Japan Culture & Cuisine: Tokyo to Hiroshima

Today you feast on Tokyo with your guide and a local food specialist. You explore the bustling outer market at Toyosu and the atmospheric old lanes of Tsukiji, grazing on the freshest sushi, grilled skewers, tamagoyaki omelette and street snacks straight from the stalls. You take a hands-on lesson from a sushi master, learning to shape the rice and slice the fish, and understanding the artistry behind this deceptively simple food. Between tastings you take in the sights, old Asakusa with its great Senso-ji temple, the serene Meiji Shrine, and the famous Shibuya crossing. As dusk falls you discover the ritual of the izakaya, grazing small plates and sake in a lively backstreet. This evening, savour Tokyo's incomparable dining. Rest well, with more of the capital to enjoy tomorrow.

Today you enjoy more of Tokyo at a flexible pace, blending culture and cuisine. You might explore the Imperial Palace gardens and a fine museum, slurp ramen at a celebrated backstreet counter, and browse the food halls, or depachika, in the basements of the great department stores, an astonishing wonderland of exquisitely packaged delicacies. You could visit the dazzling teamLab digital art museum, seek out a tempura or soba specialist for lunch, or explore the pop-culture districts of Harajuku and Akihabara. Your guide tailors the day to your appetites and interests. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of the electric capital and its endless flavours. This evening, savour a final Tokyo dinner, perhaps at a yakitori grill or a refined restaurant. Rest well, for tomorrow you ride the shinkansen to elegant Kanazawa.

This morning you board the shinkansen bullet train, gliding in sleek, silent comfort across the mountains to Kanazawa, a beautifully preserved castle town on the Sea of Japan coast, spared the bombs of war and rich in traditional culture and cuisine. On arrival you are transferred to your hotel and set out to explore. You wander Kenroku-en, ranked among the three finest gardens in Japan, exquisite in every season, and explore the atmospheric Higashi Chaya geisha district and the samurai quarter of Nagamachi, with their old wooden houses and teahouses. You discover Kanazawa's famous gold-leaf craft and taste the superb seafood of the Omicho market. As the day ends, you settle into elegant Kanazawa. This evening, savour the region's fresh seafood and refined cuisine. Rest well, ready to travel on to ancient Kyoto tomorrow.

This morning you enjoy a final taste of Kanazawa, perhaps the Omicho market or a last stroll in the garden, before travelling by train to Kyoto, Japan's imperial capital for over a thousand years and the refined heart of traditional culture and cuisine. On arrival you are transferred to your hotel. You begin exploring Kyoto's treasures, perhaps the shimmering Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji mirrored in its pond or the wooden terraces of Kiyomizu-dera, and take part in a traditional tea ceremony, learning the graceful, meditative ritual of whisking matcha green tea in a tranquil tatami room. As dusk falls you wander the atmospheric geisha lanes of Gion. This evening, savour a refined Kyoto dinner. Rest well amid the beauty of the ancient capital, with more temples and cuisine to discover tomorrow.

Today you immerse yourself in the culture and cuisine of ancient Kyoto. You walk beneath the thousands of vermilion torii gates that snake up the hillside at Fushimi Inari, one of Japan's most magical sights, and explore more of the city's temples and gardens. You wander the Nishiki food market, a narrow arcade brimming with Kyoto delicacies, pickles, sweets, tofu and seafood, grazing as you go, and learn about the refined culinary traditions of the old capital. This evening you sit down to a kaiseki banquet, the pinnacle of Japanese haute cuisine, a procession of small, seasonal, beautifully presented dishes that celebrate the ingredients, colours and rituals of the season, an exquisite and unforgettable experience. Rest well amid the refinement of Kyoto, with more of its beauty to enjoy tomorrow.

Today you explore more of beautiful Kyoto. You begin in Arashiyama, walking through the enchanting bamboo grove where towering green stalks soar overhead, and visiting the serene Tenryu-ji temple with its exquisite garden. You might try a hands-on craft, wagashi sweet-making, pottery or indigo dyeing, or visit the raked gravel Zen garden of Ryoan-ji or the silver-hued Ginkaku-ji. Food lovers can seek out a tofu or matcha specialist, or a sake tasting. Your guide tailors the day to your interests. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of the ancient capital and its refined arts and flavours. This evening, perhaps explore Pontocho alley, lined with lantern-lit restaurants along the river. Rest well, for tomorrow you travel to the roaring kitchen of Osaka.

This morning you enjoy a final taste of Kyoto before a short train ride to Osaka, Japan's warm-hearted second city and its capital of street food, where the motto is to eat until you drop. On arrival you are transferred to your hotel. You explore mighty Osaka Castle, rising on massive stone ramparts amid moats and gardens, and browse the lively Kuromon Ichiba market, a paradise of fresh seafood, produce and snacks. As evening falls you head to the neon-drenched Dotonbori district, blazing with giant animated signs from the running Glico man to the enormous mechanical crab. Here you graze your way through Osaka's legendary street food, sizzling takoyaki octopus balls, savoury okonomiyaki pancakes and crisp kushikatsu skewers, amid a joyous crowd. Rest well after a delicious evening in Japan's exuberant kitchen.

This morning you board the shinkansen once more, gliding west to Hiroshima, a city with a moving and powerful story. On arrival you are transferred to your hotel and visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, built around the skeletal A-Bomb Dome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and eloquent monument to peace. You walk among its memorials, ring the peace bell, and reflect on the city's message of hope and reconciliation, a moving and thought-provoking experience. Hiroshima today is a vibrant, welcoming city, and this evening you can taste its own style of okonomiyaki, layered with noodles and cooked on the griddle. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of this poignant and hopeful city. Rest well, for tomorrow you cross to the beautiful sacred island of Miyajima.

Today you cross by ferry to the sacred island of Miyajima, one of the most beautiful places in Japan. Here the great vermilion torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine rises from the sea and, at high tide, seems to float upon the water, one of the country's most iconic and photographed sights. You wander the elegant shrine, built on stilts over the water, and the island's forests and lanes, meet its tame, friendly deer, and taste its famous grilled oysters and maple-leaf momiji cakes. The adventurous can ride the ropeway or hike up Mount Misen for sweeping views over the Inland Sea. The beauty and serenity are unforgettable. As the day ends, you return to Hiroshima, gathering your impressions of this moving and beautiful region. This evening, savour a final dinner in Japan. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning in Japan, perhaps some last shopping for regional crafts, sweets or sake, you are transferred to begin your onward international departure, travelling from Hiroshima to the airport for your flight home. You leave having feasted on the culture and cuisine of Japan, mastering sushi in Tokyo, wandering the gardens and geisha lanes of Kanazawa, savouring kaiseki and tea ceremony in Kyoto, grazing the street food of Osaka, and reflecting at Hiroshima's Peace Park and the floating torii of Miyajima, all linked by the effortless shinkansen. The images and flavours stay vivid long after you land, the fish markets of Tokyo, the raked gardens of Kanazawa, the vermilion torii on the sea at Miyajima. Japan offers cuisine, culture, beauty and meaning in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this endlessly rewarding land.