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Touch down, get settled, and let the city do the rest. Tonight, we gather for a welcome dinner at a traditional tempura bar in Ebisu — think fried-to-order courses, good drinks, and your first real look at the group you'll be adventuring with for the next twelve days.

We start slow and meditative with a hands-on origami workshop — a craft that looks simple until you're the one trying to fold a crane. The rest of the day is yours: wander Ginza's flagship stores, get delightfully lost in a department store food hall, or just watch Tokyo move.

A day built for curiosity. We visit the Nezu Museum, where a serene garden holds centuries of Japanese art, then wander Kappabashi-dori — a street devoted entirely to knives, pottery, and kitchen tools. In the afternoon, we sit down with a female kintsugi artisan to learn the art of mending broken ceramics with gold, a practice that turns damage into beauty rather than hiding it. We close the day with a private omakase dinner from a female sushi chef — still rare in Japan's sushi world, and a meal worth the trip alone.

We ship our bags ahead to Kyoto, grab a bento for the ride, and board the bullet train to Iseshi. Ise Jingu is the most important shrine in all of Shintoism, tucked inside a forest so old it feels like its own weather system. We'll watch a Kagura dance performed by young priestesses before wandering the old-fashioned shops of Okage Yokocho. Tonight, we check into a traditional ryokan.

Today belongs to the ocean. We'll try our hand at pearl accessory-making on a working oyster farm, then head to Osatsu for lunch with the Ama — free-diving "sea women" who have fished these waters without modern equipment since 927 AD. In the late afternoon, sink into your ryokan's hot spring and let the day settle in.

A day with nowhere to be. Get a massage, soak in the onsen, walk the coastline — and around midday, gather for a BBQ lunch with a view of the sea that makes it hard to leave.

We travel by private bus to Kyoto, stopping for a shabu shabu lunch en route. In the city, we visit Nanzenji Temple's brick Suirokaku Aqueduct, then spend the afternoon with a female Noh mask artist, who walks us through the centuries-old craft of making masks for Japan's most enigmatic theater form. Dinner is French-Japanese fusion — Kyoto's quieter, more surprising side.

A free day to explore Kyoto however you like — or join the optional hike from Kurama to Kifune, an easy four-kilometer trail through forest and past hidden temples.

On our free day in Kyoto, you can choose to go on an easy 4-kilometer hike that connects the Kurama and Kibune villages. You’ll hike through a beautiful forest, with stops at unique temples along the way.

On the way back to Kyoto, the group will stop on a Ramen street where everyone can enjoy lunch at leisure.

This activity can be added at a later time. A decision is not required when booking.

Bullet train to Okayama, where we walk through Korakuen — one of Japan's three great gardens — with views of the striking black-walled Okayama Castle. From there, we explore Kurashiki, a centuries-old merchant town built along quiet canals. We spend the night in Uno port with dinner overlooking the water.

A ferry ride away is one of the most unusual places in Japan: an island where contemporary art and nature share equal billing. We'll descend into the underground galleries of the Chichu Art Museum, visit Benesse House, and pose with the island's iconic yellow pumpkin before heading back to the mainland.

Bullet train back to the capital, with the afternoon free to shop, wander, or simply sit somewhere and watch the city hum. We close out the trip together with a farewell dinner at a lively, of-the-moment izakaya.

One last morning in Japan before heading to the airport. Sayonara — until next time.