Japan Discovery

Tokyo's density, Kyoto's ceremony, a mountain onsen

A ryokan on a mountain river, a seven-seat sushi counter, and a bullet train timed to the minute. Twelve days moving from Tokyo's neon grid to Kyoto's temple lanes, closing in a hot-spring town reachable only by a two-carriage train.

Highlights

• Formal tea ceremony with a Kyoto tea master
• Fushimi Inari torii gates before the crowds, guide-only hour
• Knife-forging morning with a fourth-generation bladesmith
• Private outdoor onsen bathing at a riverside ryokan

Itinerary

1. Day 1–3

   Tokyo, Arrival

   Counter-seat sushi dinner, Shibuya & Ginza, day trip options.

2. Day 4–8

   Kyoto, Machiya Stay

   Fushimi Inari at dawn, tea ceremony, knife-forging day trip to Sakai.

3. Day 9–10

   Kinugawa, Ryokan

   Private onsen, kaiseki dinner, forest walk to the gorge.

4. Day 11–12

   Tokyo, Closing

   Sumo stable morning visit, izakaya crawl, departure.