A Family Adventure

Tokyo is not the place for traditional ryokans or even boutique hotels - we'll tick these boxes elsewhere on your travels in Japan. This is a high-rise city and many of the luxury hotels occupy the top floors of imposing skyscrapers, with amazing views across the urban sprawl. Therefore, the most important decision we need to consider is 'where?' - which district of Tokyo you choose to base yourself in making all the difference. We often prefer to base our guests with families over in the west of the city, Shinjuku or Shibuya, because these are the main entertainment districts, full of restaurants, shopping streets, parks and many of the youth-orientated and hipster hangouts. There are many luxury hotels in Shinagawa and Shiodome - several of them very nice - be we do tend to avoid these properties because...well, they are 'nothing' neighbourhoods, very business-orientated and lacking in character - leaving kids underwhelmed.

It is perfectly possible to explore Tokyo by yourself - most of the signs are now in English, the overground and subway rail system is second-to-none and a decent guide book will tell you much of what you need to know. We also publish our own pragmatic self-touring notes, which also include many personal recommendations. But to have a local guide accompany you undoubtedly elevates the experience, at the very least getting you between the 'must-see' sights more efficiently or - more importantly - explaining, adding context and showing you lesser-visited neighbourhoods which will no doubt form your most cherished memories of the capital. With teenagers, then we tend to focus on Shibuya, Tokyo’s main centre for youth fashion and culture, whose streets are the birthplace to many of Japan's fashion and entertainment trends. It is also home to the famous 5-way “scramble crossing”. Next is Harajuku, and the famous Takeshita dori (Cat Street). Whether you are a goth, punk or anything in between, there is a shop in Harajuku that caters for you. Known as Electric Town, Akihabara was originally famous for its many electronics shops. Perhaps you'd prefer that we weight the itinerary with 'experiences' as opposed to 'sights', such as cookery classes, ninja workshops or visiting a sumo stable? It's Tokyo - the world's most exciting city and the possibilities are limitless! 

You will stay in a ryokan on Miyajima Island. You stay on Miyajima Island, but then your guide will take you back to the mainland for the day in Hiroshima - all perfectly possible to do self-guided (and we can provide comprehensive notes), but it is a poignant experience better delivered by a local.

Kurashiki offers a 'small town' counter-point to everywhere else on the itinerary and it is possible to stay in either a hotel or ryokan here, the best being canal-side. It is wonderful exploring this preserved the quaint shops, cafes and art museums of this old town, a compact but picturesque maze of streets around a central canal that is lined with willow trees. Nearby, Naoshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea, dotted with sculptures, art museums and golden beaches, a rural and relaxing place to walk, cycle and unwind, regardless of your opinion of modern art. And then Okayama, the city nearby, has its own treasures to boast. Korakuen, one of Japan’s three famous landscape gardens, and the reconstructed Okayama Castle peers over the greenery to improve everyone’s snapshots of the spacious lawns.

The layout of Kyoto is most unusual for Japan, because in this instance the main railway station is not the hub around which everything revolves. Instead, a couple of miles further north are the districts of Gion, Shijo, Higashiyama, Karasuma and this is where we prefer to base our clients - neighbourhoods in which you can walk out the door and soak up the atmosphere of old Japan, close to the temples, shrines, geisha districts and markets. However, there are many hotels down by the station, indeed most, and tour operators without a clue would have you stay here. In Kyoto - not a high-rise city - you can stay in either in a ryokan, and Kyoto is home to Japan's most historic and finest, or in a stylish hotel, often with its own landscaped gardens. Or both. All that we insist on is that where you stay has a relationship with its surroundings - in style, in decor, in its sense of hospitality. This is Kyoto after all and every hotel or ryokan ought to have its essential character running through its veins.

However many days we have allocated to Kyoto in your itinerary, it won't be enough. There is simply so much to see and do in Kyoto and the more time to have to linger, the more will be revealed. And because there are so many 'must-see' temples, shrines and gardens we strongly suggest that we throw away the rule book and instead commit to explore at your own pace, not worrying unduly about missing any one 'big ticket' sight. Consider turning left when everyone else turns right and our local guides know where, when and why you should do this. In Kyoto, they add so much. Here more than anywhere else in Japan does local insight, knowledge and personal relationships pay more dividend. And your sightseeing should not be limited to only Kyoto - use the city as a base from which to explore the region. Arashiyama, Nara, Hikone and even Osaka itself and all with day-tripable distance.