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JAPAN – A LAND OF FASCINATION


Stories abound on the Essence of Japan, where you’ll experience daily life in a modern land where history is preserved with honor.


• Traditional Japanese dress is an art form unto itself. Kimonos come in many styles, for example the yukata (the light and casual robe worn at your hot springs resort), whereas a kimono typically refers to something much more formal – made of silk, always worn with straw sandals, socks, and an obe (a formal sash tied precisely in back with a bow) – and impossible to put on without assistance!


• In Kyoto, imagine yourself a shogun’s guest on your tour of Nijo castle, where the higher your social status, the higher your floor level – and the further you are invited into the heart of the compound – all the while protected by guards, a moat and wooden floors designed ingeniously to creak in the event of intruders.


• Among the pine trees of Shirakawa- go, picture family life in a traditional four- story gassho-zukuri farmhouse, beneath a sharp-angled thatched roof in the shape of two hands in prayer – built to withstand the weight of snow.


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and nightingale floors, it was built of Japanese cypress by the first Tokugawa shogun in 1603 and is a wonderful example of Momoyama architecture. Have dinner on your own tonight; Kyoto offers many fine restaurants to choose from. Meals BL


5. ORIGAMI, TEA & A MAIKO PERFORMANCE Kyoto abounds with a rich legacy of ancient treasures, cultural gems and natural beauty that spans the centuries. “Take the plunge,” Kyoto-style, today on a visit to Kiyomizu Temple; the expression comes from the views you will see from the cliff-top verandah off the main hall. Try your hand at Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, when you visit a private home for a tea ceremony (shoes off again!). The afternoon is free to enjoy as you wish. Dinner tonight features a Maiko performance by a Geisha-in-training, a young woman studying the fine arts of Japanese dance, music and singing. Meals BD


6. TEMPLES OF TRANQUIL NARA


Tour Sanjusangendo Temple, home to 1,001 wooden cypress statues of Kannon-Bosatsu dating back to the 13th century. Continue on to Nara, where you’ll savor an unforgettable glimpse of old Japan on visits to ancient temples, shrines and gardens and during lunch at a Japanese restaurant. See the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at the Todai-ji Temple in Nara Park; at more than 50 feet high, the huge statue is the largest bronze Buddha in all of Japan. Stroll the wooded grounds of the vermilion-colored Kasuga Grand Shrine, adorned with some 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns, before returning to Kyoto. Meals BL


7. GARDEN CHARM ON THE NOTO PENINSULA Take the Thunderbird train to Kanazawa, home to Samurai residences, winding cobblestone streets, Geisha houses, museums, gardens, and a flower-filled open-air market – lunch at a local restaurant then stroll through Kenroku-en Garden, among the country’s top three gardens. Spend tonight at a ryokan (inn), where the dress code is a traditional yukata, mats double as chairs, and dinner features regional specialties and a drumming show. Meals BLD


8. SHIRAKAWA-GO & A MOUNTAIN RESORT Travel to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is well-known for its villages of thatched gassho-zukuri (praying hands) farmhouses. Visit a private 400-year-old family home (shoes off!) and explore the historic village of Ogimachi, the largest village with 59 intact gassho houses. See the Miboro Dam en route to your mountain resort in the 16th-century town of Takayama. Meals BLD


9. HISTORIC TAKAYAMA


Takayama is renowned for its remarkably preserved Edo-period merchants’ shops and houses, quaint village streets and sake. A walking tour with a local guide visits the farmers morning market, the Festival Float Museum and the historic Takayama Jinya. There are more than 2,000 different brands of sake produced throughout Japan – taste a representative sampling today when you visit a local sake brewery. The remainder of the day is free. Dine as you please for lunch and dinner. Meals B


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