DISCOVER Japan: Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto

Depart on an overnight flight to Tokyo and transfer to your hotel upon arrival. You’ll have the remainder of the day to unwind or head out to explore the city on your own.

Gather for a welcome briefing after breakfast before setting out for one of the oldest parts of Tokyo: Asakusa. Founded more than a thousand years ago, the district was a thriving center of education and entertainment during the Edo period and later Tokyo’s intellectual and cultural hub. Visit the city’s oldest and most revered temple, Senso-ji, also known as the Asakusa Kannon Temple for its golden statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Stroll past street food stalls and traditional crafts at the lively Nakamise-dori arcade outside the temple. Then head to a traditional sumo stable, where professional practitioners of this ancient wrestling art live, eat, and train under nearly monastic conditions. You’ll have free time to grab lunch and explore the Ginza district, known for its posh boutiques and bustling restaurant scene. Reconvene tonight for a welcome dinner at our hotel. (B,D)

Begin the day at the Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo’s most important Shinto temple, nestled amid lush woods. This peaceful enclave is dedicated to late 19th-century Emperor Meiji and his wife, who ended Japan’s many centuries of isolation. Pass towering torii gates built of ancient cypress trees, and explore its elegant courtyards and meandering garden paths. Then trade serenity for buzzing modernity as you head into the Shibuya district, home to the famous scramble crossing—perhaps the world’s busiest pedestrian intersection. Enjoy lunch on your own and time to discover this trendy spot before departing Tokyo. Your destination is the hot springs town of Hakone in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Arrive late this afternoon at your ryokan, a traditional-style onsen (hot springs) inn. Savor artfully presented small dishes during a kaiseki dinner tonight. (B,D)

Spend the day exploring the cultural and natural significance of spectacular Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain. At the Mount Fuji World Heritage Center, visit exhibitions on its geology, symbolism, and conservation set within a remarkable building designed to imitate the iconic peak. Visit lakeside Oishi Park to take in views of the conical mountain, then tour the nearby Itchiko Kubota Art Museum, which showcases the work of an artist inspired by Mount Fuji, including a collection of kimonos hand-dyed with intricate Mount Fuji imagery. The artist, Itchiko Kubota, was renowned for reviving a long-lost Japanese textile dyeing technique known as tsujigahana. After free time for lunch, try your hand at an age-old local craft during a wooden mosaic-making workshop. Dine together at a local restaurant tonight. (B,D)

Board a bullet train and zoom to Kyoto, Japan’s imperial capital for a millennium and now the country’s cultural and artistic heart. Begin your discovery of the historic center with a visit to Nijo Castle, the extravagant 17th-century fortified residence of the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan for more than 250 years. Later, check in to your hotel and enjoy some time at leisure before dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

This morning, take a walk through the otherworldly Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, walking beneath towering stalks of bamboo that reach up to 90 feet in the air. Visit Ryoan-ji, a Zen Buddhist temple whose 15th-century rock garden epitomizes the simplicity of Zen meditation; and see Kinkaku-ji, the beloved lakeside Temple of the Golden Pavilion, set on pillars over the water. The remainder of the day is yours to pursue your own interests in Kyoto. Options abound for your dinner tonight: from elevated Japanese restaurants to udon shops and street food. (B)

Venture to the outskirts of the city this morning to experience the iconic Fushimi Inari shrine, known for the thousands of red torii gates that straddle its forest trails. At Sanjyusangendo Hall, a 13th-century Buddhist temple, see 1,001 life-sized statues of the thousand-armed deity Kannon. Cap off the day in the historic Gion theater district, enjoying a farewell dinner accompanied by a maiko (geisha apprentice) performance. (B,D)

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)