Off The Beaten Track Tour of Japan ( 13 Days Tour)

Kurashiki - Stepping into the Past

This morning, you leave the city crowds behind as you take an hour ride on the Shinkansen toward Kurashiki. In the Edo Period (1603-1868), Kurashiki was known as the “town of storehouses,” referring to the town’s vital role as a city of commerce. Hundreds of years ago, merchants used the city’s canal system to transfer goods to and from other Japanese ports. Kurashiki has kept its history intact through preserving the canals and hundreds of Edo Period buildings.

The canal area is one of Kurashiki’s most striking features. Completely man-made, these canals no longer transport rice, but make for a scenic route between many of the area’s attractions. Featured is the Archaeological Museum, which has hundreds of artifacts on display. A walkthrough gives you invaluable insight to how people first settled this area of Japan. For more introduction to Japanese history and culture, the Museum of Folkcraft displays items from all throughout the country, things Japanese used on a daily basis before the introduction of modern technology.

Kurashiki has not forgotten about its merchant roots. The storehouses that once protected rice are now home to a variety of boutiques, restaurants and cafés, the latter an excellent spot from which to people watch or simply enjoy the town’s slow pace of life. In the late afternoon, check into your Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn that feature woven tatami mat floors and futons. If you prefer, a room with a western style mattress can be arranged.

Before dinner, take a soak in the ryokan’s onsen bath. Unlike the bathing facilities in your room, the onsen bath is open to the hotel’s guests. You find that the warms waters relieve sore muscles and melt your cares away.

Dinner this evening is in one of the Ryokan’s private dining rooms. Featured is the kaiseki ryori menu. Kaiseki ryori refers to authentic Japanese cuisine where stunning presentation matches the exquisite taste. A series of small dishes, this meal is bound to be one of your most memorable in Japan.

What’s Included: breakfast, dinner, transfer, guided tour, accommodation.

Teshima to Shodoshima – Japan’s Mediterranean 

The next two days, you continue island hopping across the Seto Inland Sea. After one last breakfast, you depart Naoshima for Teshima. Though fishermen still leave Teshima’s ports every morning, the island is home to artworks embedded within the rural landscape. The most notable is Teshima Art Museum. Nestled within a rice field, it displays a single piece of art: a concrete shell shaped like a bead of water. The museum is at its most beautiful immediately after rain when the pooled water on the concrete floor reflects scenes of nature right outside.

Teshima’s restaurants are also works of art. At one particular restaurant, the terrace roof rests just above your head, making the experience cozy but not cramped. There, local cooks make you a specially prepared meal.

In the afternoon, you are off to Shodoshima, one of the few places in Japan to grow olives. For this accomplishment, Shodoshima sister’s island, Milos, Greece, sent Shodoshima a Greek windmill which currently sits in the center of Shodoshima Olive Park.

Over the next day and a half, you have an amazing opportunity to explore this island. Your guide arranges a rental car for you to use during this time. Though driving on the opposite side of the road may seem like a challenge, Shodoshima’s small population ensures that traffic is not a problem as you explore this island with a map provided by your guide.

With the Mediterranean climate and atmosphere, you may simply want to picnic and relax on one of the island’s many beaches. For nature lovers, the Kankakei Gorge has amazing views from its ropeways: steep rock cliffs and dense forests are just beneath your feet. At the top of the ropeway is a café with a panoramic vista. If you have your walking shoes, you can elect to walk down the hiking trail back to your car.

For those interested in Japanese religion, the Great Kannon is an impressive sight with a rare artifact. Entering from the base of the 150-foot statue, you ride an elevator high up into the statue’s chest. On display is a holy relic, a tooth of the historical Buddha. Whether you follow the tenants of Buddhism or not, the visit gives you a rare insight into the role ancient religion plays in modern Japan.

What’s Included: breakfast, transfer, accommodation.

The Seto Inland Sea – 43 Miles of Scenic Beauty

For the next three days, you undertake the journey at your own pace. Arriving at Imabari by train, you begin a 43-mile scenic bike along the Shimanami Kaido, a road that crosses the Seto Inland Sea and features stops at six separate islands, each featuring their own unique beauty and wonder. Though possible to make the entire journey in a day, three days are set aside to make this part of your tour as special as possible.

With your luggage sent ahead, not much weighs you down as you begin your bicycle journey. Traffic safety is no issue, either, as much of the journey has a dedicated bike and pedestrian path that is well maintained.

Though your pace is completely up to you, many attractions on the way are sure to grab your attention. On Ikuchijima, for example, the Hirayama Ikuo Museum is one of the best art museums in the region. Featuring Ikuo’s art, the pieces express the artist’s emotions on issues ranging from the atomic bombing (which he witnessed as a teenager) to the influence of Buddhism in Japan. If you decide to spend time on the islands, enjoy accommodations and dining in one of the many minshuku inns which dot the road. Expect kaiseki ryori for your dinners, featuring some of the freshly caught seafood from around the area. And, of course, your hotels have onsen baths to soothe sore muscles after a full day of cycling.

If interested in a deeper immersion into nature, consider a visit to Yusuhara, a small town located in the Kochi prefecture, which has one of the highest forest coverage densities within Japan. As such, it is an ideal location for shinrin-yoku, otherwise known as "forest bathing" or "forest therapy." This restorative movement began in Japan in the 1980s and focuses on rediscovering the intrinsic relationship between forests and mankind, to improve mental and physical health, and to promote a healthier and more sustainable society.

Visit a forest therapy specialty clinic, where the staff will assist you in maximizing the power of the forest to improve your health. No matter how long your journey across the Seto Inland Sea requires, your final night is in Onomichi. If you’re still feeling adventurous after your long bike ride, Onomichi features walking paths up and down the city’s hills which reveal 25 spectacular temples. The city’s various museums and attractions make it an excellent reason to extend your journey by a day or two.

What’s Included: breakfast, guided tour, accommodation.

Osaka – Farewell

Though you are one of the millions of visitors who come to Japan each year, you realize this morning that your experience has been like no other. Japan has so much more to offer you, yes, but the memories you now carry are wholly unique.

After breakfast at the hotel, your guide sees you off on an express train towards Kansai International Airport

What’s Included: breakfast, airport transfer