Itinerary - 2024 Tour Dates: 10- 21 November 2023 12 Days fully guided. Luxury Hotels & Traditional Townhouses
Feature artist Craig Penny, is an Award winning Watercolorist & Painting tutor. Luxury Accommodation close to entertainment, shopping, temples and tourist areas. Tour guests not painting can join our guide and see the sights. Painting guests may opt to join our guide at any time. (O) OPTIONS add to your tour book ahead and prepayment required. Japan Itinerary (proposed) last update: June 2023
Day 1:Sunday 10 November 2024- Arrivals Osaka KIX Osaka International Airport. Meet and greet staff. Transfer by Taxi to Aloft Hotel. Meet for dinner at The Warehouse Restaurant in Aloft
Day 2:Monday 11 November 2024 - Osaka -Explore Osaka. Sightseeing at Dotonbori Osaka's hot spot for Dotombori is the colorful and crowded entertainment district, explore cafes, the canal shopping, sketching and some ART stores close by - Art stores list (O) Option Maiko Life Tour with our guid
Day 3: Tuesday 12 November 2024 - Kyoto - Philosopher’s Walk. We head off to get a morning refreshment in the shopping village before we Sketch and walk the Philosopher's Trail alongside the Biwa canal in Kyoto's foothills (about 1.3 klms downhill)) stopping along the way to visit mountain temples, boutiques, sketching as we go. A relaxed day with loads of autumn leaves. Taxi to the hotel Evening at leisure or Join us exploring the (O) OPTION: Gion Alleyways Night Life Tour with our guide, dinner and maybe sample some sake.
Day 4: Wednesday 13 November 2024 - Kyoto - Ki Yan is a well known local Kyoto artist, We visit his Gallery Retail Shop to appreciate his art space. Cafe break and urban sketching. train or cab to Gion area for afternoon tour of back alley old world Village, afternoon cab to Hotel or evening dine in Gion canal side restaurant then evening cab to the hotel.
Day 5: Thursday 14 November 2024 - Kyoto -Arashiyama , Tenryu-ji Temple, Bamboo Forest, Travel to Arashiyama - catch a train to go rafting on the Hozugawa River or vintage train back to Mt Arashiyama. We stop to get coffee lunch, do some sketching and move on to visit the famous Bamboo Forest and Tenryu-ji temple for its moss gardens. Catch a vintage Street Tram and then a cab to our hotel. Evening at leisure.
Day 6: Friday 15 November 2024 - Nara Thirteen hundred years ago, Nara (then Heiju-kyu) was the imperial capital of Japan. "Old Japan" is still easy to spot here, from Great Buddha Hall to traditional ryokans and the serene Isuien garden. Travelers rave about walking tours of Nara, particularly in the historic Naramachi merchant area. Train back to the hotel. Evening at leisure
Day 7: Saturday 16 November 2024 - Kyoto - Transfer hotel near Castle Today we transfer to a beautiful hotel near Osaka Castle arriving around 2pm for check in. The morning is ours and we head out for our last opportunity to venture into some of the hidden delights waiting for us to sketch draw paint - favorite haunts of our artist. We stop for early lunch and head back to the hotel to checkout.
Day 8: Sunday 17 November 2024 - Osaka Castle Sundays are busy at Osaka Castle, Once the largest castle in Japan when originally built in the 1580s, this castle has an observation platform with city views and a history museum that uses holograms, 3D pictures and other technologies to describe the history of the castle and the period during which it was built. Sketching ride the lift to see the views. A great day out. Evening at leisure
Day 9:Monday 18 November 2024 - Fushimi Inari Shrine Today we travel by train to The mother of all shrines, Fushimi-Inari-Taisha, with its mesmerizing arcades of vermillion Torii gates spread across a mountainside. We will stop off at a local café for lunch and refreshments. Evening at leisure. (O) OPTIONS: A Local artist, will show us how to create Sumi-E calligraphy in the traditional manner in her art studio.
Day 10: Tuesday 19 November 2024 - Urban Sketching Our artists Favorite adventure sketching the unusual Heritage houses, shops, warehouses converted to fruit shops, hidden canal art shows and coffee shops, even the coffee shop interiors. His choice so something special maybe.
Day 11: Wednesday 20 November 2024 - Free Day & Farewell Dinner Today is a free day to relax, shop, wander and get those last minute things done. Tonight we have arranged for a Farewell Dinner Day 12: Thursday 21 November 2024 - Departure We all depart from the hotel to our flights or onward travel.
OPTIONS
Our itinerary offers a range of experiences. Some nights and days we choose to offer added adventures to indulge in while you are here. The popular Night Life Dining Adventure continues on from our Gion Hidden Alleyways tour and there are more.
Our Accommodation NEW -We stay in a Traditional Townhouse (Machiya Hotel) in Kyoto for 3 - 5 nights before transferring to Osaka. Beautifully renovated, arty, modern and traditional at the same time, have modern amenities and are a wonderful introduction to a long passed traditional life style. This will incur some additional costs. We stay in 4+ STAR accommodation in Osaka and stay in a beautifully hotels close to the city center, great for shopping and dining. See Accommodation Japan - Add early arrivals or extra nights >>
Weather in central Japan Autumn in November has very stable weather with 14 to 27°C and can be a bit humid at times. Sunny days, very little rain and cool nights make Kyoto a great place to be in November.