Day 1 (5/16): Tokyo
When our guests arrive in Tokyo, we typically arrange some sort of sight that gives them an idea of just how large the city truly is. Tokyo Sky Tree is one of the absolute best ways to get an encompassing view of it. This iteration of the itinerary actually focuses a lot on the culture and experiences in Asakusa, which is the area that the Sky Tree is located in. Sensouji, which is a landmark of Tokyo, is also located in this area, and the hotel that we would like to utilize is here as well.
Activities:
- Tokyo Sky Tree
- Sensouji Temple
- Animal cafe experience
- Half-Moon Magic Bar
Planner's Notes: For the animal cafe experience, there are tons of options. Small pigs, hedgehogs, dogs, cats, owls, snakes, etc. What we would like to do is have 3-4 guides on this day to help with watching over the group, but also we can present the group with 3-4 options for animal cafes, and then split the group up based on which ones they would like to visit. We don't usually plan a lot of activities on the first day of our clients arriving, so I've left this day relatively "bare", but it will also allow for each guests to have a bit of free time, and if any personal restaurant reservations need to be made, we can leave the evening open on this day and it will allow us to make the appropriate arrangements for each individual / small group of people.
Day 2 (5/17): Tokyo
Nikko is easily the most beautiful shrine I've ever seen in all of Japan. It is technically a mausoleum, dedicated to the soul of the shogun that unified Japan. The shrine is nestled in a beautiful and majestic cedar forest, and unlike most other shrines in Japan, it is extremely ornate. A good guide that can explain the history is a must for this day. The tentative addition below is Edo Wonderland. This is an open-air museum that is also a pseudo-theme park.
As Nikko is the resting place of the Edo-era shogun, Edo Wonderland is a very good look into what life was like during that era in Japan's history. Complete with actors that walk the streets in costume, and even impromptu sword battles in the streets. It is a lighthearted, and fun place to visit that I wanted to leave in as a suggestion, however if you do decide to skip it, returning to Tokyo on this day will be earlier, giving your group more time for the evening lecture, or other independent activities.
Activities:
- Nikko day trip
- Toshogu Shrine
- Edo Wonderland (tentative addition)
- Dinner Arrangements (in Tokyo)
Planner's Notes: Private buses from Tokyo to Nikko would be the best way to experience this day, as public transportation would not be able to accommodate a large group like this. So in order to avoid a lot of walking on this day, it would be best to use private transportation.
Day 3 (5/18): Tokyo
During this time of year, it will be the beginning of the Haru Basho Sumo Tournament, which will be held in Ryogoku's Kokugikan Arena. I think that seeing some of the matches on this day would be an excellent experience. In addition to that, this will be the biggest day for Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa. Sanja Matsuri is one of the biggest summer matsuri in Japan. The streets around Sensouji will be flooded with people representing their neighborhood, and carrying mikoshi through the streets. These types of festivals are also a great chance to try out Japanese street foods, as they are sometimes the only time that you can try them. As I know it can be difficult for people who have never been to a matsuri to imagine what the experience is like, I've included a video of a previous Sanja matsuri to give you an idea:
Activities:
- Sanja Matsuri
- Tenryo Magic Company
- Sumo tournament tickets
Planner's Notes: The way I'm imagining this day, is starting off by visiting Tenry Magic Company. The matsuri events will start early in the morning, but it is going to be very, very crowded, so going a little bit later on in the day is probably the best way to do handle that. After visiting Tenryo guests can have lunch in Aasakusa (there are so many amazing places to eat in this neighborhood), or they can eat at the matsuri food stalls. From there, in the afternoon, we could make our way to the Kokugikan for the sumo tournament. For sumo tournaments, the higher ranked rikishi usually have matches later on in the day, and so the arena really doesn't start to fill up until those guys start their matches. The theme of this day is definitely "real Japan".
Day 4 (5/19): Tokyo
I'd like to leave the day time of this day free for the guests to explore parts of Tokyo on their own before meeting in the afternoon for TeamLab Borderless. After the TeamLab experience is finished. I would like to arrange a dinner "cruise" for the entire group on a yakatabune in Tokyo Bay. This is a Tokyo tradition and often happens a lot during the fireworks "season" in early summer. Here is a short video, again, to give you an idea of what this looks like.
The food served on the Yakatabune is very traditional. So guests can expect tempura, sashimi and sushi, yakiniku, korokke, and other types of traditional dishes. We would charter a boat privately, and in doing so, that means we can arrange for any type of entertainment that we want during the cruise. The last time we made this arrangement was for a group of college students, and we arranged for a magician to perform. I don't know if the magicians would want to see a magician, but it is a possibility. The boat also includes a karaoke machine, which is always fun.
Activities:
- TeamLab Planets or possibly Borderless
- Yakatabune dinner
Planner's Notes: There may not be a need for a private bus on this day, as we can ask the chartered boat to end the cruise at the pier closest to Asakusa, if you do want to stay at the suggested hotel.
Day 5 (5/20): Hakone
Hakone is a great place to visit for the views of Mt. Fuji and the really nice onsen. I would like to keep activities to a minimum on this day, so that the guests have a chance to relax, and also everyone can catch up on lectures, since the night before was a dinner experience. Arranging a trip to Owakudani for the view of Mt. Fuji, and also a trip to an onsen, is a good way to spend the day, especially since it will take a little time to get to Hakone from Tokyo.
Depending on the accommodations, I'd also like to arrange a kaiseki meal at the hotel.
Activities:
- Owakudani Volcano cablecar ride
- Onsen + Spa day
- Kaiseki dinner experience (tentative)
Planner's Notes: For this day, I'd like to again utilize a private bus to take the group directly to Hakone from Tokyo. There are a lot of onsen in the area that we can use, but the hotel I'd like to use also have the option of en-suite onsen that are in the room. Please note, that we may have to spread hotel arrangements out, and split the group into two depending on the final number of guests.
Day 6 (5/21): Kyoto
The plan on this day is to have the entertainment brought to the guests, rather than having people walk all across the city for different experiences. In order to achieve this, I'd essentially like to "rent" one of Kyoto's temples for the day. This will mean that the entire temple will be used for the guests on this day. The samurai stuntman workshop is an experience where Japanese samurai movie stuntmen will come in to essentially offer a "workshop" on the basics of samurai stunts, and they will also perform a short choreographed demonstration for the guests. Guests will have a chance to perform a choreographed scene after learning the basics. It's a fun experience that gives guests a chance to learn more about samurai history, and also stuntmen in Japan. The geisha experience and tea ceremony is also something that can be arranged, as well as lunch at the temple to enjoy during the performances.
Activities:
- Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple (tentative)
- Temple Rental
- Samurai Stuntman workshop
- Private geisha performance
- Catering + tea ceremony (tentative)
Planner's Notes: Logistically speaking, getting from Hakone to Kyoto is going to be a relatively long train ride (about 2 hours). This train will be a bullet train. I would prefer to get them to Kyoto as early as possible, but within reason as well. From the station, we'll have a bus pick them up and take them directly to their hotel to check in, and then straight out to the experiences. Fushimi Inari Taisha, and Kiyomizu-dera are the most popular temple/shrine sites in Kyoto, and ones that are requested quite often, so I think that they would be good visits before the private temple experience to get a feel for Kyoto. Fushimi Inari is the famous shrine that has thousands of red torii gates going up the mountain (I'll include a picture in the gallery below), and Kiyomizudera is the temple that was constructed without using a single nail.
Day 7 (5/22): Kyoto
I'd like to dedicate this day to visiting one of the cities outside of Kyoto. There are some very good sake breweries in this region, and also Suntory has a distillery in this region as well. If you think that there won't be enough interest from you group in visiting either location, then we could also replace this part of the day with a visit to Nara, however we may need to start the day slightly earlier to account for the distance.
At the end of this day, I would very much like to arrange for a wagyu steak dinner somewhere in the region. Kobe is internationally known as a great steak place, but to be honest, great wagyu can be had in most places in the region. Other arrangements for dinner can also be made, and we could even make them on an individual basis should the guests wish to go about doing their own thing.
I do have one other suggestion for this day. I hesitate to put it in, simply because it is a physical activity, and I'm not sure if everyone in your group would be interested in it, however we have a connection with a kendo instructor who teaches our guests from time to time. We've had him teach larger groups, and so I do think it would be possible to accommodate for 60 guests in one lesson. Basically, he teaches guests the basics of Japanese fencing (kendo) and then he puts the entire group in a tournament to see who wins. It is not a very physically challenging activity at all, and not only is it a fun experience, it is an enlightening one. Dojo culture is such an important part of Japanese culture. It is something that is nice to experience firsthand while in Japan.
Activities:
- Sake brewery or Whiskey distillery visit
- Kendo Martial arts lesson (tentative addition)
- Himeji Castle visit
- Kokoen Garden
- Wagyu steakhouse dinner
Planner's Notes: The map is centered on the Kansai region on this day, because if you decided to visit a sake brewery, the visit may end up being in the Kobe region, but if you decided to visit a whiskey distillery (like the one where they made Suntory's Yamazaki), then the visit would more than likely end up being in the Osaka region. It won't affect time in any major way, no matter the decision you end up making. Also, the photos of Himeji castle below in the gallery are during the cherry blossom season, but I wanted to give you an idea of how it looks, and those are the only photos we have in our system of the castle.
Day 8 (5/23): Kyoto
No planned activities on this day.
Activities:
- n/a
Planner's Notes: n/a
