An English speaking assistant waits in the arrivals hall of Narita or Haneda Airport and puts you on a join-in transfer to the hotel. The welcome briefing is held the following morning, on Day two. Your first three nights: Shinjuku Washington Hotel (or similar).

The city's reliable trains and subways carry you between the day's stops. First Asakusa, among the liveliest quarters in Tokyo, and its brightly painted Sensoji Temple. A boat then runs down the Sumida River, passing the head offices of well-known Japanese firms. The day ends on foot in Hamarikyu Garden, with matcha (green tea) and a Japanese sweet, taken inside the Floating Garden Pavilion itself. (B)

A brief train ride reaches Omiya Bonsai Village, which holds a number of bonsai nurseries and gardens. The Bonsai Art Museum explains the craft and displays specimens said to be 1,000 years old. Nearby, Hikawa Shrine honours the Shinto god of sea and storms and is thought to go back over 2,000 years. Back in Tokyo, Meiji Jingu is the capital's best known Shinto shrine, after which comes the avenue of Omotesando, lined with trees. (B)

The train runs to Kanazawa, with a bento box lunch eaten en route. In town, Tersahima Kurando House was the residence of a mid-ranking samurai in the Edo period. Kenrokuen Garden follows, the city's best known piece of landscape design, then the DT Suzuki Museum, whose buildings and grounds are shaped by Zen thinking. The evening is your own. Two nights here: Kanazawa Manten Hotel (or similar). (B,L)

The day is free for more of Kanazawa, or you can take an optional excursion to Shirakawago and its distinctive 'gassho' farmhouses, along with the calm streets and old-fashioned mood of Takayama. (B)

A train carries you on to Kyoto. The afternoon goes to Fushimi Inari Shrine on its hillside, where thousands of vermilion torii gates run for kilometres along the paths. The next three nights: Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo (or similar). (B)

Kyoto is covered on foot. The start is Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen foundation in the city, then Yasaka Shrine, among the best known here. A tea ceremony follows, with an explanation of the thinking and technique behind serving tea. The old shophouses of Ninenzaka lead to Kodaiji Temple, richly built and set in fine gardens. (B)

The morning goes to Daitokuji, a walled complex of sub-temples and Zen gardens that most Kyoto itineraries pass by. Koto-in is the quietest of them, planted with
maples; Ryogen-in holds the smallest Zen garden in the country, and Zuiho-in is laid out in raked gravel. The afternoon is yours in the city. (B)

Continue by train to Okayama. Korakuen ranks with the finest landscaped gardens in Japan, laid out with streams, walking paths and unusually wide lawns. Just over the river stands Okayama Castle, six storeys tall and nicknamed 'Crow Castle' for its black walls. The rest of the day is free. Two nights here: Mitsui Garden Hotel Okayama (or similar). (B)

Kurashiki is a canal town kept much as it was. Walk its old streets under the trees, or give the hours to its art museums; a boat trip along the canals can be added. Back in Okayama, the evening is free. (B)

Osaka is the next stop by train from Okayama, with time to yourself once you arrive. Osaka Castle takes the afternoon and its violent past is explained there. You then board the Aqualiner for a cruise on the Okawa River, which gives a different angle on the city. The evening is free. Two nights here: Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka (or similar). (B)

A free day in the city. The Osaka Museum of Housing & Living rewards an hour or two, or ride up Umeda Sky Building, 173- metre high, for the view. The group gathers in the Dotonbori Area for a farewell dinner. (B,D)

Goodbyes today, with a stock of stories to carry home. You make your own arrangements to the airport or on to wherever you go next. (B)