October 15-18, 2024
Kyoto
Tuesday, 10/15/24
FLIGHT: Hokkaido (New Chitose) to Osaka (Kansai)
ANA (NH 1712) | Confirmation #: 134486252
Reservation #: 5121
Seats: 2A (Roo), 2C (Shep)
Departs: 11AM
Duration: 2 hours, 15 mins
Taxi to Kyoto.
Arrive at KANSAI: 1:15 PM
Pre-Arranged Taxi: 2:00PM
Driver will be at the boarding gate with a name plate.
Fixed Price: 26,900JPY + highway fee. (The high-way fee is 940JPY. This is a guideline, as it varies based on the route. Taxis accept credit cards, so no need to carry cash. Also kindly note that 3,500JPY will be charged for airport pick-up.)
Check into Hotel Suiran
Confirmation #9055533388287
Check In: 3pm
Check Out: Fri, Oct 18, 2024
Room: Executive Suite, 1 Bedroom, Corner (AKATOKITSUYU)
Private Onsens (For couples, families, tattoo wearers).
Dinner at Sushiiwa. 6pm.
A long-established sushi restaurant in Kyoto loved by Steve Jobs.
The chef's selected course is composed of traditional Kyoto vegetables and seasonal fish, a contemporary cuisine that with a variety of styles to form a well balance.
Ainomachi-Nishiminamikado Shimojuzuya Shimogyo-ku-cho
Kyoto, Japan, 600-8155
Wednesday, 10/16/24
AM: Visit Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple.
Open daily from 8 AM -4:30 PM | 300 Yen to enter
A secret temple.
Getting there:
If you plan to walk through Arashiyama, take a train to Arashiyama Station or Saga-Arashiyama Station. Make your way to the bamboo forest. From there, head towards Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street and continue on until Otagi Nenbutsu-ji.
By foot: Approx 1 hour from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, uphill. Or just taxi there.
Picnic at Arashiyama Park (Kameyama Area)
This park sits along the Katsura River over the Wataratsuki Bridge.
After lunch, we’ll wander.
Kyoto has a rich tradition in crafts. Today, we’ll POJ, a very special craft collective.
We see the beauty in high-quality products that tell a story, a story about you, the craftsmen who made it, and the Japanese way of life. In bridging Japan’s artisans with the world, we hope to share the essence of simple luxury and help keep generations of tradition alive.
— POJ Studio
POJ Studio
POJ ("Pieces of Japan") Studio’s brick-and-mortar shop opened in September 2022 under a shared roof with Kissa Kishin cafe and Maana Kiyomizu, a newly opened boutique hospitality venue composed of three guest suites. This deeply intentional compound reflects Koyama and Tsukamoto's dedication to promoting and supporting traditional artisans and heritage crafts through an updated lens.
We believe that in choosing beautiful, durable, handmade products that last for generations, we take steps away from our current throwaway culture to create meaningful connections with the things that make our house a home.
We believe that in choosing beautiful, durable, handmade products that last for generations, we take steps away from our current throwaway culture to create meaningful connections with the things that make our house a home.
-POJ Studio
Kenninji (建仁寺) Temple
IF THERE’S TIME
Open daily from 10:30 AM -4:30 PM
Ranked third among the five great Zen temples of Kyoto, Kenninji was founded by the Buddhist monk who introduced both Zen Buddhism and tea cultivation to Japan upon returning from study trips to China. The temple was constructed in 1202 and is the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.
Dinner at Ogata. 4pm.
Confirmation #: P8J3410C
Chef's Tasting Course (Matsutake mushroom course)
The perfect combination of creative cuisine, atmosphere and omotenashi. Ogata has developed firm relationships with producers of some of the best seafood, meats and vegetables in Japan.
Thursday, 10/17/24
We start with a class.
Today, we are lucky enough to experience the art of Kintsugi, broken pottery. After class, we’ll see more unique shops, housing a variety of art forms, and wander through a market for lunch.
Kintsugi Experience at Shikata Urushi. 9:30-noon.
Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken ceramics through the application of urushi lacquer mixed with metallic powder such as brass, tin, gold or silver. It is not only a restoration technique, but also a reflection of the wabi-sabi aesthetic and philosophy of embracing imperfections. Take a special Kintsugi class at Shikata Urushi, which opened in 1867.
Wagaminomise Morita Washi
Specializing in washi (Japanese handmade paper), this place is an artist’s dream come true.
Lunch and Crafts at Nishiki Market
Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba) is a narrow, five block long shopping street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants. Known as "Kyoto's Kitchen", this lively retail market specializes in all things food related, like fresh seafood, produce, knives and cookware, and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood and sushi.
Matcha
Matcha
Ujicha Kigetsudō
This tea shop is nearly 100 years old and is family-run. They are famous for their matcha, and also sell beautiful tea pots & whisks. Cash only.
Taxi back to Suiran.
Get ready for our last dinner in Kyoto.
Dinner at Kikunoi Honten. 6pm.
Course: Kikunoi Special course (The most luxurious ingredients)
Exquisite and flawless, a veritable “living museum,” this traditional Japanese haute-cuisine restaurant was established in 1912 by the grandfather of Yoshihiro Murata, the present and third generation chef.
After removing your shoes to glide over the soft floor to your dining room, you pass by countless works of art. Each month, each season (of which there are 24 in the ancient calendar), Murata and his wife select new pieces to celebrate, including fresh flowers all arranged by the proprietress.
Every guest can feel like royalty dining in one of ten private rooms seating from two to fifty people. Most are traditional tatami mat rooms, but several have hori-kotatsu sunken tables allowing guests to extend their legs below the table and relax into the dining experience.
The view over the spacious gardens from the broad glass windows is stunning, and the first floor rooms overlook a bright white raked sand garden designed to look like waves with the playful touch of a turtle examining its reflection in the ‘water’.
Friday, 10/18/24
Check out. Taxi to Kobe.
Take a ride to the steak capital of the world for lunch.
