The Lynch family - Randy, Bev, Zen and cousin Sofia - is spending this week, Spring Break, on an extraordinary whirlwind visit to Japan! After our wonderful adventure in Laos in January, we decided to pack up again and this time, enjoy the amazing luxury, culture and people of Japan. As many friends and clients have inquired about Japan, we thought to share a bit of our itinerary, and our short one week (pampered!) trip should give you a good snapshot of this amazing place.
Sunday
NARITA - TOKYO
We arrive in Tokyo Sunday afternoon and our Kipling & Clark representative will transfer us by private vehicle to the sophisticated
Peninsula Tokyo for check in. En Route to the hotel, we'll make a brief stopover to the Harajuku District to see a unique celebration. Local teenagers dress up to resemble various anime (comic book) characters and musicians. This is great fun for Zen and Sofia!
A little history about the Harajuku area: its side streets are lined with trendy shops, fashion boutiques, crepe stands and fast food eateries geared to the trendy teens that hang out here. It also offers something for people of all ages because of its popular shopping complex named Omoto Sando Hills. It's sometimes referred to as Tokyo's Champs-Elysees. It's a very popular district and much fun to visit.
Monday
TOKYO
It's an early day for us on Monday. We'll enjoy a private visit to Musashigawa Beya to see Sumo Wrestling practice session. This is so intense and compelling! After this, we'll explore areas of Tokyo, including Meiji Shrine, Roppongi Hills, Omotesando, and Electric City...and Zen and Sofia will have great fun at Kiddy Land!
Tuesday
TOKYO - NAGOYA - TAKAYAMA via First Class Bullet Trains
Tuesday is an exciting day. We'll travel first class on the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya then onto Takayama. We'll be staying at the Nagase Ryokan in Takayama. Set in the picturesque mountainous Hida region, Takayama uniquely retains its traditional Japanese culture like few other cities in Japan. Considered a "mini-Kyoto," Takayama offers perhaps a more authentic Japanese cultural experience versus its big sister city Kyoto. With history dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, Takayama is well-noted for its traditional pottery (Shibukusa-yaki). The Nagase Ryokan has been operated by the same family for over 250 years. There are only 11 rooms and most have private gardens.
Wednesday
TAKAYAMA
It's a full day city tour of Takayama by a private vehicle with an English-speaking guide, visiting Hida Minzoku-mura (Hida Folk Village),Takayama Jinya (Historical Government House), Takayama Yatai Kaikan (Festival Floats Exhibition Hall) and Kusakabe Mingei-kan (Kusakabe Heritage House). We'll take an afternoon stroll through Sannomachi Street. This is such a beautiful place to walk through, with its many historical homes, coffee houses, and sake breweries. Many of the breweries have been in business for centuries! We'll be staying at beautiful
Hotel Associa Takayama Resort. Thursday
TAKAYAMA - NAGOYA - KYOTO
Thursday we'll leave Takayama by train to head to Kyoto and a journey highlight - a stay at perhaps the most famous ryokan in all of Japan, the Tawaraya Ryokan. Statesmen, celebrities, and international CEOs visit here. A recent Kipling & Clark client summed up his stay here as "the essence of perfection." It was built in the 18th century and has been run by generations of the same family for over 300 years! It is known for its silence, peace and tranquility. There are only 18 rooms here and they are always booked. Reservations to stay here must be booked many months in advance.
Friday
KYOTO - NARA - KYOTO
It's a full day with a private guide for a tour of various areas including Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji Temple, Kiyomizu Temple, the Fushimi Shrine, and a look-see of Yoshida-sanso. The Fushimi Inari Taisha is our favorite Shrine in Japan. Dating back to the 8th century, the shrine includes a wandering pathway around three miles up the mountain lined with hundreds of beautiful red torii, now faded into orange. Bev and I very much enjoy the eerie, magical ambience of Fushimi.
We'll have dinner in the Gion District and take a late evening walk through the Pontocho area. Pontocho offers a beautiful atmosphere of restaurants, tea houses and yakitori stores (grilled chicken on skewers). The Gion District is mostly made up of plain wooden structures located on the eastern side of the Kamo River. You will not see any glitz or neon lights here. Gion is a wonderful throw-back to traditional Japanese culture, home to Kyoto's most famous geisha district. It was featured in the 2006 "Memoirs of a Geisha". We'll be staying at the
Hyatt Regency Kyoto. Saturday
KYOTO - TOKYO - NARITA
After breakfast at the hotel, we'll leave Kyoto for Tokyo by bullet train and then head to the Narita Airport. We arrive home with many, many wonderful memories of another spectacular family luxury journey!
We'll have pictures of our adventure up on the Blog when we return.
Sayonara!
Friends, it has been a very busy few weeks! The Lynch family is back home after our fantastic seven day trip to Japan. We have so many wonderful things to share with you from our luxury adventure in Japan. In the next few days we’ll post pictures and details from our trip.
