Architecture trip to Japan: traditional modernity

Trip organized jointly by

From March 28th to April 9th, 2023.

Welcome to Japan! 日本へようこそ !

From Ito, Kuma, Ando, Ishigami and other contemporary architects’ cutting-edge works in the bustling streets of Tokyo, Kamakura temples, to the serene gardens of Kyoto and Japan’s art island: Naoshima, experience the breadth of Japanese architecture hand in hand with your architect guide and the savor of attentive Japanese hospitality.

Japan evokes both technological frenzy and the contemplation of temples or traditional gardens. The country is full of contrasts: urban density versus immaculate nature, recurrent stress at work versus the cult of Zen. Japan is renowned for its diversity: its gastronomy, its extraordinary nature and of course … its architecture! This trip proposes the discovery of a set of masterpieces in this country full of dualities. From refined temples to ultra-noisy and pallid Pachinko halls, from uniformed schoolchildren to extravagantly dressed teenagers, from heated toilet seats to edible works of art, from the endless stream of commuters to enigmatic puppets: Japan is a country of harmony and contrast.

The journey starts in a dazzling way in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, then we slowly move into a world of tradition and harmony with a few stops in Nasu, Karuizawa and Kanazawa before finding ourselves in the traditional heart of Japan: Kyoto. Two days of wandering between temples and gardens, at the border of the past and the present. This stage prepares us for a serene immersion in a fusion of art and architecture on the art islands of the Seto Inland Sea. The journey reaches its climax here where the exceptional projects are nestled in a fascinating landscape. The journey continues in the city of Osaka, where some of the most significant buildings of the great architect Tadao Ando are located, full of elegance and poetry. It is in this city of remarkable architecture that the trip ends, with the return flight from the artificial island of Kansai Airport in Osaka.

Join us on this architectural trip to Japan!

Your trip at a glance

DAY 1 – 28th March 2023 – Departure of flights from different destinations.
DAY 2 – 29th March 2023 – Arrival in Tokyo and first night.
DAY 3 – 30th March 2023 – Tokyo.
DAY 4 – 31st March 2023 – Tokyo.
DAY 5 – 1st April 2023 – Sendai & Nasu.
DAY 6 – 2nd April 2023 – Karuizawa & Kanazawa.
DAY 7 – 3rd April 2023 – Kyoto.
DAY 8 – 4th April 2023 – Kyoto & Takamatsu.
DAY 9 – 5th April 2023 – Naoshima.
DAY 10 – 6th April 2023 – Teshima, Inujima & Osaka.
DAY 11 – 7th April 2023 – Kobe & Osaka.
DAY 12 – 8th April 2023 – Osaka.
DAY 13 – 9th April 2023 – Departure from Osaka to home cities.

Travel program

DAY 1 – Tuesday, March 28, 2023 – Arrival in Japan

Individual flights from from the cities of origin*.
*Flights are not included in the price.

DAY 2 – Wednesday 29 March 2023 – Tokyo

Morning:
09:00 Departure from the hotel.
First view of the city from the Mori Tower
21_21 Design Sight, Tadao Ando, 2007
12:30 Lunch in Roppongi district

Afternoon:
Walk along Odaiba Park, second view of Tokyo
Walk in Ginza

Free night and first night in Tokyo

DAY 3 – Thursday 30 March 2023 – Tokyo

Morning:
08:45 Departure to the hotel
Saint Mary’s Cathedral of Tokyo, Kenzo Tange, 1964
Jiyu Gakuen School for Girls, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1921
Lunch towards Omotesando

Afternoon:
Yoyogi National Stadium & Gymnasium, Kenzo Tange, 1964
Tokyu Plaza Omotesando, Hiroshi Nakamura, 2012
Gyre, MVRDV, 2007
Dior, SANAA, 2003
Omotesando Hills, Tadao Ando, 2006
Louis Vuitton, Jun Aoki, 2002
Tod’s, Toyo Ito, 2004
Coach Flaghip Store, OMA, 2013
One Omotesando, Kengo Kuma, 2003
Prada, Herzog & deMeuron, 2002
Sunny Hills, Kengo Kuma 2013
Nezu Museum, Kengo Kuma, 1940

Free night and overnight stay in Tokyo

DAY 4 – Friday, March 31, 2023 – Tokyo

Morning:
08:30 Departure from the hotel
Hiroshi Senju Museum, Ryue Nishizawa, 2011
13:00 Train to Ueno with ekiben (lunch box)

Afternoon:
Ueno Park.
Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall, Kunio Maekawa, 1961
National Museum of Western Art, Le Corbusier, 1959
Tokyo National Museum (Horyuj Treasure Gallery – optional)
International Library of Literature, Tadao Ando, 2002

Return to the hotel at leisure.

DAY 5 – Saturday, April 1, 2023 – Sendai and Nasu

Morning:
8:00 a.m. Departure from the hotel
Nakagawa-Machi Bato Hiroshige Museum, Kengo Kuma, 2000
12:30 pm Lunch and visit to Art Biotop Park, Junya Ishigami, 2018

Afternoon:
6:16 p.m. Arrival of the train at Tokyo Station
Rest of the afternoon free to enjoy at your leisure

DAY 6 – Sunday, April 2, 2023 – Kanazawa

Morning:
08:30 Departure from the hotel
Train ride to Kanazawa
Museum D.T. Suzuki Museum, Yoshio Taniguchi, 2011

Afternoon:
Museum of 21st Century Contemporary Art, SANAA, 2004
Kenroku-en, traditional Japanese garden

Train ride to Kyoto

DAY 7 – Monday, April 3, 2023 – Kyoto

Morning:
08:00 Departure from the hotel
Ginkakuji Temple
Stroll through the streets of Kyoto and visit a machiya
12:00 Lunch

Afternoon :
Tofukuji Temple
Fushimi Inari Shrine
18:30 Return to the hotel

DAY 8 – Tuesday April 4, 2023 – Kyoto and Takamatsu

Morning:
08:00 am Departure to the hotel
Ryoanji Temple
Kinkakuji Temple
Transfer to Arashiyama
Tenryuji Temple
12:30 pmLunch

Afternoon:
Sagano Bamboo Path
Transfer to Takamatsu

Overnight in Takamatsu

DAY 9 – Wednesday, April 5, 2023 – Naoshima

Morning:
7:30 a.m. Departure from the hotel
Transfer by ferry to Naoshima and rental of electric bikes
Port terminal, SANAA, 2006
Chichu Art Museum, Tadao Ando, 2004
Lee Ufan Museum, Tadao Ando, 2010
Art House Projects

Afternoon:
4:00 pm. Drop off of electric bikes
5:00 pm Night in Naoshima

DAY 10 – Thursday, April 6, 2023 – Teshima, Inujima and Osaka

Morning:
08:00 Departure from the hotel
Transfer by ferry to Teshima
Teshima Art Museum, Ryue Nishizawa, 2010

Afternoon:
12:40 Trasnfert by ferry to Inujima
Inujima Seirensho Art Museum, Yukinori Yanagi and Hiroshi Sambuichi
Art House Project
Return by ferry, bus and train to Osaka
15:30 departure from Inujima
18:03 High speed train from Okayama station to Osaka
20:00 Arrival at your hotel in Osaka

DAY 11 – Friday, April 7, 2023 – Kobe and Osaka

Morning:
09:00 Departure from the hotel in Osaka
Transfer by bus to Kobe
Visit the center Takenaka Carpentry museum
13:00 Lunch in Kobe (included)

Afternoon:
14:30 Departure to Osaka
Ibaraki kasugaoka church – Church of Light, Tadao Ando
Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest, Tadao Ando
Osaka Castle
Louis Vuitton Osaka Midosuji Façade, Jun Aoki
20:00 Arrival at your hotel

DAY 12 – Saturday, April 8, 2023 – Osaka

Morning:
09:00 Departure from the hotel
Private bus
Osaka Culturarium in Tempozan, Tadao Ando
Azuma-Row House in Sumiyoshi, Tadao Ando
Sayamaike Museum of Osaka Prefecture, Tadao Ando
1:00 pm Lunch

Afternoon:
Private bus
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Osaka University, Kazuyo Sejima
Shiba Ryotaro Museum + Library, Tadao Ando
17:00 Arrival at your hotel

DAY 13 – Sunday, April 9, 2023 – Departure and end of the trip

Morning:
After breakfast, check out of the Hotel and free day.
Flight back to Europe

End of the architecture trip in Japan.

COMPLETE TRAVEL PROGRAM

*Visits program will be definitively established at the time of the confirmation of the trip.
**Variations may occur in the selected visits or in the travel program for reasons beyond the company’s control.

REGISTRATION FORM