World Heritage Japan

Day 1-3

Tokyo

It may not have a World Heritage Site, but the biggest city in human history isn’t exactly without accolades. To help you discover the undercurrents of history and heritage in the Japanese capital, spend a full day with one of our favourite guides. They’ll show you the ropes, help you master basic etiquette, and introduce you to the endless possibilities in this great city. How you spend your time depends on your interests, but you could check out contemporary art at Mori Tower, go cruising on the Sumida River, take tea in Hamarikyu Gardens or even drop in on morning training at a sumo stable. Tokyo is full of heritage, UNESCO-listed or not.

Highlights

Explore Tokyo’s many contrasting districts, including traditional Asakusa, buzzing Shinjuku and peaceful Ueno (to name a few)

Have us arrange a visit to a kabuki show for an introduction to the traditional arts (not included in the basic trip price)

Go in search of Tokyo’s modern architectural heritage in glitzy Ginza and Omotesando Boulevard

Person walking past Meiji Shrine in the rain

Day 4-5

Nikko

In Nikko National Park, human artifice meets natural splendour in a World Heritage Site like no other. With two nights here, you’ll have time to explore even further than the magnificent 103-building shrine complex, perhaps hiking along the shores of Lake Chuzen-ji, visiting the spectacular, 96-metre Kegon Falls, or soaking in some of the region’s hot springs. As beautiful as Nikko’s natural surrounding are, they’re almost upstaged by its manmade attractions – and none more so than the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japan’s greatest shogun. Eye-poppingly lavish, it’s the antithesis of the usual pared-back shrine aesthetic. There’s simply nothing else like it in Japan.

Highlights

Tour Nikko’s shrine complex with an expert local guide, who’ll explain why this is such an important location in the country’s collective memory

Look out for the original carving of the three “see-no-evil” monkeys at Tosho-gu Shrine

Take some time to appreciate the natural beauty of this stunning national park

Day 6-8

Kyoto

If you’re serious about understanding Japanese heritage, Kyoto should be right at the top of your list. It’s counted a single World Heritage Site by UNESCO, but under that umbrella are no fewer than 17 disparate sites – from the famous (the Golden Pavilion and Kinkaku-ji) to the hidden (Saiho-ji's moss gardens and mountaintop Enryaku-ji). With a private guide to help you dodge the crowds, you’ll get to see the evolution of architecture from the 10th to the 17th centuries, and exquisite gardens that have influenced landscape design all over the world. It may look like any other city on the surface, but when it comes to history and heritage, there’s nowhere more special than Kyoto.

Highlights

Have us arrange an exclusive guided visit to Saiho-ji Temple, where 120 different types of moss create a lush green carpet (not included in the basic trip price)

Experience Kyoto’s intangible heritage as you dine on kaiseki cuisine and hope for a glimpse of a geisha in Gion (let us know if you’d like us to make a restaurant reservation)

Tick off some more World Heritage Sites on a day trip to nearby Nara or Uji

Day 9-10

Mount Koya

If Kyoto’s heritage sites are hidden beneath a modern facade, Mount Koya’s are right there on the surface, carrying on as though the past few centuries never happened. Part of a sacred network of pilgrimage routes criss-crossing the Kii Peninsula, Koya-san is among the most sacred and atmospheric places in Japan, with a unique fusion of Shinto and Buddhist traditions stretching back over 1,200 years. You’ll become part of that tradition as you spend two nights at a shukubo temple lodging, where you’ll dine on vegetarian shojin ryori cuisine and be invited to rise at dawn to join the monks at morning prayers.

Highlights

Wander the eerie Okunoin Cemetery, where over 200,000 grave markers sprawl through ancient Japanese cedar forest

Walk in the footsteps of centuries of pilgrims as you stay at a traditional temple lodging

Explore the many pagodas, prayer halls and temple buildings of this mountaintop community

Wooden temple in Mount Koya - Shaun Dunphy

Day 11

Himeji

Of Japan’s 12 remaining original fortresses, Himeji Castle — the “White Heron” — is unrivalled in its magnificence. Towering over the city of Himeji, its white-walled keep and extensive ramparts date back to the 17th century, and operated almost continuously under the control of various clans for 300 years. After a multi-year facelift that saw it entirely encased in scaffolding, the White Heron emerged in 2015 more resplendent than ever, and exploring its winding paths, gates, gardens and baileys — including over 80 buildings — will give you a sense of the might and power of the clans during Japan’s feudal period.

Highlights

Contrast the peace-loving Buddhist traditions of Mount Koya with the warlike samurai culture exemplified by Himeji Castle

Hike up Mount Shosha (or take the ropeway) to Engyoji Temple, the filming location for some of The Last Samurai

Wander the castle’s beautiful Kokoen Gardens, particularly beautiful during cherry blossom or the autumn leaves

Day 12-13

Hiroshima

So far, our World Heritage journey has focussed on things human have built; Hiroshima's Genbaku Dome is about what they’ve destroyed. The last building left standing after the atomic bombing of 6 August 1945, the dome was preserved as a reminder of mankind’s destructive capabilities, but it’s also a symbol of peace — and its associated museum is a moving meditation on war and one city’s determination to recover and thrive. Today, in defiance of its history, Hiroshima is one of the most welcoming cities in Japan, known for its passionate baseball fans, delicious oysters and excellent sake festival. That’s a far better legacy than the atomic bomb.

Highlights

Take a day trip across the bay to another World Heritage Site: Miyajima Island and its vermilion shrine

Climb to the top of Mount Misen (if your thighs can handle it) or take the cable car to the summit for spectacular views over the inland sea

Try Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, a noodle-based pancake layered with delicious toppings

Two people preparing okonomiyaki in Hiroshima

Day 14-15

Kanazawa

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times — Kanazawa just might be the perfect city. Not too big and not too small, it brings together world-class contemporary art with centuries-old crafts, and juxtaposes vibrant nightlife with a refined teahouse district as beautiful as Kyoto’s Gion. It may not have World Heritage status (yet), but in our book it deserves it — even if only for stunning Kenrokuen, one of the top three gardens in Japan. Breakfast on fresh sushi at Omicho Market, wander workshops making gold leaf and lacquerware, then settle in for an evening of bar-hopping and snack-sampling in one of our favourite downtown districts in Japan. Kanazawa has heritage in spades.

Highlights

Live like a local in your own traditional machiya townhouse in a charming neighbourhood

Learn about local Kaga cuisine in a private cooking class in a beautifully restored home

Go souvenir shopping in the old-fashioned silk dyeing, lacquerware, pottery and gold leaf workshops

Cherry blossom in traditional Japanese garden in Kanazawa

Day 16

Shirakawago

Sometimes, World Heritage isn’t about magnificent artistry but something rather more modest: a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to its surroundings. A village high in the Japanese Alps, Shirakawago looks like it belongs on a chocolate box — especially when its steep-roofed, “praying hands” farmhouses are illuminated at dusk, and especially in the winter when the region lies under a thick blanket of snow. Here, you can experience a lifestyle unchanged over centuries as you gather around an irori hearth, watch your hosts cook traditional alpine food over the fire, and hunker down for the night beneath a roof that has seen generations of people do just the same.

Highlights

Learn how the people of Shirakawago adapted to survive in the Japanese Alps by growing mulberry trees and rearing silkworms

Contrast the highly elaborate architectures of Kyoto and Nikko with a much simpler Japanese architectural tradition

Experience life in a 300-year-old gassho-zukuri farmhouse

Day 17-18

Tokyo

Your journey comes full circle as you return to Tokyo for your final two nights in Japan. Having experienced traditional culture in various different guises — from aristocratic Kyoto to feudal Himeji, and from devout Mount Koya to rustic Shirakawago — you might feel ready to embrace the big city in all its neon-blazing, music-blaring, karaoke-singing madness. If so, the neverending party in Shinjuku beckons. If you feel like something more peaceful, perhaps opt for a trip to the top of the Tokyo Skytree or a day browsing the old-fashioned shops of Yanaka and Asakusa. The options are literally endless — the choice is up to you.