Japan in Cherry Blossom Season

Overview

Key Features

1. Tokyo in Blossom — Cherry blossoms Chidorigafuchi, the cherry tree in the Rikugien Garden, and the remarkable variety of blossoms at Shinjuku Gyoen. Itinerary is thoughtfully tailored to the season’s blooming conditions, allowing you to experience Tokyo’s spring at its most beautiful.
2. Itchiku Kubota Art Museum — Dedicated to the textile artist Itchiku Kubota, who revived the medieval Japanese dyeing technique of tsujigahana and developed his own distinctive style, known as “Itchiku Tsujigahana.” Set near Lake Kawaguchi, the museum is celebrated for his monumental textile series, “Symphony of Light.”
3. Okayama Korakuen — One of Japan’s Three Great Gardens and a nationally designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty. From late March, approximately 280 cherry trees come into bloom, their delicate blossoms contrasting with the striking black silhouette of Okayama Castle beyond.
4. The Art of Zen — A museum and temple complex that unites Zen philosophy, traditional Japanese gardens, contemporary architecture and art. At its heart is the KOHTEI pavilion, a work of contemporary architecture created in dialogue with Zen.
5. Naoshima — Contemporary Art — An island where Tadao Ando’s architecture exists in harmony with the natural landscape. Its museums and open-air artworks offer an intimate encounter with the finest expressions of Japanese and international contemporary art.
6. Kyoto — Three Zen Temples — Ryoanji, renowned for its enigmatic rock garden; Kinkakuji, whose golden pavilion was rebuilt in 1955; and Kenninji, founded in 1202 and considered Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple. The itinerary also includes carefully selected cherry blossom spots.

Itinerary

Day 1 — 27 March — Arrival in Tokyo

• Airport arrival
  Your private driver meets you in the arrivals hall. Central Tokyo is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Narita, or about 1 hour from Haneda.
• To your hotel
  After check-in, enjoy some leisure time or, if you wish, take your first stroll through Tokyo.

Day 2 — 28 March — Tradition and Today in Tokyo

• 10:00 Meet your private guide in the hotel lobby
  Begin your journey through Japan’s capital.
• Imperial Palace Plaza
  The day begins on the plaza facing Nijubashi Bridge, where your guide explains how Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace.
• Hamarikyu Gardens
  Walk a garden framed by towers. If you wish, stop for matcha at Nakajima-no-Ochaya, the teahouse standing in the pond.
• Lunch in Ginza
  Time for lunch among Ginza's boutiques and façades, at a restaurant chosen to suit your tastes.
• Meiji Jingu
  Passing beneath the majestic torii gates, you will follow a shaded path through an ancient forest to the main sanctuary. Your private guide will introduce you to Shinto traditions and explain the rituals of worship that continue to be observed today.
• Omotesando and Aoyama | Roppongi
  A walk through architectural masterpieces by leading contemporary architects, from striking flagship buildings of renowned fashion houses to distinctive boutique and gallery exteriors. The route is tailored to your interests, with a focus on architecture and urban design.
• 17:00 Back at your hotel
  The day's programme ends here. The stops can be reshaped around architecture, art, history, or food.

Day 3 — 29 March — Lake Kawaguchi and Itchiku Kubota`s art world

• 09:00 Depart Tokyo
  Travel west towards the foothills of Mount Fuji in the comfort of a private chauffeur-driven vehicle, accompanied by your personal guide. The scenic journey along the Chuo Expressway takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
• Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi
  A journey to Mount Fuji, Japan’s sacred mountain and one of its most iconic symbols. Weather and road conditions permitting, your private vehicle will ascend the mountain road to the highest accessible point, offering a remarkable perspective on Fuji’s majestic slopes and the surrounding landscapes.
  The journey then continues to Lake Kawaguchi. A leisurely walk along its northern shore reveals one of the most beautiful panoramas of Mount Fuji on clear days, followed by lunch at a lakeside restaurant overlooking the tranquil waters and mountain scenery.
• Itchiku Kubota Art Museum
  At the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, discover the remarkable artistry of a master who revived the ancient Japanese textile-dyeing technique of tsujigahana and developed his own distinctive style.
• 18:00 Back to Tokyo hotel
  Departure from the Lake Kawaguchi area at 3:30 PM. The drive back to Tokyo takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Day 4 — 30 March — Tokyo in Spring

• 10:00 Meet your private guide in the hotel lobby
  Viewing places chosen by the year's bloom
• Chidorigafuchi
  Walk beside the palace moat beneath branches reaching out over the water.
• Rikugien
  A daimyo garden of the Edo period. Your guide explains the weeping cherry near the entrance and the garden's scenes, drawn from classical poetry.
• Lunch
  A restaurant chosen to suit your tastes.
• Shinjuku Gyoen
  A national garden with cherry trees spread over broad lawns.
• 17:00 Back to your hotel
  The order changes with the bloom, and a museum, gallery, or craft visit can be substituted.

Day 5 — 31 March — Tokyo to Okayama

West by shinkansen to a daimyo garden and a castle

• 08:30 Transfer to Tokyo Station
  Private transfer to Tokyo Station, accompanied by a personal assistant
• 09:00 Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen
  About 3 hours 15 minutes direct to Okayama.
• 12:15 Okayama Station
  Your private guide will welcome you on the platform and accompany you as you explore Okayama. For lunch, we will carefully select a restaurant tailored to your culinary preferences.
• Okayama Korakuen
  A leisurely stroll along the picturesque paths of Garden, past expansive lawns, tranquil reflecting ponds, and traditional tea pavilions, leads to the Chishio-no-Mori grove, where the beauty of seasonal blossoms unfolds in spring.
• Okayama Castle
  Okayama Castle, known as the “Crow Castle” for its striking black façade, is one of the city’s most distinctive architectural landmarks. Its majestic silhouette creates a particularly captivating contrast with the surrounding gardens and landscape.
• 17:00 Okayama hotel
  Check in at your hotel in Okayama.

Day 6 — 1 April — Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens

Zen, gardens and contemporary architecture

• 10:00 To Shinshoji
  A trip to Fukuyama, home of the remarkable museum and temple complex Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens.
• Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens
  A singular place that unites Zen philosophy, traditional Japanese gardens, contemporary architecture and art. You explore the grounds, the gardens and the architecture.
• KOHTEI pavilion
  Particular attention is given to the KOHTEI pavilion, an expressive work of contemporary architecture created in dialogue with Zen philosophy.
• 17:00 Okayama hotel
  Return to hotel in Okayama.

Day 7 — 2 April — Naoshima or Kurashiki

Island art, or the canal town

• A｜Naoshima

• 09:00 To Uno Port
  For Naoshima, drive about an hour to Uno Port for the 20-minute ferry to Miyanoura.
• 11:20 Naoshima’s Art Museums and Open-Air Art Spaces
  The itinerary includes the Chichu Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum, Naoshima New Museum of Art, Valley Gallery featuring Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden, and a selection of open-air artworks.
  The programme is tailored to museum opening hours, ticket availability, and ferry schedules. The final itinerary is subject to reservation availability.

• B｜Kurashiki

• 10:00 Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
  For Kurashiki, drive about 50 minutes, then walk the white-walled canal quarter and visit the Ohara Museum of Art.
• 11:00 Kurashiki
  Kurashiki is one of Japan’s most picturesque historic towns, where elegant white-walled merchant houses with dark tiled roofs, stone bridges, and graceful weeping willows line a centuries-old canal. A leisurely stroll through the Bikan Historical Quarter evokes the atmosphere of old Japan, with its narrow streets, intimate galleries, artisan boutiques, and charming cafés housed in beautifully preserved buildings. The town is also home to the renowned Ohara Museum of Art, celebrated for its exceptional collection of European and Japanese paintings.

Day 8 — 3 April — Okayama to Kyoto

• 10:00 Private transfer to Okayama Station, followed by a journey to Kyoto aboard the Shinkansen bullet train.
  About an hour from Okayama to Kyoto.
• 12:00 Arrive in Kyoto
  Upon arrival in Kyoto, you will be welcomed at the train carriage and transfer to your hotel. After check-in, enjoy some leisure time to relax or take your first unhurried stroll through Japan’s ancient capital.

Day 9 — 4 April — The Spirit of Old Japan

Ryoanji, Kinkakuji, Kenninji and Gion

• 10:00 Your journey through Kyoto begins
  The destinations listed in the itinerary are intended as a guide rather than a fixed programme. We intentionally keep some of our most distinctive routes private, preserving the sense of tranquillity and authenticity that makes them so special.
  Of course, should you wish to explore Kyoto’s celebrated landmarks, we will be delighted to include them in your journey. Please bear in mind, however, that the city’s most famous temples and gardens attract considerable numbers of visitors, particularly during cherry blossom season.
• Ryoanji
  From the wooden veranda of Ryoanji Temple, the celebrated Zen rock garden unfolds before you — fifteen stones arranged across a meticulously raked expanse of white gravel.
• Kinkakuji
  The Golden Pavilion of Kinkakuji, reflected in the mirror-like waters of its pond and surrounded by exquisite gardens, embodies the refined aesthetics of Japanese architecture and the harmony between nature and art.
• Lunch
  A restaurant chosen to suit your tastes.
• Kenninji
  Kenninji, one of Kyoto’s oldest Zen temples, where the art and philosophy of Zen are beautifully expressed through the refined aesthetics of its gardens and paintings.
• Gion
  Kyoto’s historic district, where elegant wooden townhouses, traditional teahouses, and narrow stone-paved streets preserve the refined atmosphere of old Japan and the centuries-old traditions of geisha culture.
• 17:00 Kyoto hotel
  Back to your hotel in Kyoto

Day 10 — 5 April — The Kyoto We Love

Away from the great temples, to gardens, tea and makers

• 10:00 Your journey through Kyoto continues.
  Visit a historic residence with a garden, or a small temple or shrine. Each day is arranged individually, subject to confirmation by the hosts.
• Lunch
  For lunch, we will carefully select a restaurant that complements the day’s itinerary and reflects your culinary preferences.
• Tea and galleries
  A tea experience, small galleries, or a contemporary artist's studio. A meeting with a craftsperson or artist can be discussed on request.
• 17:00 Kyoto hotel
  For those who appreciate the pleasure of discovery, we can keep certain details of the journey a delightful surprise until the moment they unfold. If you prefer to know what awaits you, we will be delighted to share every detail of the day’s itinerary in advance.

Day 11 — 6 April — A Free Day

Nara's deer, Osaka, or a walk through Kyoto's spring

• At leisure
  A day trip to Nara, Osaka, or elsewhere near Kyoto can be arranged; Nara Park is about an hour by car. You may also simply walk the city.

Day 12 — 7 April — To Kansai International Airport

The end of the journey

• To the airport
  Your driver collects you at a time set by your flight. Kansai International Airport is about 1 hour 30 minutes from central Kyoto.

Practical Information

Schedule / Duration

12 days, 11 nights (27 March to 7 April 2027)
Four nights in Tokyo, three in Okayama, four in Kyoto

Included in the price

・Private car with driver (airport transfers and guided days)
・Dedicated guide (guided days)
・Admission fees
Hotels, train tickets and flights are quoted according to your preferences