From historic castle towns to the dazzle of downtown Tokyo, experience the essence of Japan past and present, delving into art, cuisine, and spiritual traditions in great cities and stunning rural areas.

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Starting at: $8,384 * Price includes special offer * Includes airfare, taxes & all fees Make a Reservation Ask Us A Question or Call 855-330-1542

The Higashiyama District in Kyoto

Monk at Buddhist shrine in Kyoto

Evening panorama of Tokyo

The Tokyo-Edo Museum

The Shinto Meiji Shrine, Tokyo

Asakusa Kannon, or Sensoji Temple, Tokyo

Tokyo's Ginza district

Mt. Fuji and Ashi Lake

The iconic Mt. Fuji

Old Town, Takayama

The historic houses of Shirakawa-go

The art of gold leaf, Kanazawa. Credit: Courtesy Japan Tourism Bureau

The art of calligraphy

The art of the Japanese tea ceremony

Traditional sushi platter

Sushi-making lesson

Traditional kimonos

Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto

Entrance to Nijo Castle (detail), Kyoto

Nijo Castle Garden, Kyoto

Ryoan-ji Zen Garden, Kyoto

Kofuku-ji Temple, Nara

Todai-ji Temple, Nara

Buddha at Todai-ji Temple, Nara

Eternal Japan

13 days from $8,384 | includes airfare, taxes and all fees

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Tour Details

TOUR BROCHURE

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WHAT OUR TRAVELERS SAY

Hard to top this trip! It was well planned and the opportunity to see smaller cities such as Takayama made this trip very special. There was no way could we have seen, experienced and learned so very much about this country on our own … especially over a limited number of days! Very good value. This was our second Smithsonian journey and, as we experienced with our first, excellent arrangements, enrichment program, and educational impact. This was simply an outstanding introduction to Japanese culture; it topped our expectations.

- Suzanne and Peter C.

This was a top quality tour! Fabulous rooms, and delicious meals. The best part though is the exceptional tour guides and experts that took us on this amazing journey through Japan. I learned so much and felt completely cared for from them as we traveled from one city to the next. I would recommend traveling with Smithsonian to all my friends and family without hesitation!

- Carol M.

This tour really gave us insights into the culture and language of Japan we couldn't have gotten any other way.

- Nicky S.

This Smithsonian Journeys trip exceeded my expectations. The quality of leadership and their narratives, the hotels, and local guides make my trip rich beyond words. Thank you Smithsonian for a special life experience.

- Cheryl B.

JOURNEYS DISPATCHES

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To view a section, please click on an option below.

Accommodations

* Click on hotel name to visit hotel web-site.

Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

This modern hotel is centrally located in Tokyo and sits close to the city’s popular Ginza area. Hotel facilities and amenities include several restaurants, a bar, fitness center, sauna, salon, complimentary Wi-Fi Internet access, and dry cleaning and laundry service. Each of the air-conditioned guest rooms have a private bath with hairdryer, mini-bar, TV, and phone

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

The Keio Plaza Hotel enjoys a prime location in the heart of Tokyo, close to several dining and entertainment options and just a five-minute walk from Shinjuku Station. Hotel facilities and amenities include several restaurants/bars, rooftop sky pool with skyline views, reflexology salon, fitness center, in-room Shiatsu massages (for a fee), laundromat, and dry-cleaning and laundry service (for a fee). Each air-conditioned guest room has private bath with hair dryer, minibar, TV, phone, and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access (guest rooms only).

Hakone Setsugetsuka (ryokan)

Kanagawa, Japan

Setsugetsuka sits just a minute’s walk away from Gora Station in the small hot springs town of Hakone. This traditional ryokan offers a Japanese-style lodging experience where guests can enjoy a dip in the public outdoor onsen bath; dine upon fresh, local Japanese food at dinner; and experience sleeping in a Japanese-style room with private bathroom. Water is pulled from two private springs, and the ryokan offers traditional décor and a tranquil atmosphere for our one-night stay. Air-conditioned guest rooms offer private bath with hair dryer, tea-making facilities, and TV. Per Japanese tradition, shoes must be removed in bedrooms at this ryokan.

Hida Hotel Plaza Takayama

Takayama, Japan

Centrally located near the railway station and a five-minute walk from Miyagawa morning market, the 283-room Hida Hotel Plaza Takayama features several restaurants, lounges, and a sake bar; beauty salon; gift shop; indoor swimming pool, spa, and sauna; Internet access; and a roof-top pool with commanding views of the northern Japanese Alps. Guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, refrigerator, TV, and phone.

Takayama Green Hotel

Takayama, Japan

Sitting in the heart of Takayama, this hotel is close to many famous landmarks and sites including the Hida Takayama Museum of Art, the Takayama Jinya, and the Miyagawa Morning Market. This simple but modern hotel features several restaurants, a bar, complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, and laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee), as well as a sauna, hot spring bath, and open-air onsen bath (all for a fee). Each of the air-conditioned guest rooms has a private bath with hair dryer, in-room safe, TV, minibar, and phone.

Hotel Nikko Kanazawa

Kanazawa, Japan

Conveniently located within walking distance of some of Kanazawa's most popular sights, the 260-room Nikko Kanazawa combines a refined European atmosphere with the beauty of the four seasons. Hotel amenities include several restaurants, lounges, and bars; and an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, sauna, and Jacuzzi. Guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, mini-bar, tea- and coffee-making facilities, Internet access, TV, and phone.

The Thousand Kyoto

Kyoto, Japan

Just opened in the summer of 2019, The Thousand Kyoto offers an elegant and contemporary stay in the heart of Kyoto. With soaring interior spaces, understated yet sophisticated décor, and a variety of amenities, The Thousand Kyoto ranks as a perfect place from which to explore this fascinating city. The hotel boasts a Japanese restaurant, an Italian restaurant, a tea room with tea-infused cocktails, fitness center, spa with a range of treatments (for a fee), complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, and laundry and dry cleaning services (for a fee). Air-conditioned guest rooms are designed according to a minimalist Japanese aesthetic and have private bath with hair dryer, tea-making facilities, TV, and phone.

Tour Extension

Hiroshima Post-Tour Extension — 3 Days, 2 Nights

Discover the city reborn from the atomic destruction of World War II, a modern and cosmopolitan urban center whose residents warmly welcome American visitors. Your tour extension price includes:

Rail transportation on the bullet train Kyoto/Hiroshima; Hiroshima/Osaka
2 nights accommodations at Hotel Granvia Hiroshima
4 Meals: 3 breakfasts, 1 lunch
Extensive included sightseeing: Isukushima Shrine; Mt. Misen Ropeway; Hiroshima touring by local “Hiroden” train; visit to Peace Memorial Park and Museum; Atomic Bomb Dome
Services of a professional Tour Director
Gratuities to Tour Director, dining room servers, hotel porters, and drivers

Hotel Granvia Hiroshima
Connected to JR Hiroshima Station, the Hotel Granvia Hiroshima offers direct access to several of Hiroshima’s most popular sites, including Peace Memorial Park and Miyajima Island. The hotel offers five restaurants, bar, and lounge; laundry and dry cleaning services; hair salon; gift shop; Internet access; and safe deposit boxes. Air-conditioned guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, mini-bar, TV, and phone.

Activity Level

Expectations: This Classic Land Journey will feature long touring days, many full-day excursions, and more active options in some destinations. Excursions require standing and walking for extended periods of time on uneven terrain (cobblestones, city hills, stairs without handrails, ruins, steep trails with muddy and slippery conditions), navigating some steep ascents/descents, and walking in city centers where coaches are prohibited. The itinerary includes travel by local train as well as some early morning departures and late evening arrivals. Leisure time may be limited (sometimes only in the later evenings).

Appropriate for: Travelers who are physically fit, lead active lives, are comfortable participating in long days of activities, and expect some physical exertion.

Testimonials

WHAT OUR TRAVELERS SAY

Hard to top this trip! It was well planned and the opportunity to see smaller cities such as Takayama made this trip very special. There was no way could we have seen, experienced and learned so very much about this country on our own … especially over a limited number of days! Very good value. This was our second Smithsonian journey and, as we experienced with our first, excellent arrangements, enrichment program, and educational impact. This was simply an outstanding introduction to Japanese culture; it topped our expectations.

- Suzanne and Peter C.

This was a top quality tour! Fabulous rooms, and delicious meals. The best part though is the exceptional tour guides and experts that took us on this amazing journey through Japan. I learned so much and felt completely cared for from them as we traveled from one city to the next. I would recommend traveling with Smithsonian to all my friends and family without hesitation!

- Carol M.

This tour really gave us insights into the culture and language of Japan we couldn't have gotten any other way.

- Nicky S.

This Smithsonian Journeys trip exceeded my expectations. The quality of leadership and their narratives, the hotels, and local guides make my trip rich beyond words. Thank you Smithsonian for a special life experience.

- Cheryl B.

Reading List

Highly Recommended

Japan: A Traveler's Literary Companion (Traveler's Literary Companions)

By: Brand: Whereabouts Press

This collection guides the reader through the complexity that is Japan. Although frequently misunderstood as a homogenous nation, Japan is a land of tremendous linguistic, geographical, and cultural diversity. Hino Keizo leads the reader through Tokyo's mazes in "Jacob's Tokyo Ladder." Nakagami Kenji explores the ghostly, mythology-laden backwoods of Kumano. Atoda Takashi takes us to Kyoto to follow the mystery of a pair of shoes and discover the death of a stranger. The stories, like the country and the people, are beautiful and compelling. Let these literary masters be your guide — from the beauty of northern Honshu through the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, to the many temples in Kyoto, through Osaka and the coastline of the Sea of Japan, and down to southern Kushu — to a Japan that only the finest stories can reveal. Contributors include Hino Keizo, Maruya Saiichi, Inoue Yasushi, Oda Sakunosuke, Miyamoto Teru, Tada Chimako, Atoda Takashi, Nakagami Kenji, Mizukami Tsutomu, Kawabata Yasunari, Takahashi Mutsuo, and Shima Tsuyoshi.

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In Praise Of Shadows (Vintage Classics) by Tanizaki, Junichiro New edition (2001)

By: Junichiro Tanizaki

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A Concise History of Japan (Cambridge Concise Histories)

By: Brett L. Walker

To this day, Japan's modern ascendancy challenges many assumptions about world history, particularly theories regarding the rise of the west and why the modern world looks the way it does. In this engaging new history, Brett L. Walker tackles key themes regarding Japan's relationships with its minorities, state and economic development, and the uses of science and medicine. The book begins by tracing the country's early history through archaeological remains, before proceeding to explore life in the imperial court, the rise of the samurai, civil conflict, encounters with Europe, and the advent of modernity and empire. Integrating the pageantry of a unique nation's history with today's environmental concerns, Walker's vibrant and accessible new narrative then follows Japan's ascension from the ashes of World War II into the thriving nation of today. It is a history for our times, posing important questions regarding how we should situate a nation's history in an age of environmental and climatological uncertainties.

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DK Eyewitness Japan (Travel Guide)

By: DK Eyewitness

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Lonely Planet Japanese Phrasebook & Dictionary

By: Lonely Planet, Abe, Yoshi, Hagiwara, Keiko

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Japan - Culture Smart

By: Norbury, Paul

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Kyoto Gardens: Masterworks of the Japanese Gardener's Art

By: Judith Clancy

"Bring the art and beauty of Japan to your garden with inspiration from Kyoto Gardens." —HGTV Gardens Featuring beautiful Japanese garden photography and insightful writing, Kyoto Gardens is a labor of love from master photographer Ben Simmons and Kyoto-based writer Judith Clancy. In their rocks and plants, empty spaces and intimate details—Kyoto's gardens manifest a unique ability to provoke thought and delight in equal measure. These varied landscapes meld the sensuality of nature with the disciplines of cosmology, poetry and meditation. Japanese aristocrats created these gardens to display not just wealth and power, but cultural sensitivity and an appreciation for transcendent beauty. A class of professional gardeners eventually emerged, transforming Japanese landscape design into a formalized art. Today, Kyoto's gardens display an enormous range of forms—from rock gardens display of extreme minimalism and subtle hues, to stroll gardens of luscious proportions and vibrant colors.In Kyoto Gardens Simmons' photographs present a fresh and contemporary look at Kyoto's most important gardens. Their beauty is enhanced and humanized by gardeners tending the grounds using the tools of their art. Clancy's graceful text provides historical, aesthetic and cultural context to the Japanese gardens. Combining wonder and rigor, she describes how Kyoto's most beloved gardens remain faithful to their founders' creative spirit and conception. Journey to Kyoto's thirty gardens with just a turn of a page, or use the handy maps to plan your trip.

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Hiroshima

By: John Hersey

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. This book, John Hersey's journalistic masterpiece, tells what happened on that day. Told through the memories of survivors, this timeless, powerful and compassionate document has become a classic "that stirs the conscience of humanity" (The New York Times).Almost four decades after the original publication of this celebrated book, John Hersey went back to Hiroshima in search of the people whose stories he had told. His account of what he discovered about them is now the eloquent and moving final chapter of Hiroshima.

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Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival

By: David Pilling

“[A]n excellent book...” —The EconomistFinancial Times Asia editor David Pilling presents a fresh vision of Japan, drawing on his own deep experience, as well as observations from a cross section of Japanese citizenry, including novelist Haruki Murakami, former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, industrialists and bankers, activists and artists, teenagers and octogenarians. Through their voices, Pilling's Bending Adversity captures the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Japan.Pilling’s exploration begins with the 2011 triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown. His deep reporting reveals both Japan’s vulnerabilities and its resilience and pushes him to understand the country’s past through cycles of crisis and reconstruction. Japan’s survivalist mentality has carried it through tremendous hardship, but is also the source of great destruction: It was the nineteenth-century struggle to ward off colonial intent that resulted in Japan’s own imperial endeavor, culminating in the devastation of World War II. Even the postwar economic miracle—the manufacturing and commerce explosion that brought unprecedented economic growth and earned Japan international clout might have been a less pure victory than it seemed. In Bending Adversity Pilling questions what was lost in the country’s blind, aborted climb to #1. With the same rigor, he revisits 1990—the year the economic bubble burst, and the beginning of Japan’s “lost decades”—to ask if the turning point might be viewed differently. While financial struggle and national debt are a reality, post-growth Japan has also successfully maintained a stable standard of living and social cohesion. And while life has become less certain, opportunities—in particular for the young and for women—have diversified. Still, Japan is in many ways a country in recovery, working to find a way forward after the events of 2011 and decades of slow growth. Bending Adversity closes with a reflection on what the 2012 reelection of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and his radical antideflation policy, might mean for Japan and its future. Informed throughout by the insights shared by Pilling’s many interview subjects, Bending Adversity rigorously engages with the social, spiritual, financial, and political life of Japan to create a more nuanced representation of the oft-misunderstood island nation and its people.The Financial Times“David Pilling quotes a visiting MP from northern England, dazzled by Tokyo’s lights and awed by its bustling prosperity: ‘If this is a recession, I want one.’ Not the least of the merits of Pilling’s hugely enjoyable and perceptive book on Japan is that he places the denunciations of two allegedly “lost decades” in the context of what the country is really like and its actual achievements.”The Telegraph (UK)“Pilling, the Asia editor of the Financial Times, is perfectly placed to be our guide, and his insights are a real rarity when very few Western journalists communicate the essence of the world’s third-largest economy in anything but the most superficial ways. Here, there is a terrific selection of interview subjects mixed with great reportage and fact selection... he does get people to say wonderful things. The novelist Haruki Murakami tells him: “When we were rich, I hated this country”... well-written... valuable.”Publishers Weekly (starred):"A probing and insightful portrait of contemporary Japan."

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Oishii: The History of Sushi

By: Rath, Eric C.

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Japan Style: Architecture + Interiors + Design

By: Mehta, Geeta, Tada, Kimie

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Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan

By: Bruce Feiler

Learning to Bow has been heralded as one of the funniest, liveliest, and most insightful books ever written about the clash of cultures between America and Japan. With warmth and candor, Bruce Feiler recounts the year he spent as a teacher in a small rural town. Beginning with a ritual outdoor bath and culminating in an all-night trek to the top of Mt. Fuji, Feiler teaches his students about American culture, while they teach him everything from how to properly address an envelope to how to date a Japanese girl.

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Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey

By: Marie Mutsuki Mockett

“Read it. You will be uplifted.”―Ruth Ozeki, Zen priest, author of A Tale for the Time BeingMarie Mutsuki Mockett's family owns a Buddhist temple 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In March 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami, radiation levels prohibited the burial of her Japanese grandfather's bones. As Japan mourned thousands of people lost in the disaster, Mockett also grieved for her American father, who had died unexpectedly.Seeking consolation, Mockett is guided by a colorful cast of Zen priests and ordinary Japanese who perform rituals that disturb, haunt, and finally uplift her. Her journey leads her into the radiation zone in an intricate white hazmat suit; to Eiheiji, a school for Zen Buddhist monks; on a visit to a Crab Lady and Fuzzy-Headed Priest’s temple on Mount Doom; and into the "thick dark" of the subterranean labyrinth under Kiyomizu temple, among other twists and turns. From the ecstasy of a cherry blossom festival in the radiation zone to the ghosts inhabiting chopsticks, Mockett writes of both the earthly and the sublime with extraordinary sensitivity. Her unpretentious and engaging voice makes her the kind of companion a reader wants to stay with wherever she goes, even into the heart of grief itself.

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The Inland Sea

By: Donald Richie

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Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel

By: Arthur Golden

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Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist)

By: Min Jin Lee

A New York Times Top Ten Book of the Year and National Book Award finalist, Pachinko is an "extraordinary epic" of four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family as they fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan (San Francisco Chronicle). NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 * A USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017 * JULY PICK FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB NOW READ THIS * FINALIST FOR THE 2018 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE* WINNER OF THE MEDICI BOOK CLUB PRIZE Roxane Gay's Favorite Book of 2017, Washington Post NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER "There could only be a few winners, and a lot of losers. And yet we played on, because we had hope that we might be the lucky ones." In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant--and that her lover is married--she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.*Includes reading group guide* p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; color: #1f4e79} span.s1 {font-kerning: none}

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*As an Amazon Associate, Smithsonian Journeys earns from qualifying purchases.

Travel Insurance

For the convenience of our travelers, Smithsonian Journeys includes a basic medical expense and evacuation plan through Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand, at no additional charge. This plan provides post-departure Medical and Dental coverage of $250,000 per person and Emergency Assistance and Transportation coverage of $1,000,000 per person (U.S. Residents Only). Note: For full details regarding these coverages please review the following Plan Documents here.

In addition, we recommend that travelers purchase a travel protection plan to help protect their travel investment from unforeseen events such as cancellation due to illness, flight delays due to adverse weather, baggage loss, and more. For your convenience, Smithsonian Journeys offers an optional Travel Protection Plan administered by Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand. For those interested, optional "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage is available for an additional charge. Note: Certain eligibility requirements apply and Cancel for Any Reason coverage is not available to New York residents. For full details regarding this coverage please review the following Plan Documents here.

To learn more about the Travel Protection Plan, you may visit https://www.generalipartner.com/smithsonianjourneys or call the administrator, Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand at (866) 501-3252.