June 22: Airport Hotel
If you have reserved and paid for a hotel room, one of your leaders will meet you at the hotel and stay overnight with the group. We will send you an email one week prior to departure with details about the hotel reservation and instructions on how to meet your leader.
June 23: Departure Day, San Francisco to Tokyo
For all travel details, please see the Travel Information document under the Essential Information tab in your digital locker.
June 24 – 27: Tokyo
Your journey makes its first stop in the beating heart of Japan’s modern capital: Tokyo. Our accommodations situated directly adjacent to the main loop line provide easy access to Tokyo’s most popular attractions like the SkyTree tower and districts like Akihabara, Shinjuku and Shibuya. We’ll take manga drawing lessons from a professional manga artist and see incredible art installations at TeamLab Planets. Tokyo is a place of endless possibilities. We may take in a baseball game at Tokyo dome, or see Sumo wrestlers in training. We may walk the covered market at Sensou-Ji, wear kimono to Meiji-Jingu, or visit the Hokusai Ukiyo-e museum, to name just a few!
June 28 – July 1: Kyoto
Our train will wind through the mountains and valleys of Kyotango to reach the cultural center of Japan: Kyoto. We’ll explore the most famous and storied temples, castles and museums of Japan’s history. Check out a tea ceremony after contemplating the famous rock garden at Ryoanji, see authentic ninja gear at the Ninja Museum, and see the world’s largest manga collection at the International Manga Museum. We’ll climb the 10,000 torii gates to the top of Fushimi Inari Taisha in the morning and capture the essence of Japan’s most historic city.
Your Smithsonian Expert, Hugh Shapiro, will join the group in Kyoto and travel with you to Hiroshima.
July 2 – 4: Hiroshima
Continuing to the southern end of Honshu, we’ll come to one of the most important cities in modern Japan’s history. As the site of history’s first atomic bombing, Hiroshima has become a vital symbol of peace, both in Japan and abroad, as a beacon of remembrance for the tragedy and loss of life that occurred there. Our group will visit the Flame of Peace, the Genbaku Dōmu and the Peace Park Museum. With our expert, Hugh Shapiro, we’ll unpack the disastrous consequences of the event for the generations of Japanese to come, as well as the context of the end of the war and the events that led up to the decision to utilize the bomb. We’ll also visit an extremely beautiful and important cultural monument on the other side of the bay: Miyajima. With its famous “floating” torii and picturesque location, Miyajima is one of the most photographed places in all of Japan for a good reason. After returning by ferry to the city, we’ll explore local food specialties at Okonomi-mura and take in the vibrant park that spans downtown.
July 5: Naoshima, Ako and Himeji
On the way back to central Honshu, we’ll make a stop to the famous “art island” of Naoshima, and visit the galleries and open air exhibits there before heading to a luxurious beach resort hotel in Ako. The next day, we’ll travel to Himeji, where we’ll explore one of the oldest surviving castle structures, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the site of one of the most consequential battles in the Samurai era of Japan’s history before we head on to Osaka and its surrounding locations.
July 6 – 9: Osaka and Central Kansai
After a brief orientation, settle into your time at Osaka. You and your group will be exploring famous spots like the entertainment district at Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, Umeda and Osaka-Jyo. Day trips will take you to surrounding cultural hotspots like Kobe and Nara, where you’ll see historical monuments and castles, a famous Koreatown district, the giant Daibutsu statue and domesticated deer. Osaka has been a cultural beacon in the 20th century, and we’ll visit the well preserved “New World” shinsekai district with its famously-retro shops, iconic tower and restaurants straight from the Showa era. Additionally, Osaka is famous for its street food and distinct cuisine. You’ll have the opportunity to try regional specialties like takoyaki, kushi-age, modan-yaki, tonkotsu ramen, and more. Share your presentations with your group, and celebrate the final night of your program with a ride on the giant ferris-wheel in Tempozan that offers magnificent city views, before heading to a teppan feast and celebratory round of karaoke!
July 10: Return Day, Osaka to San Francisco
For all travel details, please see the Travel Information document under the Essential Information tab in your digital locker.