Art Across The Ages: Japan

Arriving in Tokyo really can feel like landing on another planet! It's advisable not to attempt too much on the first day, but stroll the local area around your hotel and acclimatise to all the neon signs and kanji everywhere. Whilst the population density downtown in Tokyo is mind-boggling, it is a remarkably clean and smooth running city. Its denizens are invariably courteous and considerate of those around them, and nowhere can this be seen more than at Hachiko Crossing in Shibuya.  With 2,500 people crossing from all directions every two minutes in rush hour it is the busiest street crossing in the world, yet nobody ever seems to bump into each other. Take a pew in one of the coffee shops around it and watch the seamless action unfold.

Tokyo really comes into its own at night. There are incredible panoramas reminiscent of the sci-fi classic Bladerunner from the free viewing platform at Metropolitan Government Towers in Shinjuku. Across on the east side of the metropolis, Tokyo Skytree now holds the record for the highest viewing platform in the city for a 2,000 yen entrance fee. A visit to the art gallery at the top of Mori Tower in Roppongi followed by drinks at the Moon Bar is also highly recommended. The adventurous can head half an hour along the bay to Yokohama, where the bar atop Landmark Tower hosts live jazz at the weekends.

Gansho-in is a pleasant half an hour walk or short taxi ride from Obuse, and well worth it to see Hokusai's art in a temple setting. Catch a breakfast-time bullet train from Tokyo and that will leave ample time to visit both the Hokusai art museum and temple today.

If you're concerned about getting 'templed out' over the course of the tour, then go on an excursion to the monkey park instead today - it's a few stops north of Obuse. These are the famous 'snow monkeys' that keep warm  in the hot springs at Yudanaka. Outside of the winter months there is of course no snow and fewer monkeys in the pools, but still makes for a very pleasant afternoon as the walking trails to the park are open.

Lying on the north sea coast of Japan, Kanazawa has escaped most destruction by fire and war over the centuries. The Higashichaya area is arguably the finest original example of teahouses in the country. Some of them are open to the public, allowing access to the cloistered world of the Geisha. Learn about their unique dances, art forms and etiquette and admire the little details on painted screens and sliding doors. There are still a few dozen Geisha and traineer Maiko in Kanazawa, so if you are very lucky you may catch sight of one here.

Omicho covered market in Kanazawa has all manner of fish stalls and related products, and is where some of the freshest 'kaisendon' (raw fish and rice) in Japan can be found. But even this relatively simple fare is made into a colourful work of art at the local restaurants around the market, a fine example of the Japanese dedication to style as well as substance.

After the guided tour today, we highly recommend navigating your way to Pontocho dining alley on the edge of the historic geisha quarter of Gion. This lamplit sliver of traditional Kyoto is less than two metres wide and three hundred metres long, but has dozens of small individually owned restaurants along it. If you ask your guide, he or she can finish the day's tour by translating the menus written in kanji outside each one until you find something that appeals. Most of these restaurants hold only a dozen or so customers at a time so it's worth having an early dinner to ensure you get in.

After the included Machiya townhouse tour you have the afternoon at leisure. A stroll through Maruyama park is charming at any time of year, starting at the Yasaka shrine entrance with its hundreds of red Japanese lanterns. The grand temple of Chion-in and the more humble Shoren-in are also within the park, and during cherry blossom season this park is the main place for the o-hanami picnic parties that take place under the boughs.

It takes a few hours to reach the island of Naoshima from the cities on mainland Honshu, so you'll arrive mid to late afternoon. Enjoy the outdoor sculpture park at Benesse House and a stroll along the beach to the iconic polka-dot pumpkin piece by Japan's most renowned living artist, Yayoi Kusama. You may also have time to visit the Benesse House art museum.

Naoshima has a wealth of art sites to explore. Some are walking distance from Benesse House, or you can rent bicycles locally to go further. The Chichu Museum and the Lee Ufan museum are devoted to modern art, while the Ando museum celebrates the renowned architect of Benesse House. Across the island, the Art House project is a scattered collection of abandoned residential buildings transformed into installation spaces by Japanese artists. Perhaps the most unique experience on the island is 'I Love Yuu' - a hot spring bath-house which doubles as an art gallery.

Matsue's castle is one of only 12 original ones in Japan that has never been damaged by fire, war or earthquakes. It's a six-tiered structure which contains a treasure trove of fine crafts, pottery and ornate samurai armour from the 234 year reign of the Matsudaira clan during the Shogun era. It is well worth spending two or three hours here to really explore it properly and appreciate the level of sophistication in feudal Japanese society.

The Adachi Art museum just outside Matsue houses an impressive collection of Japanese contemporary art but the main draw is its garden, regarded as one of the finest in Japan. Visitors cannot actually walk in the garden, but the museum windows open upon it and artfully frame its pond, moss, zen gravel, waterfall and ornamental landscape areas. The tour today also includes a visit to Izumo Taisha shrine - believed to be Japan's oldest - with its 'torii' gate and dsitinctive 'shimenawa' sacred straw rope across the hallowed entranceway.

The Bikan historical quarter of Kurashiki is a small but perfectly formed square mile of white-walled trading houses now converted into shops, museums and charming ryokan (traditional inns). Take a leisurely boat ride along the canal lined with weeping willow trees and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere a world away from 21st-century Japan. The Ohara museum houses one of the finest and most diverse collections in the whole country, since its founder sent artist Kojima Torajiro to Europe to purchase works by Picasso, El Greco, Gauguin, Modigliani, Rodin, Klee, Pollock and Kandinsky among others. Then to complete the aesthetic experience, a beautifully presented kaiseki traditional Japanese dinner will be served at your ryokan this evening.

With Japan's cost-efficient and completely reliable luggage forwarding system, you can travel light for at least part of your tour. Using the included Rail Passes, you can hop on and off most trains (except the fastest bullet trains). So, en route back from Kurashiki to Tokyo there's an opportunity to stop off at Himeji for White Heron Castle - the most magnificent in Japan and one of just twelve not destroyed by fire, war or earthquake. The recently renovated main keep and surrounding complex of buildings are an architectural marvel.