Oxalis Holidays : Shoguns and Samurai

Shoguns and Samurai

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Itinerary
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Tour style Guided tour from Tokyo to Kyoto. Accommodation in family-run minshuku, traditional ryokan, hotels.	Places visited: Tokyo · Obuse · Yudanaka Onsen· Narai· Tsumago · Magome · Takayama · Kyoto · Nara · Mount Koya
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HIGHLIGHTS

Imperial Kyoto and Nara - Nakasendo Way post-towns - Snow monkeys of Yudanaka hot spring – traditional merchants houses of Takayama – Shirakawa-go UNESCO World Heritage site - Natural hot spring baths – Accommodation in traditional ryokan – Sacred Mount Koya - Ultra-modern Tokyo

INTRODUCTION

Central Japan is a region of tall mountain ranges and fast-flowing rivers. It wasn’t until recently that roads reached the remoter villages, and today many remain remarkably well-preserved, and evocative of centuries past. Our journey takes us through Japanese history from modern Tokyo, known as Edo during Japan’s period of rule by the Shoguns, to end near Kyoto, Japan’s capital for 400 years and the repository of much of the countries cultural heritage. From Tokyo we head first to Yudanaka Onsen hot spring where the famous “snow monkeys” come to enjoy the natural hot spring baths just like humans. In feudal times people travelling from Kyoto to Tokyo would use the Nakasendo way – the road through the central mountains – one of a network of ancient highways. We will visit one of the best preserved sections in the Kiso Valley, where the lovely villages of Tsumago and Magome have been immaculately restored. We will stay in small, traditional village houses restored and now run by local families as minshuku ( inns). In the Hida region, we will visit the castle town of Takayama, isolated by a barrage of mountains. The superb local crafts and architecture are much in evidence in the old town, with the preserved merchants’ houses, teahouses, local sake, and crafts shops specialising in lacquer ware, pottery, and furniture. Further north is Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995, where will stay for the night in one of the traditionally thatched gassho-zukkuri houses. These large wooden houses have steep thatched roofs, designed to withstand heavy snow, and the term gassho-zukkuri refers to the shape of praying hands formed by the roofs. From the mountains we will move to the city of Kyoto, Japan’s capital for more than a thousand years. The city is home to more than 1600 Buddhist temples, hundreds of Shinto shrines, imperial palaces and formal gardens. There will be ample time to explore this historical city, and also enjoy some of the wonderful Kyoto cuisine, with its refined preparation and artistic presentation. Our next stop is Nara, Japan’s capital during the 8th century, when Buddhist glory reached its height in Japan. Todai-ji temple is the largest wooden structure in the world and home to the Great Buddha, 15 metres high and made of bronze. Our last night before heading back to Tokyo will be spent in a shukubo temple lodging situated on Mount Koya, the home of Shingon (Pure Word) Buddhism. There will be time to wander amongst the thousands of ancient tombs and memorials in the Okunoin cemetery, near the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the Buddhist monk who founded the first temple here in the 9th century. Along with the beautiful mountain landscapes and wonderful hot springs, we will enjoy freshly-made local cuisine at each stop, such as hida beef, miso bean paste, tofu, sweet dumplings and sansai-ryori made from delicately prepared mountain vegetables.

ITINERARY OVERVIEW

Day 1 Meet in Tokyo

Meet at Narita International Airport and transfer to Tokyo. In the evening there will be a welcome dinner at a city restaurant.
Overnight at city centre hotel.

Day 2 Sightseeing in Tokyo

Our first full day in Japan will be spent on a walking tour of Tokyo, visiting the elegant Ginza shopping district and the grand Meiji shrine. In the evening your tour leader will be on hand to help you with ordering dinner.

Day 3 Obuse & Yudanaka Onsen

Transfer to Obuse in Nagano Prefecture north-west of Tokyo. Visit the Hokusai-kan, woodblock print museum and Masuichi-Ichimura Saké Brewery. By road to Yudanaka Onsen, a hot spring village famous for its ‘snow monkeys’. Overnight in traditional Japanese minshuku (travellers’ inn).
N.B. Please note that there is a 25-minute walk along a level path to the 'snow monkey' hot spring.

Day 4 Narai

Travel to the Kiso valley and the small town of Narai, an atmospheric example of a post-town on the ancient Nakasendo trail between Kyoto and Tokyo. Our accommodation will be an edo-period house converted into a minshuku (family-run travellers’ inn).

Day 5 Magome

Continue to Tsumago, another of the post-towns on the former Nakasendo trail. Visit the folk museum, with exhibits on the old Nakasendo trail and the village. Travel by local bus to Magome, in time to check in to our minshuku, a lovely family-run inn with an antique irori (sunken Japanese hearth) and a bath made of hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood.

Day 6 -7 Takayama

Transfer to Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. Explore the San-machi area with its rows of old merchant’s houses, some open as museums. In the evening we will try the local Hida beef, and perhaps some locally-brewed saké.

Day 8 Shirakawa-go

North-west of Takayama is the village of Ogimachi, within the Shirakawa-go area of the Sho-kawa valley. The village is home to a large number of gassho-zukuri houses, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. These large wooden houses have steep thatched roofs, designed to withstand heavy snow, and the term gassho-zukkuri refers to the shape of praying hands formed by the roofs. Inside, the houses could accommodate large extended families of up to sixty people. Our accommodation here will be in one of these traditional houses, and dinner will be served around the irori (sunken hearth).

Day 9 - 10 Kyoto

We will leave the mountains today, travelling by bus to Takayama, and then by train to Kyoto. We will spend two days exploring Kyoto and its many temples, including a walk through Gion, the traditional geisha quarters. There will be a half-day free, so you can catch up on sending postcards, shop for souvenirs, take some time to do some more exploring.

Day 11 Nara

The ancient city of Nara , which preceded Kyoto as Japan ’s capital from 710 to 784, is one hour south of Kyoto by train. We will visit the old merchant district of Nara-machi with its narrow streets, shops, cafes and restaurants. Next we will visit Todai-ji temple, with its bronze statue of Buddha , said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. Return to Kyoto city centre hotel.

Day 12 Mount Koya

From the Nara plain we will travel by train along the scenic Nankai railway line to Mount Koya, a bowl-shaped valley filled with stands of cedar trees 800 metres up in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula. Since the 9th century, when the monk Kukai (also known as Kobo Daishi) founded the first temple and the shingon sect of Buddhism, Mount Koya has been a place of religious devotion and ceremony. Today there are more than 100 monasteries, many of which have shukubo (temple lodgings). We will stay in one of the elegant temples, run by the monks, and dine on shojin-ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine). There will be a guided walk through the vast Okuno-in cemetery, with thousands of graves and memorials to feudal lords and other past luminaries.

Day 13 Transfer to Tokyo

This morning you will have the opportunity to get up early to join in the Buddhist service at the temple. After breakfast we will check-out and return to Tokyo via Osaka.

Day 14 Tour ends

Your tour leader will help you transfer to Tokyo's Narita Airport for your flight home.

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ACCOMMODATION ON THIS TOUR

Otaya minshuku

This traditional 'gasshozukuri' house minshuku is run by three generations of the Ota family. Mr. Ota (left) often demonstrates minyo - folk songs - after dinner. The food is fresh from their fields and prepared by Mr. Ota's wife and daughter.

Rengejoin

One of the many temples in Mount Koya that cater to pilgrims, Rengejoin is run by the monks and you are welcome to join the early morning prayer service if you wish.

Other accommodation on this trip

	Ise-ya (Narai) - a lovely family-run ryokan in the village of Narai. The building is a traditional mechants house.
	Asunaro (Takayama) - conveniently located in central Takayama yet calm and unhurried. Try the local hida-beef served for dinner.

Also

Koraku-kan (Yudanaka Hot Spring) - a lovely hot spring lodge not far from the famous snow monkeys. A nabe - hotpot - is served for dinner with fresh duck, enoki mushrooms, udon noodles and river trout. There is an outdoor hot spring bath.

Shiba Park Hotel (Tokyo) - a modern and comfortable 4-star hotel in the heart of Tokyo

ACCOMMODATION NOTES

We have chosen each accommodation carefully for their comfort, service and personal service. On several nights we use Japanese-style accommodation with shared bathrooms and toilets. These generally have seperate male and female bathing areas. Couples or those travelling together will have their own room, while single travellers may be asked to share with another member of the group (same sex only).

TOUR COMMENTS

"We want to commend Mari Ohara in the highest terms possible. She said "Yes, of course!" to every request anyone made and followed through. You couldn't possibly have come up with a better ambassador of Japanese culture than Mari. It was a terrific trip. The food, the variety of sites, the pace: everything was superb. Hats off to everyone involved, and, again, thanks especially to Mari-san for sharing her love of Japan with us." D Kirby, USA

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CUSTOMER'S PHOTOS

WHAT'S INCLUDED

All domestic transport, accommodation, entrance fees,baggage forwarding on 3 occasions, breakfasts & 9 evening meals are included.

Not Included are international Flights, drinks with meals, lunches and 4 evening meals in Tokyo.

SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT

There is a single room supplement of £350 per person, which will guarantee you a single room in Tokyo and Kyoto hotel. We will request but cannot guarantee a single room in traditional Japanese accommodations.

GROUP SIZE

Maximum: 12 Clients Minimum: 5 Clients