Secret Japan

As soon as you arrive in Japan, you are immediately immersed in to the Japanese experience with a 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. 

Shikoku, Japan's fourth major island, is a rural delight. Less visited, and all the better for it, Shikoku boasts a wealth of traditional rural sights where you are likely to be the only Western face around.  The scenery is dramatic and most of the activities we like to organise and include involve getting 'in amongst' it: mountains tower above winding roads that lead you deep into hidden valleys of waterfalls and vine bridges. In sleepy isolated villages life goes on as it has for centuries, as locals fish the untamed rivers. The island also offers original castles, and unique arts and crafts such as Bunraku puppet theatre and paper making.There are a range of accommodation options - both hotels and some very fine ryokans - staying in Dogo Onsen (near Matsumata), Kotohira (near Takamatsu) and the amazing Iya Valley.

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.

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 the preserved and quaint shops, cafés and art museums of this old town, a compact but picturesque maze of streets around a central canal that is lined with willow trees. 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.

A stay in Ine is all about the sea - this charming village is home to distinctive boathouses that line the bay, offering you a historical perspective along with superb accommodation. Around 230 of these funaya (boathouses) remain today, and a few have been tastefully converted in to small guest houses, providing an authentic peek into a life of the fisherman today. A stay usually include two meals and we'll also get you out on a private boat in the Bay.

In Kinoski Onsen, a charming onsen town near the Sea of Japan, you will stay in a ryokan - that's the whole point. If your budget allows, the ryokan of choice would be Nishimuraya Honkan, a newly-designated Relais & Châteaux property founded in 1854. Built in the style of Japanese tea houses, which prioritises simplicity, natural light, warm wood and seamless harmony with nature, the ryokan's room are tucked along a labyrinth of hallways and open onto the ryokan’s lush garden filled with Japanese pines, moss covered rocks and tiny bridges crossing carp-filled ponds. Your Japanese Inn will be situated beside the scenic willow-lined Otani-gawa River and in the evening join the locals roaming quaint streets in traditional yukata robes, hopping from one onsen to the next.

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.

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 over in the west of the city, Shinjuku or Shibuya, because these are the main entertainment districts, full of restaurants, bars and the neon-drenched nightlife synonymous with the capital. Alternatively, the hotels closer to Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace in east Tokyo  - Nihombashi - are well-located in an upmarket district, with some amazing shopping streets and many of the city's major sights close by. 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. 

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. We can hire commuter bikes to explore the backstreets or head out of the city for day trips to Nikko, Hakone, Mount Fuji or Kamakura. Or perhaps you'd prefer that we weight the itinerary with 'experiences' as opposed to 'sights', such as cookery classes, sunset helicopter rides or visiting a sumo stable? In the evenings, head out with your guide to a buzzing 'locals' izakaya or yakitori stand, or to see show in the kabuki theatre...or robot café. It's Tokyo - the world's most exciting city and the possibilities are limitless!