Ryokans & Railways: Japan's Alps Explorer Cruise Extension
Experience Japan from the window of the legendary bullet train, racing through contrasting landscapes connecting you to the culture, craftsmanship and people of this truly extraordinary country.
Our Rail & Sail extensions are designed for those who believe that how you get there is just as important as the destination itself. We pair the intimacy and elegance of ultra-luxury cruising with carefully crafted rail journeys through the most iconic destinations.
Journey highlights
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Private Access to a Geisha Dinner and exclusive evening at Kenrokutei, a restaurant within the walls of Kenrokuen Garden itself, where two geisha perform an intimate ozashiki dinner just for you
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A private visit to the home of a genuine samurai descendant, who opens his doors and his personal collection of katana swords, an encounter that no museum could replicate
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Race across Japan's ever-changing landscape at 200mph on the famous bullet train, watching ancient mountains, rural villages and urban skylines blur into one seamless, extraordinary journey
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A night in one of Japan's finest ryokan, where tatami floors, shoji screens and an approach to hospitality that borders on artistry offer an insight into Japanese culture that no conventional hotel can match
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Itinerary
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At a Glance
Day 1: Arrival in the World's Most Extraordinary City
There is no arrival quite like Tokyo. Your Scott Dunn representative will be waiting and ready to transfer you by private vehicle into a city that never quite prepares you, no matter how many times you have been told what to expect. The scale is humbling, the energy unlike anywhere else on earth, and yet, within hours, Tokyo has a way of feeling surprisingly intimate. Tonight is yours to settle in, to wander if the inclination takes you, and to begin letting this city work its quiet, compelling magic.
Where to stay
Palace Hotel, Tokyo (1 night)
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At a Glance
Day 2: Gardens, Geisha and the Art of a City That Time Chose Carefully
Take your seat aboard the bullet train and race across Japan into something altogether more considered. Kanazawa survived the Second World War without a scar, and its streets carry that history with quiet grace. Your afternoon begins in Kenroku-en Garden, one of Japan's three great landscape gardens, home to the country's oldest water fountain, a pair of teahouses and a grand villa that once sheltered one of the region's most powerful clans. From here, the Ishikawa-mon Gate leads into the grounds of Kanazawa Castle, before the afternoon closes at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, where Leandro Erlich's Swimming Pool produces something close to genuine disorientation, the illusion, somehow convincing, of standing both above and below the water at once. As evening settles, a different Kanazawa reveals itself. A walking tour through the lantern-lit streets of Kazue-Machi and Higashi-Chaya leads to Kenrokutei, a private restaurant within the garden walls of Kenrokuen itself. Over an exquisite multi-course kaiseki dinner, two geisha perform in the classic ozashiki tradition, one dancing, one drawing melody from a Shamisen. It is an evening that stays with you long after you leave.Day 3: Gold Leaf, Silk and the World of the Samurai
Kanazawa has always been a city of makers, and a full day with your guide moves fluidly between the crafts and the warrior culture that together shaped its character. The morning is spent in the hands, quite literally. Gold leaf is a living tradition in Ishikawa Prefecture, and applying it yourself to lacquerware or chopsticks quickly reveals how much skill lies behind apparent simplicity. The Kaga-Yuzen dyeing technique that follows produces a tote bag or handkerchief that is entirely your own, not a souvenir purchased but a thing genuinely made, and there is a quiet satisfaction in the difference.
The afternoon moves into the world of the samurai. The local museum sets the scene, armour and weaponry alongside painting and calligraphy, a reminder that these were scholars as much as fighters, before a restored samurai residence brings domestic life into focus through traditional gardens and tatami-floored tea rooms. The day's most singular moment comes during a private visit with a descendant of one of Kanazawa's own samurai clans, who opens his home and his collection of katana swords with evident pride, explaining each blade with a depth of knowledge that only inheritance can produce.
Where to stay
Hyatt Centric Kanazawa (2 nights)
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At a Glance
Day 4: Shirakawa-go and Takayama: Into the Mountains
The road from Kanazawa into the mountains gradually transports you from one world to another. The first stop is Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage village whose gassho-zukuri farmhouses, their steep thatched roofs built without nails, engineered over generations to hold the weight of mountain snow, seem to belong to a Japan that exists outside of time entirely. The Wada House, former home of the village's most prominent family, opens a window onto a way of life that was self-contained, resourceful and quietly magnificent.
Onward to Takayama, set high in the Hida Alps and possessed of a stillness that seems to belong to the mountain air itself. Tonight you will sleep as Japan has slept for centuries, in a ryokan, on a futon laid across tatami, behind sliding shoji screens, in a traditional inn that understands hospitality as something closer to an art form. The Hidatei Hanaougi is among the finest of its kind, and an evening here says more about Japanese culture than any museum visit could.
Where to stay
Hidatei Hanaougi (1 night)
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At a Glance
Day 6: A Morning in the Saddle and the Long Return to Tokyo
The final morning begins with movement. A short train ride brings you to Hida, where bikes and a guide are waiting, and the next few hours unfold at exactly the right pace, along the banks of the Seto River, past centuries-old machiya townhouses, and out into the quiet countryside of Hida-Furukawa. Rice fields stretch towards the foothills and the Japanese Alps rise on the horizon with a clarity that demands you stop and simply look. Rural Japan at its most unhurried and most honest, seen from a bicycle, with nowhere particular to be.
After returning to Takayama, the afternoon's high-speed train carries you back to Tokyo, a journey that distils the essential paradox of this country into four hours: ancient mountains giving way, almost imperceptibly, to the gleaming edges of the world's greatest city.
Where to stay
Palace Hotel, Tokyo (1 night)
Alternative Places to Stay Nearby
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Our tailor made journeys include:
- Your dedicated Travel Consultant who will take care of arrangements
- Private international airport transfers in destination and your own private, English-speaking local guides
- Unique experiences, hand-picked by our Journeys team
- Entrance to must-see local sites
- Dedicated 24/7 team providing in-country support and guidance
When to visit
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- J
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- S
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The best and most popular times to visit are the climatically stable seasons of spring (March to May) and autumn (late September to November). The highlight of spring is the cherry-blossom season, which usually arrives in early April. Bear in mind, though, that the blossoms are notoriously fickle, blooming any time from late March to mid-April. Autumn is an equally good time to travel, with pleasant temperatures and soothing autumn colours, which usually peak between late October and mid-November. Of course, you can visit at any time of year, although the summer, from June to August, can be very hot and humid, and winter can be a little chilly for some people’s taste.
We design each itinerary around you, so this suggested itineraryis a starting point that we can tweak or transform into something completely bespoke to you. Call us on +852 3579 2478 to start planning your holiday.
Why Book a Cruise with Scott Dunn?
Unique to You
- We listen to you, and tailor your cruise to your travel style, pairing you with the right ship and the right destinations.
- We can make your itinerary as relaxing, active or cultural as you like. There is no one size fits all when it comes to cruising with Scott Dunn – it’s all about you.
Seamless Service
- We take care of all the logistics, including your cruise, flights, transfers, and luxury hotels, ensuring a smooth journey from start to finish.
- You are always in safe hands with us and our trusted worldwide partners. As with any Scott Dunn trip, we are just a phone call away 24/7.
Carefully Curated Collection
- Whether before, after or during your luxury cruise, we curate the best experiences on land to compliment your journey by sea, accompanied by our expert local guides.
- We only partner with small-ship luxury cruise lines with high staff to guest ratios – designed to never feel crowded.
Luxury in Every Sense
- Our cruises are carefully chosen for their five-star offering: fine dining, luxe facilities, attentive staff, and personal in-cabin butler service.
- We have personally experienced these ships and will only suggest those that meet the level of service and luxury that our guests expect.