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Arrive
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Day 1 Arrive in Tokyo
On arrival in Tokyo, you will be met by your private driver and transferred to your hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure for you to relax and unwind after your flight.
Overnight: The Capitol Hotel Tokyu
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Day 2 Tokyo's Art Scene
This morning, meet your expert local art guide and private driver to discover some of Tokyo's most vibrant art scenes.
Beginning in Roppongi, you'll explore the three major art museums that make up the area's "Art Triangle". First, visit The Mori Art Museum which showcases contemporary exhibits in its vast galleries as well as stunning cityscapes. Continue to the National Art Center that has an ever rotating variety of exhibitions from major artists. Finally, The Suntory Museum of Art celebrates the art found in daily life.
Head on to 21-21 Design Sight, a design dedicated museum created by renowned architect Tadao Ando and fashion designer Issey Miyake. The architecturally stunning museum features 1,700 square meters of floor space, including two galleries. To end the day, visit the acclaimed Yayoi Kusama Museum, a feast of immersive installations and Kusama's iconic and colourful motifs.
Overnight: The Capitol Hotel Tokyu
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Day 3 Okayama
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Tokyo Station and assisted with boarding the Shinkansen bullet train bound for Okayama. Your private guide will meet you on the platform in preparation for your discoveries of Okayama and Kurashiki.
Begin in Okayama with a peaceful stroll through Korakuen, one of Japan's "Three Great Gardens", where serene ponds, perfectly manicured lawns and seasonal blossoms create an atmosphere of blissful calm and timeless beauty. Continue on to the historic canal district of Kurashiki, known for its white-walled storehouses and atmospheric streets. Visit the Ohara Museum of Art, the first in the country to be dedicated to Western art, and which houses an impressive collection from European masters and modern Japanese artists. At the end of the afternoon, follow the willow-lined canals to your ryokan.
Overnight: Ryokan Kurashiki
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Day 4 Naoshima Art Island
This morning, cross the bay by ferry to the world-famous art island of Naoshima and spend the day discovering the unique art that is scattered around it. Naoshima's three standout galleries are some of the island's highlights. The Tadao Ando-designed Chichu Art Museum houses pieces by Claude Monet, James Turrell and Walter De Maria in a subterranean building. The Lee Ufan Museum has paintings and sculptures by the Korean artist, while the Ando Museum is where Tadao Ando has added a concrete inner space to a century-old traditional wooden house in Honmura. Visit the Benesse House Museum, which combines a contemporary art gallery and a hotel. The museum features works by renowned artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, and Richard Long, as well as stunning views of the Seto Inland Sea.
Other highlights on the island include the Art House Project (a series of empty houses transformed into works of art that reflect the period that they were built), the Miyanoura Gallery located in an old pachinko parlour, and 'I Love Yu', a bathhouse and installation in one.
Overnight: Ryokan Kurashiki
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Day 5 Setoda
This morning you will be transferred by road to the peaceful island of Setoda. En route, stop on the remote island of Momoshima and visit Art Base. Like other islands of the Seto Inland Sea, Momoshima is suffering from depopulation and Art Base aims to showcase the artistic potential and rich cultural heritage of the island.
You will then continue to Azumi Setoda, a stunning hotel curated by AMAN founder Adrian Zecha. The rest of the day is free for you to begin enjoying these beautiful surroundings. Perhaps opt for a relaxing soak in the yubune bath houses which can be found opposite Azumi.
Overnight: Azumi Setoda
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Day 6 Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
After a relaxing morning at Azumi Setoda, you will be transferred to Onomichi where you will meet your local guide for an afternoon of e-biking. The Shimamani Kaido is one of Japan's most famous cycling routes, a 40-mile stretch that passes over the six smalls islands of the Seto Inland Sea. The small towns and communities that populate the route provide a glimpse of Japan that tourists seldom see - a slower, gentler side. Your route takes you to Ikuchijima, exactly halfway along the circuit, stopping at recommended spots on Mukaishima and Innoshima before ending back at Azumi Setoda. With fully paved, quiet and mostly flat roads, e-biking here is an absolute pleasure.
Overnight: Azumi Setoda
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Day 7 Hiroshima
Say farewell to Setoda this morning and transfer to Mihara Station where you will board the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Meet your local guide on the platform and begin your tour with a guided visit to the Peace Memorial Park and the UNESCO World Heritage A-Bomb Dome. The dome is one of the few buildings to remain standing when the 'Little Boy' atomic bomb exploded in 1945. Within the park, the Peace Memorial Museum conveys powerful stories through the victims' belongings, artefacts and moving testimonies of the survivors. After a visit to the hypocentre, which was (and still is) a working hospital, take a stroll around the tranquil Shukkei-en Gardens. Destroyed by the bomb, the gardens were completely replanted to the original plan, and feature valleys, mountains and forests in miniature.
At the end of the afternoon, transfer to Simose Art Garden Villa. A stay in one of the ten uniquely designed villas, conceived by architect Shigeru Ban, is an experience in its own right.
Overnight: Simose Art Garden Villa
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Day 8 Simose art immersion
Today you are at leisure to experience Simose's immersive art museum, which is home to approximately 500 artworks collected over the course of half a century by Yumiko Shimose, President of Marui Sangyo Corporation, including many pieces inherited from her parents and co-founders of the company. The museum consists of eight colourful, movable galleries that appear to float on a water basin and stands as an artwork itself, a concept informed by the islands of the Seto Inland Sea.
Overnight: Simose Art Garden Villa
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Day 9 Return to Tokyo
Transfer to Hiroshima Station this morning to board the Shinkansen back to Tokyo for your final night in Japan.
On arrival, enjoy some free time to explore Tokyo at your own pace. We will also provide you with tickets to teamLab Planets or Borderless, amazing interactive artwork exhibitions to which you can make your way independently. The exhibition's creators are known for their innovative manipulation of light and sound to create immersive interactive experiences. Their "Planets" installation in Toyosu is their largest exhibit, which invites you to walk barefoot through its four different spaces and two gardens, fully submerging yourself in the projected environments. "Borderless" is an interdisciplinary art space that merges technology and creativity, providing visitors with a unique and enchanting experience. The exhibit features mesmerising digital projections, responsive soundscapes and interactive artworks that respond to human movement, making it an utterly memorable and exciting experience.
Overnight: The Capitol Hotel Tokyu
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Day 10 Depart
Today it will be time to say sayonara to your time in Japan as you are transferred to the airport in time for your flight home or onward arrangements.
Overnight: Home
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Depart
