko Statue that commemorates the Akita dog who returned to wait for his owner every day for nearly 10 years after his death. In the evening, we attend a sumo demonstration, one of Japan’s most revered traditions.

A day trip brings us to Kamakura, where the Kotoku-in Temple’s Great Buddha, a bronze seated figure 13 metres tall, has presided over the surrounding hills since the 13th century. We visit Hasedera Temple and its gilded 9-metre Kannon statue before reaching the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, the spiritual centre of Kamakura. We end the day on Komachi Street, a lively lane of local crafts and snacks.

At the centre of the city, the Imperial Palace sits on the former grounds of Edo Castle, surrounded by moats and stone walls that once protected the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. We walk through the East Gardens before a sushi-making class where we learn to prepare maki and nigiri for lunch. The afternoon is free to explore Ginza, Tokyo’s most celebrated shopping and dining district.

We leave Tokyo for Hakone and Hakone Shrine, a Shinto sanctuary hidden within dense forest that drew samurai worshippers as far back as the 12th century. We cross Lake Ashi by pirate boat, the lake itself sitting inside a volcanic crater, before riding the ropeway up to Owakudani, where active vents release sulphurous steam from the hillside. 

Susukinohara Ichinoyu - 1 night

We board the bullet train at Odawara and make our way to Takayama in the Japanese Alps, stopping to visit the Kusakabe Folk Museum, a preserved Edo-period merchant house designated as an important cultural property. 

Mercure Hida Takayama - 2 nights

The smell of fresh produce greets us at the Miyagawa Morning Market, one of Japan’s most beloved, where only local farmers and craftspeople are permitted to sell. Then, we continue to Takayama Jinya, where we explore the only surviving government building from the Edo period. After some free time at Kami Sannomachi Street, we visit the Festival Floats Exhibition Hall, home to the ornate floats from Takayama’s famous seasonal festivals.

Drive to Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some over 250 years old, their steeply pitched thatched roofs built to shed the region’s heavy snowfall. In nearby Gokayama we try our hand at washi, the traditional Japanese paper that has been made in this valley for centuries. 

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa MIYABI - 1 night 

Today we try our hand at gold leaf making, decorating a small lacquer plate with the paper-thin material that has made Kanazawa one of Japan’s foremost centres of traditional craft. A walk through Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s three great gardens, brings us among trees, ornamental ponds and carefully composed vistas. We then board the bullet train south toward Hiroshima. 

Hotel Granvia Hiroshima South Gate - 2 nights 

A short ferry ride takes us to Miyajima Island, where the torii gate of UNESCO-listed Itsukushima Shrine appears to float on the water at high tide. We take the cable car up Mount Misen before returning to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, which documents the events of 1945 and their aftermath.

This morning we travel by rail for a visit to Himeji Castle, a UNESCO Site and one of Japan’s finest surviving feudal fortresses, its white layered towers earning it the name White Heron Castle. Continue to Kyoto by motorcoach.

Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo - 3 nights 

Japan’s imperial capital for over a thousand years, Kyoto was home to the Emperor until 1869 and today holds more UNESCO sites than any other city in the country. Among them, Nijo Castle is known for its corridors fitted with nightingale floors designed to alert the shogun to intruders, and Kinkaku-ji Temple, renowned for its gold leaf-covered pavilion. We also walk the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, its towering stalks filtering the light into something almost otherworldly. The afternoon takes us through the cobblestone lanes of Higashiyama and into Gion, Kyoto’s geisha quarter.

This morning we participate in a tea ceremony to understand the instruments and varieties used to prepare it. We will discover the meaning behind each precise movement, and the deep cultural roots of tea service in Japan. We then walk the thousands of torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine before heading to Nara. There, we visit the Daibutsuden Hall at Todaiji Temple and stroll in the nearby Deer Park, home to freely roaming deer considered sacred. Back in Kyoto, we gather for a farewell dinner.

Our final morning takes us to Osaka’s Cup Noodle Museum, where we learn the history of instant ramen and make our own version to take home. After some free time in Dotonbori, the city’s lively food and entertainment district, we transfer to Kansai Airport for our flight home.