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Japan Chugoku Region for Repeat Travelers 4 nights 5 days Villa Rakuen ~ Kotohira Kadan ~ Ryokan Kurashiki  |
Day 01
KIX- Awaji Island Arrive at Kansai International Airport. You will be welcomed by an English-speaking driver and transfer to Villa Rakuen by private car. 12:30 Lunch : “Wakkoqu”: Enjoy some of the finest beef in Japan - Kobe Beef. This restaurant is located near Sannomiya, where you can see the Ijinkan (Western-style homes of foreign residents) dating from the late 1800s. After lunch, you may take a short walk and explore the neighborhood in the Kitano area. |
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About Awaji Island and the Kuniumi Shinwa legend
Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, two divine beings, male and female respectively, were sent down from Heaven to create and populate the lands that mortals would live in. First, they churned the ocean with a "heavenly spear" to create form out of the formless void. This action, the story goes, caused drops of salt water to fall from the spear-tip, and these drops formed the first island, named Onogoro Island.
The divine couple descended from Heaven to this island and performed the ritual of Kuniumi, or "creation of the land," agreeing to take mortal form and live as man and wife. Awaji Island was the first island in the world to be created. Home to numerous places associated with Japan's creation myth, it lures visitors with its enigmatic hints of storied antiquity. Izanagi Shrine is Japan's oldest shrine, said to have been built on the site of the dwelling where the divine creators Izanagi and Izanami lived out their last days as mortals, having fulfilled their mission of creating the world. |
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15:00 Izanagi Jingu (shrine) In myth, Izanagi and Izanami created Awaji Island first among all the islands of Japan. Izanagi Jingu enshrines and worships Izanagi and Izanami. It is said that Izanagi Jingu is the oldest shrine in Japan. 16:00 Check in at Villa Rakuen Enjoy the hot spring baths until dinnertime. All rooms at Villa Rakuen have rotemburo open-air hot spring baths. There are several other unique and remarkable onsen public baths with panorama views of the ocean. A spa is also available. 19:00 Dinner: Japanese kaiseki cuisine at the Ryokan |
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| Day 02
Awaji Island - Kotohira Check-out from the ryokan and embark for your next destination, Kotohira, by private car. 10:00 Miyako Bijin Japanese Sake Brewery The Miyako Bijin (Metropolitan Beauty) brewery is definitely worth a visit. To know something of sake and the origins of its making is to know a little more about the Japanese people and culture. Miyako Bijin has a long history and is still making sake with the old Tenbin-Shibori method (using a balanced log to squeeze large bags full of rice malt). Only a few sake breweries still use this method in Japan. You may be able to enjoy a sake-tasting as well. *Weekdays only |
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11:00 Awaji Ningyo-Joruri kan: This is the place to appreciate a performance of Awaji Ningyo-Joruri, Japanese traditional puppet theater, in Awaji. This art form has a long history of over 500 years. *Closed on Mondays 12:00 Lunch: “La Gouta”: Enjoy French cuisine made with fresh local ingredients from the Awaji area. 13:30 Naruto Strait Cruise Awaji Island boasts many places worth a visit to enjoy the natural scenery, such as the Naruto Strait in which the tides flow as fast as 10 knots to create whirlpools of all sizes. There are also many beaches here, including the Goshiki-hama (five colors) Beach, famous for its abundance of colorful pebbles made by the erosion of the waves. *Subject to weather conditions and time. 15:00 Check in at Kotohohira Kadan. You may take a walk around the neighborhood and have a look at the souvenir shops standing on the both side of the stone paved steps. You may also have a Thai massage before dinner. 19:00 Dinner: Japanese kaiseki cuisine at the ryokan |
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| Day 03
Kotohira After breakfast, you may start the day by visiting Kotohira shrine, also known as Konpira-san, home to a guardian deity of the ocean. The shrine is located on Mt. Zozu, famous for the 1,368 steps that lead to the shrine. You may like to take a break and enjoy the spectacular view from Gohongu at the 785th step. There are 583 steps left to climb if you wish to continue to Izutama shrine at the top of the mountain. 12:00 Lunch: “Kamitsubaki”: This is a sister restaurant of Shiseido Parlour, which has been in Tokyo's Ginza district since 1902. It is owned by Shiseido, the world-famous Japanese cosmetics brand. 14:00 In the afternoon you may visit George Nakashima Memorial Gallery. George Nakashima is a Japanese-American architect and furniture maker. He is known as a father of the American craft movement. *Reservation required on Sundays |
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Otherwise, you may travel to Takamatsu to visit Ritsurin Garden, which is famous for its beautiful scenery. The garden consists of six ponds and 13 hills, surrounded by the green pine trees of Mount Shiunzan. It is an invaluable cultural treasure and received three stars in the “Michelin Green Guide Japon” in 2009. 17:00 Return to Kotohira Kadan. Relax before dinner. 19:00 Dinner: Japanese kaiseki cuisine at the ryokan. |
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| Day 04
Kotohira - Kurashiki Check-out from the ryokan and travel to Okayama by private car. The one-hour drive takes you to Ryokan Kurashiki, where you will spend the night. |
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Kurashiki When the Shogun took control of the Kurashiki area about 300 years ago, a magistrate's office was established, and the town and its canal were developed into a trade center. With its clusters of distinctive old-fashioned white-walled storehouses and rows of townhouses with lattice windows, the town still hearkens back to its past as an Edo period commercial center. The beautiful Ryokan Kurashiki, an oasis of elegant calm in the bustling, history-steeped district, presents a special trip through the centuries, back to old Japan. 10:15 Kojima, located in southern Kurashiki, is famous for denim goods. It is the birthplace of Japanese jeans, and lots of jeans shops are found in the area known as “Jeans Street.” You may order original jeans, for an excellent souvenir of Kojima. Following Kojima, you will continue north to the city of Kurashiki. 12:00 Lunch: “Trattoria Pippoo”: Enjoy Italian cuisine cooked with local fresh seafood. 13:30 Continue to Yugasan, which is well known for its pair of Konpira-san shrines. In the Edo era, a popular activity was “Yuga-san Konpirasan ryo mairi” which means visiting and praying at both shrines. It is believed that praying to both gods gives you more happiness and luck. People go to both these shrines to receive as much happiness and luck as possible from both gods. They have been fascinating people from all over Japan for centuries. 15:00 After arriving at Ryokan Kurashiki, you may enjoy exploring the Bikan Historical Quarter. This national historical preservation district, nestled along a narrow canal and against the base of the low hill known as Tsurugata-yama, is by no means large, but the townscape preserves a stretch of history from the Edo period (1603-1868), when samurai were still commonplace, to the Meiji and Taisho periods (1868-1926) when Western cultural influence grew. Later, return to the ryokan, where local sake tasting and tea are available on the terrace after check-in. Afterward, relax in your room, which has unique interior designs that blend traditional Japanese lines with Western details. 18:00 Dinner: Japanese kaiseki cuisine at the ryokan |
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| Day 05
Kurashiki - Next destination |
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Ohara Museum of Art - One of the world's most comprehensive private museums. Ohara Magosaburo, an entrepreneur born in Kurashiki, opened this private museum in 1930. It was the first museum to feature Western art in Japan. *Closed on Mondays |
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Kurashiki Museum of Folk crafts - Here you can encounter objects crafted to bring beauty to everyday life. It was built by renovating rice granaries in the late 18th century, and is the second-oldest craft museum in Japan. *Closed on Mondays Hayashi Genjuro Shouten Design Market - Opened in 2012, this is a market that focuses on products from Kurashiki, such as food, clothes and crafts. Hayashi Genjuro was the 11th master of the Hayashi family, who has been running a pharmacy in Kurashiki for 350 years. You will find Hayashi Genjurou Pharmacy Museum inside the market. You may have a tea break and look down from the rooftop and enjoy the view of the town of Kurashiki. In the late afternoon, you will transfer to Okayama station by private car and take a shinkansen bullet train to your next destination. |
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| OUR RYOKAN IN THE AREA | |
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Villa Rakuen (Awaji Island, Near Osaka / Kobe) With its spectacular panoramic view of the Komoe yacht basin and the Seto Inland Sea, Villa Rakuen is a premium ryokan that bespeaks luxury. Its spacious, airy rooms and opulent bathing facilities attract onsen hot spring lovers from all over Japan. Guests can feast their senses on exquisite kaiseki ryori haute cuisine, then sit in the big open-air bath on the spacious deck, and let Villa Rakuen's friendly, professional staff serve up their individual brand of omotenashi traditional Japanese hospitality. Access: 1.5 hrs from Osaka / Kobe by car Factsheet Area : Awaji island Name of Ryokan : Villa Rakuen Address : 20 Orodani Sumoto-shi, Hyogo 656-0023 Total Number of Rooms : 21 Check-In Time : 14:00 Check-Out Time : 11:00 Credit Card : VISA/MASTER/DINERS/AMEX/JCB For more information, click here |
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Kotohira Kadan (Kotohira, Shikoku island) With its spectacular panoramic view of the Komoe yacht basin and the Seto Inland Sea, Villa Rakuen is a premium ryokan that bespeaks luxury. Its spacious, airy rooms and opulent bathing facilities attract onsen hot spring lovers from all over Japan. Guests can feast their senses on exquisite kaiseki ryori haute cuisine, then sit in the big open-air bath on the spacious deck, and let Villa Rakuen's friendly, professional staff serve up their individual brand of omotenashi traditional Japanese hospitality. Access: 1.5 hrs from Osaka / Kobe by car Factsheet Area : Kagawa Name of Ryokan : Kotohira Kadan Address : 1241-5 Kotohira-cho, Nakatado-gun, Kagawa 766-0001 Total Number of Rooms : 33 Check-In Time : 15:00 Check-Out Time : 11:00 (except for standard rooms 10:00) Credit Card : VISA/MASTER/AMEX/JCB For more information, click here |
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Ryokan Kurashiki (Kurashiki) Overlooking the Nakabashi Bridge at the center of the Bikan Historical Quarter, by the banks of a pretty, willow-lined canal, sits the beautiful Ryokan Kurashiki. Situated at the center of the waterways and streets of the city of Kurashiki's lovingly preserved Bikan quarter, Ryokan Kurashiki is an oasis of elegant calm in the bustling, history-steeped district. With Ryokan Kurashiki as your base, you can explore the fascinating Bikan area and beyond, or simply stay at the ryokan, and let Okami and her friendly staff show you the timeless essence ofJapanese hospitality. Factsheet Area : Kurashiki Name of Ryokan : Ryokan Kurashiki Address : 4-1 Honmachi, Kurashiki, 710-0054 Total Number of Rooms : 5 Check-In Time : 15:00 Check-Out Time : 11:00 Credit Card : VISA/MASTER/DINERS/AMEX/JCB For more information, click here |
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