JAPAN BOOK IT `


Toutou Kurashiki Machiya Guesthouse: The lead-in price for two people staying during the week starts from £270, but on Saturdays outside school holidays this rises to £325. /"1/"1 1,Ƃ- ° *


Those with an adventurous side can opt to spend a night on Kujira-jima, also known as ‘whale island’ as its shape resembles the mammal


Island-hopping


Move over, Greece and Croatia – there’s another island-hopping hotspot waiting to be discovered. The islands scattered across the Seto Inland Sea are perfect for exploring, with frequent ferries providing easy transport between them.


Art Base: The entry price depends on what is showing at this exhibition space, but generally fluctuates between £7 and £11.


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Seto Yacht Charter: Charter the three-cabin boat that accommodates up to six people for £2,500 a night, or book an individual cabin for £1,650. Prices for day charters for 10 people lead in from £1,000. - /"9Ƃ / Ƃ,/ ,° *


"v VÕÀÃi] >vyÕiÌ >ÀÌ ÛiÀÃ >Þ «ÀiviÀ > Ài sophisticated level of transport. Seto Yacht Charter offers sailing in style on a Bali 4.0 catamaran – the perfect vessel on which to unwind as you travel from one island to the next. The company’s only yacht can be booked up to seven days in advance; by next year, its owners hope to >Ûi >``i` Ài Þ>VÌÃ Ì Ìi yiiÌ° Those with an adventurous side can also opt to spend a night on Kujira-jima, also known as ‘whale island’ as its shape resembles the mammal. This extraordinary tiny private uninhabited islet – a 30-minute boat ride from Uno Port on the mainland – has a pristine beach where you can kayak, paddleboard À Ã«Þ y«  Ìi ÃÕ° Ƃ vÕÀLi`À VÌÌ>}i Ã available to book for those wishing to escape civilisation. But people across Seto Inland Sea are few and far between – the quaint island of Ogijima is home to more cats than its 162 inhabitants – apart from every three years when hundreds of thousands of people criss-cross the waters for an art lover’s pilgrimage like no other. Sailing across the waters of this peaceful region with no noise but the sound of our yacht gently skimming the glass-like waters, I cast my mind back to what I’d expected Japan to be like. I’d anticipated the Japan you see in brochures. What I saw was a largely unknown Japan, viewed through a lens few Western travellers have been lucky enough to experience.


68 ASPIRE SEPTEMBER 2019


aspiretravelclub.co.uk


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