Imagine Japan …
…you’re on a train journey through Japan…
If you’re a food-lover, start in Tokyo, before dawn, with an interpreter at the famous Tokyo Tuna Market, where you watch the call and chaos of the daily auction. Then take the underground tunnel into the restricted wholesale area to pick up a portion of the day’s fish for your private chef to create an extraordinary 16-plate gourmet Japanese breakfast, complete with table-side tuna carving.
And at the other end of the gourmet scale – though every bit as exciting for your palate – is Osaka’s street food scene. With exotic offerings like takoyaki and okonomiyaki, it quickly becomes clear why you want a guide! And we’ve got the perfect millennial food ambassador for the job.
And if you’re a zen lover, visit a Japanese temple south of Kyoto. There’s meditation in the evening, a fire ceremony the next morning, and visits to onsens – or traditional bathhouses – in between, so plan to stay overnight.
Along the way there are car factories to tour and geishas to meet, robot restaurants and ramen shops, pearl divers and sumo wrestlers, and even the Last Samurai!
And while capsule hotels are uniquely Japan – and also easy on the budget – you’ll love the ryokans, or traditional Japanese inns. A sleep on a tatami mat is a LOT more comfy that you’d ever imagine.