Cherry Blossoms: Sakura Season in Japan
(9 Days – Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto
This private luxury tour is specially designed around the best time to see Japan’s magical sakura (cherry blossoms), from around mid-March to mid-April. It includes the most popular destinations in Japan—Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto—and visits to the best places to see the pink blossoms and the festive atmosphere that accompanies them.
Begin in Tokyo, the capital of contemporary culture and style in Japan. Stay at one of the city’s best luxury hotels, and enjoy comprehensive city touring with your private guide and driver. Visit Tokyo’s most interesting neighborhoods, such as Ginza, Asakusa, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Roppongi and Aoyama. See striking contemporary architecture, and tour important historical sites such as Meiji Jingu Shrine and Sensoji Temple. Visit popular sakura-viewing locations such as Ueno Park, Yoyogi Park and Chidorigafuchi. Upon request, we can arrange an ohanami (cherry blossom viewing) party. Experience the best of Japanese pop culture during visits to trendy districts, specialty shops and quirky cafes. Visit Tokyo’s best museums, such as the Mori Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum and Tokyo National Museum, according to your interests. Experience Tokyo’s exciting culinary scene at the Tsukiji Outer Market or Toyosu Market, the Kappabashi kitchenware district, and our favorite specialty food shops and department store food halls. We also make reservations for our travelers at our favorite restaurants in Tokyo, which range from local noodle shops, sushi bars and izakaya (pubs) to some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world.
Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can arrange additional experiences in Tokyo, such as watching sumo wrestlers practice at a sumo stable, a private sushi-making lesson, visiting a teamLab Borderless immersive video installation, shopping for the latest Japanese gadgets, meetings with culinary and sake experts, private martial arts lessons, seeing a Japanese baseball game, attending a kabuki performance and visiting the Ghibli Museum.
Continue to Hakone, a volcanic national park renowned for hot springs and views of nearby Mount Fuji. Stay at one of Japan’s most luxurious and renowned ryokan (traditional inns), where you can soak in outdoor onsen (hot spring bath) and enjoy a gourmet kaiseki ryori (seasonal tasting menu) dinner. During private touring, explore Hakone’s geothermal areas and historical sites. Perhaps also visit one of Hakone’s best art museums or a studio dedicated to yosegi (inlaid wood), a local craft. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can incorporate hiking, a drive up the base of Mount Fuji or a boat ride on Lake Ashi. Depending on timing, you may be able to see sakura trees blooming in the hills.
Next, travel to enchanting Kyoto, the heart of Japanese culture and tradition. Stay at one of Kyoto’s best luxury hotels or ryokan, and enjoy flexible private touring of the best of this elegant city with your private guide and driver. Visit the city’s most important historic attractions and temples and shrines—many of which are fringed with cherry trees—such as Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), Ryoanji and its famous Zen rock garden, Kiyomizudera Temple, Nijo Castle, Ginkakuji, Saihoji (Moss Temple) and Fushimi Inari, famous for its tunnel of red torii gates. Take a private excursion to Arashiyama, a beautiful mountainside district, to see its enormous bamboo forest, historic gardens and sites, as well as its seasonal cherry blossoms. Also have a vegetarian lunch at a Zen temple in the area. Enjoy a private tour of Gion, Kyoto’s traditional geisha district, walk on the Philosopher’s Path under a canopy of cherry blossoms, and see traditional architecture in our favorite neighborhoods. Also browse Nishiki Market, antiques districts, specialty museums and historic shops that have been selling traditional goods for centuries. Upon request, we can arrange access to imperial villas and private gardens such as Katsura Rikyu and other less-visited attractions. We can also include visits to top cherry blossom locations such as Heian Shrine and Maruyama Park. One day, enjoy a private excursion to Nara for cherry-blossom viewing and cultural touring. Upon request, we can also arrange an excursion to Yoshino, one of Japan’s most famous cherry blossom destinations. Artisans of Leisure will also arrange an exclusive private Japanese tea ceremony in a tea villa and reservations at Kyoto’s best restaurants.
Upon request, other activities that can be arranged around Kyoto include an exclusive private dinner with geisha entertainment, private Zen meditation in a local Buddhist temple, meetings with local craftspeople, private ikebana (flower arranging) lessons, visiting a master swordsmith, meetings with ceramics experts, tea tastings and tea plantation visits, visits to sake breweries and tofu factories, manga drawing lessons, a visit to a private machiya (traditional merchant house), hiking to temples in the hills, attending local festivals and private Japanese cooking classes.
| Itinerary Overview |
| Day 1Arrive TokyoPrivate arrival transfer to hotel for 3 nightsDay 2TokyoFull-day private city tourDay 3TokyoHalf-day private city tourDay 4Tokyo – HakonePrivate transfer to station for first-class shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakone. Full-day private tour on arrival. Private transfer to luxury hot springs ryokan for 1 night, including kaiseki ryori dinnerDay 5Hakone – KyotoPrivate transfer to station for first-class shinkansen to Kyoto. Private arrival transfer to hotel for 4 nights. Afternoon private tourDay 6KyotoFull-day private city tour, including private tea ceremony and vegetarian lunch at a templeDay 7Kyoto & environsFull-day private excursionDay 8KyotoHalf-day private city tour, including option for cultural activity or excursion to great cherry blossom viewing areaDay 9Kyoto – Depart OsakaPrivate airport transfer |
| Hotels |
| Tokyo:Aman Tokyo, Peninsula Tokyo and/or Park Hyatt TokyoHakone:Gora KadanKyoto:The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto or Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto*Aman Kyoto, Tawaraya Ryokan or Hiiragiya Ryokan can be booked for a supplement |
| Cost |
| Upon request |
Booking Information >
All Artisans of Leisure tours are private and depart daily.
Please Contact Us for more information regarding the above tour, or to begin customizing your own itinerary.
The Artisans of Leisure Style of Travel:
- Private touring with your own personal guides and drivers
- Preferred rooms in the very best luxury hotels
- Firsthand, sophisticated destination knowledge and recommendations from our travel specialists
- Itineraries that are customized according to your interests and schedule
- Artisans of Leisure upgrades and amenities
- A seamless travel experience, including all logistics, skipping lines during touring whenever possible, restaurant and spa reservations, performance tickets, private airport transfers, internal transportation, VIP and fast-track airport assistance in many destinations
- Around-the-clock support in each destination during your trip
- Unique, insider travel experiences and access to the Artisans of Leisure network of experts around the world