Tokyo & Mount Koya: Neon Metropolis to Sacred Mountain

Day 1: Tokyo: Arrival & the Neon Metropolis
Arrive in Tokyo and transfer privately to your luxury high rise hotel in the heart of the capital. As dusk falls, set out on a private VIP walking tour through Tokyo's vibrant pop culture and neon districts, Shibuya and Shinjuku, threading between glowing avenues, backstreet bars and high tech arcades as your local guide brings the energy of this vast metropolis to life. The evening ends with a welcome dinner of contemporary Japanese fine dining.
Overnight: Tokyo (D)

Day 2: Tokyo: Digital Art & Sacred Heritage
Spend a full day exploring Tokyo's contrasts with your private guide. Begin beneath the wooden torii of Meiji Jingu, a tranquil Shinto shrine set in a dense urban forest, then walk the tree lined boulevard of Omotesando. In the afternoon, step into teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills, a mapless museum of immersive digital light installations, before a private matcha tea ceremony in a historic Japanese garden. Evening at leisure.
Overnight: Tokyo (B)

Day 3: Tokyo to Koyasan: Bullet Train to Sacred Peaks
Board the high speed Shinkansen from Tokyo towards Osaka, then change to the scenic Nankai mountain line and cable car, ascending into the pine forested mists of Mount Koya, a 1,200 year old monastic sanctuary founded by Kobo Daishi as the centre of Shingon Buddhism. Check in to your temple lodging and settle into its tatami calm. At twilight, join a private guide for a lantern lit walk through Okunoin, Japan's largest cemetery, where moss covered stupas and some 200,000 tombstones rest beneath towering cedars, leading to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi. Return for shojin ryori, the refined vegetarian cuisine of the monks.
Overnight: Mount Koya (B, D)

Day 4: Mount Koya: Fire Ritual, Meditation & Temple Treasures
Wake before dawn for morning chanting and the Goma fire ritual performed by resident monks, then join a private Ajikan meditation session to still the mind. Spend the day among Koyasan's treasures: the Danjo Garan complex, anchored by the vermilion Konpon Daito Pagoda, and Kongobu ji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism, home to Banryutei, Japan's largest rock garden. Return to your shukubo for a soak in a private open air bath and a second shojin ryori dinner.
Overnight: Mount Koya (B, D)

Day 5: Mount Koya to Kansai: Farewell & Departure
After a quiet temple breakfast and a final stroll through the monastery grounds, depart Mount Koya by private charter vehicle, descending through Wakayama's valleys directly to Kansai International Airport (KIX) for your onward flight.
End of services.

Included services:

Private airport transfer on arrival in Tokyo; private charter vehicle for the descent to Kansai International Airport (KIX) on departure
2 nights' accommodation at a luxury high-rise hotel in Tokyo
2 nights' luxury temple stay (shukubo) in Koyasan with a private open-air bath
Daily breakfast; two shojin ryori dinners in Koyasan; one contemporary fine-dining welcome dinner in Tokyo
First-Class (Green Car) reserved seats on the Shinkansen (Tokyo–Osaka area)
Scenic Nankai Koya Line rail and cable car up to Koyasan
Private evening neon-district walking tour of Tokyo (Shibuya & Shinjuku) with an English-speaking guide
Guided evening lantern walk through Okunoin Cemetery
Private Ajikan meditation session with a Buddhist monk
Participation in the morning chanting and Goma fire ritual in Koyasan
Private matcha tea ceremony in Tokyo
Entrance fees for teamLab Borderless, Kongobu-ji and Danjo Garan
English-speaking guide and assistance for the key experiences listed

Recommended travel period:

April – Mid November October–mid Novemberr (autumn colour) and April–May (fresh mountain greenery); mild, clear conditions on the mountain. Deep winter is not recommended for temple stays.

Excluded services:

International flights to Tokyo and from Osaka (KIX) Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
Lunches and any meals not listed under Included services
Optional activities, experiences and excursions not listed
Optional private-bath or onsen rental fees where booked separately
Personal expenses, souvenirs and gratuities
Anything not explicitly stated as included

Image Source: LCC Ayabex
Image Source: LCC Ayabex
Image Source: LCC Ayabex
Image Source: LCC Ayabex
Image Source: LCC Ayabex
Image Source: LCC Ayabex
Image Source: LCC Ayabex