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    Exclusive Private Journey

    Hokuriku Highlights

    4 Nights: price on request Trip Code: EPJ300

    This very special Exclusive Private Journey module introduces the Hokuriku region, where you'll stay in some of Japan's finest accommodation in the garden city of Kanazawa and the hot spring region of Kaga Onsen. Read more >

    With a wonderful hand-picked guide plus a car and driver on hand, this Exclusive Private Journey module whisks you along the scenic roads of the higher Japanese Alps to reach Shirakawago, one of Japan's most picturesque rural communities. Shirakawago is famous for its collection of centuries-old, thatched-roof farmhouses, which are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

    While exploring the Japan Alps, a visit to Eihei-ji can also be included. Eihei-ji is a unique temple complex hidden amid a cedar forest where we can arrange for you to observe the day-to-day lives and rituals of the local monks, and even join them in meditation and sutra-copying. This is an experience not to be found at many other locations in Japan, and one that is certainly not soon forgotten.

    As you move on to the garden city of Kanazawa, a place of deep samurai history and rich artistic heritage, you'll have the chance to try your hand at kaga-yuzen dyeing, gold leaf work and ceramics under the tutelage of local experts.

    A short distance south from Kanazawa is the hot spring area of Kaga Onsen, where you'll stay in a gorgeous ryokan inn. This is some of the best in traditional Japanese accommodation, and your meals will be served kaiseki banquet style and feature some of the region's best seafood.

    This rural Exclusive Private Journey is designed to introduce a traditional side of Japan away from the big cities, showing off some of the nation's loveliest countryside. We recommend that you consider combining this module with some other ideas to create your own tailored Exclusive Private Journey in consultation with one of our expert travel consultants.

    Trip Highlights

    • Travel in the bullet train's luxury "Gran Class"
    • Taste Hokuriku's best seafood prepared by the region's top chefs
    • Enjoy fabulous hot spring baths in Kaga Onsen
    • Discover the secrets of Japanese garden design at Kenrokuen
    • Learn from masters in the crafts of lacquerware, ceramics and gold leaf
    • Take the scenic Hakusan Super Rindo road to the alpine village of Shirakawago

    For more information email us: [email protected] or call: + 44 117 244 3380

    What, where, when and how...

    • Map & Dest.
    • Day by Day
    • Accommodation
    • Experiences
    • Inspiration
    • How to Book

    Hokuriku Highlights - 5 Days

    Map for Hokuriku Highlights

    Destinations

    • Kanazawa
      Kanazawa

      Read more >

    • Shirakawago
      Shirakawago

      Read more >

    • Kaga Onsen
      Kaga Onsen

      Read more >

    Hokuriku Highlights - 5 Days - Day by Day

    • Day 1-2 Kanazawa
      Day 1-2 Kanazawa
    • Day 3-5 Kaga Onsen
      Day 3-5 Kaga Onsen
    View all days

    Hokuriku Highlights - 5 Days - Accommodation

    • Nikko Hotel Kanazawa
      Kanazawa
      Nikko Hotel Kanazawa

      Superior

    • Beniya Mukayu
      Kaga Onsen
      Beniya Mukayu

      Deluxe

    Hokuriku Highlights - 5 Days - Experiences

    • Kenrokuen
      Kenrokuen

      Read more >

    • 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
      21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

      Read more >

    • Kanazawa restaurateur market tour
      Kanazawa restaurateur market tour

      Read more >

    • Day Trip to Eihei-ji
      Day Trip to Eihei-ji

      Read more >

    • Yamanaka lacquerware
      Yamanaka lacquerware

      Read more >

    Hokuriku Highlights - 5 - Inspiration

    Need inspiration? Hokuriku has a huge amount to offer and plenty of secrets to unveil away from the main tourist sites.

    • Inspiration ideas for the Trip
      • Small batch soy sauce brewery
    • Day 1-2

      Day 1-2

      Hop on Japan's newest bullet train in Tokyo and just 2.5 hours later you'll be 460km away in the garden city of Kanazawa. We'll book you seats in the bullet train's luxurious "gran class" car with reclining leather chairs.

      Welcome to Kanazawa, or "marsh of gold" as its name means in Japanese; a city with a rich historical legacy and a wealth of arts and crafts. Our top recommendation in Kanazawa is to see Kenrokuen, one of Japan's finest gardens, where your expert local guide will take you to meet the head gardener to learn about the religious symbolism that informs the garden's layout and design.

      If you'd like to focus on Kanazawa's artistic heritage, let us arrange introductions with master craftsmen specialising in gold leaf work and lacquerware, including a visit to a traditional pottery kiln. Alternatively you might choose to try your hand at kaga-yuzen silk dyeing, a regional technique that uses materials harvested from plum trees.

      If you prefer collecting art to making it, we are also happy to help you buy and ship artworks home.

      Suggested Accommodation: Nikko Hotel Kanazawa

    • Day 3-5

      Day 3-5

      Your next two nights will be spent in a beautiful ryokan inn in the hot spring resort town of Kaga.

      From Kaga Onsen your guide and driver will take you on a day trip across the spectacular Hakusan Super Rindo road, weaving high up into the Japanese Alps - up to 1,400 metres above sea level.

      Today you'll have the opportunity to explore the distinctive thatched-roof farmhouses of Shirakawago, a scenic alpine village that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety. Ogimachi is the most visited area of Shirakawago – but we recommend that you venture to the far quieter and prettier hamlets of Suganuma and Ainokura for a more authentic experience.

      Whilst in the area, be sure to stop for a lunch home cooked by locals and served privately around an irori open hearth in one of the old farmhouses, washed down by a cup or two of the region's famous sake.

      The temple complex of Eihei-ji is another tremendous day trip option available to you on your journey through the mountains. A vast temple precinct hidden deep in an atmospheric cedar forest and home to seven monasteries, this is your chance to meet the local monks for a guided meditation experience or sutra recitation.

      Suggested Accommodation: Beniya Mukayu

    View all days
    • Day 1-2

      1-2

      Hop on Japan's newest bullet train in Tokyo and just 2.5 hours later you'll be 460km away in the garden city of Kanazawa. We'll book you seats in the bullet train's luxurious "gran class" car with reclining leather chairs.

      Welcome to Kanazawa, or "marsh of gold" as its name means in Japanese; a city with a rich historical legacy and a wealth of arts and crafts. Our top recommendation in Kanazawa is to see Kenrokuen, one of Japan's finest gardens, where your expert local guide will take you to meet the head gardener to learn about the religious symbolism that informs the garden's layout and design.

      If you'd like to focus on Kanazawa's artistic heritage, let us arrange introductions with master craftsmen specialising in gold leaf work and lacquerware, including a visit to a traditional pottery kiln. Alternatively you might choose to try your hand at kaga-yuzen silk dyeing, a regional technique that uses materials harvested from plum trees.

      If you prefer collecting art to making it, we are also happy to help you buy and ship artworks home.

      Suggested Accommodation: Nikko Hotel Kanazawa

    • Day 3-5

      3-5

      Your next two nights will be spent in a beautiful ryokan inn in the hot spring resort town of Kaga.

      From Kaga Onsen your guide and driver will take you on a day trip across the spectacular Hakusan Super Rindo road, weaving high up into the Japanese Alps - up to 1,400 metres above sea level.

      Today you'll have the opportunity to explore the distinctive thatched-roof farmhouses of Shirakawago, a scenic alpine village that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety. Ogimachi is the most visited area of Shirakawago – but we recommend that you venture to the far quieter and prettier hamlets of Suganuma and Ainokura for a more authentic experience.

      Whilst in the area, be sure to stop for a lunch home cooked by locals and served privately around an irori open hearth in one of the old farmhouses, washed down by a cup or two of the region's famous sake.

      The temple complex of Eihei-ji is another tremendous day trip option available to you on your journey through the mountains. A vast temple precinct hidden deep in an atmospheric cedar forest and home to seven monasteries, this is your chance to meet the local monks for a guided meditation experience or sutra recitation.

      Suggested Accommodation: Beniya Mukayu

    Close all days

    • Small batch soy sauce brewery

      Small batch soy sauce brewery

      Think soy sauce is just soy sauce? Think again!

      No meal in Japan is served without a bottle of soy sauce available on the table. Generally this will be from kikkoman, the number one producer in Japan. But just like craft beer which has taken Japan by storm in the last 10 years, so the popularity of small batch, craft soy sauce has increased. In Kanazawa you can spend a morning visiting a soy sauce micro brewery and then finish up your visit with a first class sushi lunch. You'll even have the chance to take away a bottle with your own unique label.

    For more information email us: [email protected] or call: + 44 117 244 3380

    How to book

    Every Exclusive Private Journey is hand-crafted just for you. We select the best guides based on your interests, and include the experiences and accommodation options that inspire you. But of course that means the price is also unique for every trip and depends on how the trip is shaped, what you choose to include and the time of year you travel.

    Interested? Get in touch and we'll be delighted to start working with you to really get beneath the surface of the Hokuriku region of Japan.

    This is a short example module that can be used as a building block to plan a longer Exclusive Private Journey.

    To build your perfect Exclusive Private Journey, mix and match some of our existing modules or just get in touch with us and we will plan you a trip from scratch. Our service is completely flexible and we will be happy to arrange any combination of destinations, experiences and accommodation that you like.

    To begin planning your Exclusive Private Journey with the help of one of our expert travel consultants, don't hesitate to make an enquiry via our online form - or contact us directly by telephone or email.

    Contact us

    • GB Inside Japan UK office

      + 44 117 244 3380
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      + 1 303 952 0379
    • AUS Inside Japan Australia office

      + 61 7 3186 8800
    • JAP Inside Japan - Japan office

      + 81 52 253 6068

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    Order a brochure or enquire today

    If you'd like any help or want to know more about Japan, feel free to either enquire today, give our Japan travel experts a call, or why not get one of our beautiful Japan brochures.

    Order a brochure Make an enquiry
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