From the natural to human-made, ancient to contemporary, urban to rural, folk arts to high fashion, deceivingly simple to mind-boggling complexity . . . we will experience the many facets of this fascinating society that has evolved uniquely through centuries of isolation 

Through intimate studio visits and talks by master artisans, get your fix of time-honoured textile techniques of resist dyeing, dyeing with natural pigments, hand painting, brocade weaving, stencilling, "nail-weaving", and hand-spinning. As well as exciting modern textiles that embody the interplay of old practices and new technologies. 

Celebrate Japan's arts and crafts culture--from mingei , the unsung heroes of everyday craftspeople to world renowned installations in select museums. Speaking of museums, we will visit several: gold leaf lacquer, 21st C. Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Museum of Craft and Design, Indigo Museum, and more. 

For the deeper appreciation that comes from working on a technique with your own hands, we will take in FIVE hands-on workshops, carefully chosen to represent five of the seven major types of Japanese arts and crafts: textiles, pottery and ceramics, lacquerware, metalworking, doll-making, woodworking and papermaking.

If you're going all the way to Japan, go for its most beautiful natural phenomenon. For over a 1000 years, Sakura has garnered nationwide adoration. The short, enigmatic emergence of the blooms is a meditation on life, death, renewal and the ephemeral nature of being. Celebrated in Japanese literature, poetry and art; scrolled into the swords of samurai; symbol of fallen soldiers, new beginnings and friendship.

Note: Impossible to guarantee Sakura but tour is well timed to coincide with several blooming spots. 

Specialised textile markets, antiques shopping, traditional shops for notions and remnants, contemporary fabrics . . . these stops will delight the "crafty" ones! Since many places stay open until late, we will endeavour to visit them later in the evening after the day's sightseeing so you can browse at your leisure. 

Kyoto, as the storehouse of Japan's traditional culture, is a given. Outstanding pottery, kimono, doll-making, lacquerware, woodblock printing, and more. We also visit oft-overlooked Kanazawa, with its best preserved Edo architecture, spectacular Kenroku-en Gardens, and regional crafts of gold leaf, porcelain, delicate embroidery, and colourful washi umbrellas.

Our accommodations include charming ryokans (traditional inns) for a taste of classical Japanese life. Tatami matted floors, shoji sliding doors, onsen (hot springs and baths), zen-inducing surroundings, and tea ceremonies remind us that no matter how modern Japan may appear, its beating heart is tradition.  

A given on every E.Y.H.O. tour since we are huge foodies! Explore famous food markets in Tokyo, Kanazawa and Kyoto. Entire districts given over to the pursuit of the inner gourmand. Buddhist cuisine at shrines. Meals with local families and tiny eateries for connecting over the food of an exacting culture. Get ready for culinary immersion!

Explore tucked away rural beauty spots, gorges and waterfalls, and mountainsides bathed in cherry blossoms. We will also take in exquisitely landscaped formal gardens, celebrated bamboo groves, and Shinto shrines, including a farming experience with local families in Miyama.

Whether you're a Japan rookie or old hand, certain sights are so embedded in the Japanese psyche that they bear repeat visits. Nara, Arashiyama, Deer Park, stone lantern park, giant Buddhas, Fushimi Inari shrine .... these icons of Japan will stay with you as cherished  memories long after the return home