Wright Way Japan: A Collector’s Passion - SOLD OUT
March 30- April 10, 2011
Daily Itinerary (subject to change)
Wednesday, March 30
Travel from your gateway overnight to Tokyo.
Thursday, March 31
Upon arrival, transfer to the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and become acquainted with the other tour members and tour leaders at the welcome dinner.
Friday, April 1
Begin the morning by touring the Imperial Hotel and the Frank Lloyd Wright Suite. Continue the day with sightseeing in Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, including a visit to the Tokyo National Museum, Omotesando Street’s modern buildings and art and Wright’s Jiyu Gukuen (Freedom) School, a post-prairie design that embodies Wright’s vision of creating a “harmonious building” that would open the eyes of the young to “truth and beauty”.
Saturday, April 2
Morning visit to Tokyo’s Midtown to see the new 21-21 Design Sight designed by Tadao Ando, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo’s newest neighborhood and the National Art Center in Tokyo, home to the largest art exhibition space in Japan. After lunch, visit Yanagi Soetsu’s Japan Craft Museum, where we learn about the Japanese Mingei (folk craft) movement. On the way back to the hotel visit the new Fukutoshin Line Shibuya Station, also designed by Tadao Ando.
Sunday, April 3
Travel to scenic Atami, a hot spring resort by the sea. Visit the lavish MOA Museum of Art set atop a dramatic hillside overlooking the sea of Sagami. Check in to the deluxe Atami Hyakumangoku (Traditional Japanese-style Inn). Enjoy its fine cuisine and supremely elegant buildings that overlook the Izu Sea.
Monday, April 4
Board the shinkansen bullet train to Nagoya. Visit the preserved lobby portion of Wright’s Imperial Hotel at Meiji Village, a 250-acre open-air museum of over 70 buildings including homes, factories, businesses and churches. Transfer to the Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel.
Tuesday, April 5
Travel to Kyoto and visit Ginkakuji , Sanjusangen-do and Yogen-in Temples for their exquisite screens and sculptures. Visit the Memorial Hall of Kawai Kanjiro, the home and studio of the potter who served as a central figure in the Mingei movement. Transfer to the Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto.
Wednesday, April 6
Morning visit to Ryoan-ji and Daitoku-ji, home to some of the most important gardens and tea houses in Kyoto. Travel by bus to Shiragaki nature preserve, home to the fabulous Miho Museum, designed by I.M. Pei to house the spectacular collection of the Shumei family. I. M. Pei’s design, which he came to call Shangri-La, is set in a beautifully forested and mountainous landscape.
Thursday, April 7
Depart for a full-day excursion to Nara and Uji to tour Byodo-in Temple and the Fushimi Inari Shrine. The Byodo-in currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was originally a private residence and converted into a temple by a member of the Fujiwara clan in 1052. Once much larger, most of the additional buildings in the complex burned down during the civil war in 1336. After lunch see the Todaiji and Kofukuji Temples, also UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism.
Friday, April 8
Full day at leisure to tour this amazing city on your own.
Saturday, April 9
Experience Wright’s Yamamura House and the Koshien Hotel, designed by an apprentice of Wright’s, Arata Endo. Designed by Wright in 1918, construction of the four-story 6500-square-foot house did not begin until 1924, by which time Wright had completed his work on the Imperial Hotel and left Japan for good. Construction of the house was supervised by Endo, who went on to design the Koshien Hotel in 1930, drawing from Wright’s Midway Gardens and the Imperial Hotel, which he also worked on under Wright. That evening, transfer to the luxurious Imperial Hotel in Osaka and enjoy a farewell group dinner.
Sunday, April 10
The morning is at leisure until our transfer to Kansai International Airport for our return flight.
