Asia has cultures all at once exotic but familiar, modern but ancient, intense yet sedate... Experience these contrasts, from Geisha, pop culture, ancient rituals, jungle hikes, cooking classes, sublime spirituality, to outdoor adventures. Below are but a handful of experiences we can organize during your travel in Asia. Contact us to learn about others suited to your travel style.
Sumo tournaments are only at certain times of the year in Osaka and Tokyo, but there is nothing more astonishing in Japan than witnessing the power of the massive wrestlers doing battle and the grand spectacle of the tournament itself, involving complex rituals.
If a tournament is not on, we can plan a private sumo stable (gym) visit to watch sumo train and interact with them over breakfast afterwards, enjoying an extraordinary and intimate view into their unique lifestyles. This fascinating experience also provides insight on Japan's ancient sumo traditions and most popular national sport.
ABOUT SUMO
Sumo was founded on Shinto ritual, performed at shrines to assure a bountiful harvest and to honor spirits.
Figurines of sumo have been found dating back to the third century and in the Nara (710–794) and Heian periods (794–1185), sumo became an event held at the imperial court performed in front of the emperor. However, sumo basically took on its present form during the Edo period (1603–1867).
When wrestlers join a sumo stable they grow their hair long in order to form a topknot (chonmage) very similar to the samurai hairstyle of the Edo Period.
In January 1993 Japanese-American Chadwick Haheo Rowan, became the first non-Japanese person to be elevated to yokozuna (grand champion) status, the highest rank in professional sumo. Since then, there have been four Mongolian yokozuna
When sumo enter the ring, they clap their hands, raise a hand, lift the ceremonial aprons called kesho-mawashi, and raise both hands, then continue walking around the ring and they leave the same way they came in. This ceremony signifies a pledge to the deities that the wrestlers will fight fairly and with the proper spirit. The clapping is similar to the clapping in Shinto shrines to attract attention of gods.
A sumo match only begins after both wrestlers have placed both hands on the ground simultaneously. Before this may be long moments while while each wrestler tries to psyche the other one out, pretending to put his hand down and then getting back up again. Once they begun, sumo bouts rarely last longer than a few seconds.
Sumo wrestler's lives are difficult, strict, and short. They live within a highly-regimented and disciplined environment in their stables, under a strict hierarchy. Sumo are even expected the sumo hairstyle and traditional dress at all times when among the public. Their unhealthy diet (estimate about 10,000 calories per day) and weight may reduce their lives by one to two decades.
Tokyo and Kyoto are surprisingly fun, safe, and efficient by bicycle for all ages. Explore back alleys and unique places most travelers miss with an experienced cycling guide. E-bikes now allow all travelers to enjoy cycling for small or longer parts of their trip. For longer cycling trips, consider our Tango Peninsula cycling tour or explore remote stretches of sublime Kyushu. We can also add a detour from Kyushu to the wild, rainforest island Takushima.
Enjoy a delightful, intimate and non-riding elephant experience. Our favorite elephant camp in Southeast Asia is home for a couple dozen of young, endangered Asian elephants you can meet up close, learning about their care and working hands-on to feed, wash and trek with the gentle animals.
The mission of the sanctuary is managing a respectful environment for understanding elephants providing meaningful and rich interactive learning experiences about the animals and their care. Spend time and connect with elephants in a progressive, positive and natural way representing a strong trend of these camps ensuring increasingly humane and ethical treatment of elephants across Laos and beyond its borders. The camp uses activity fees and donations in their work to preserve and protect both domesticated elephants and those that still remain in the wild today.
The blissful sound of the monk's chanting ritual wakes you each morning at an ancient monastery on the slopes of a sacred mountain. It's a sensual way to start the day, spirituality floating between the temple walls. Japan luxury tours sometimes incorporate an opulent hotel on the highest floors of a skyscraper. But luxury comes in the uniqueness of the experience when you spend the night in a temple, sleeping on traditional tatami mats, sipping on fragrant tea, conversing with and being served traditional vegetarian meals by the resident monks, and soaking in an onsen (hot spring pool). It's the perfect break from the cities and an insight into Zen Buddhism, a part of Japan isn't always apparent, but is at the heart of their culture.
It's easy to mistake the Japanese for a secular society, yet Zen Buddhism and Shintoism lie at the heart of Japanese history and culture. Seeing a dozen temples in Kyoto can provide a superficial snapshot, one that's peaceful and beautiful but only the starting point onto the tradition. There's so much more to discover, as all our luxury Japan travel can show how Buddhism continues to influence Japanese society and art. Spend time with a monk in Kyoto during an annual festival, explore Mount Koya with a nun, and visit with artists behind the changing art scene.
This insight into Buddhism can be an inspiring introduction to Japan, one that contradicts the stereotypes of a fast-paced culture. It's also an interlude, a chance to escape the cities and learn from the equilibrium of local monks. Or our escorted Japan tours can make spirituality their focus, revealing how it perforates all parts of life in the country. We also arrange an immersive luxury Japan tour, exploring the festivals. ceremonies, rituals, and sacred places that make Japan what it is.
Explore Naoshima Japan’s famed "Island of Art," which has become a mecca for contemporary art and architecture fans. Naoshima sounds like a single island although is actually comprised of over two dozen islands dispersed in the Seto Inland Sea. Once an area of heavy industry, Naoshima proper has being reborn as a massive space of modern art museums with its architectural buildings and sculptures distributed all around its landscapes bringing worldwide renown. Throughout the island are scattered outdoor sculpture and installation art by world-renowned artists such as Kusama Yayoi. Indoors, impressive art collections can be found at several museums including the Benesse House Museum, itself part of a series of striking architectural structures including dual-purpose lodging and museum sites.
Stroll Naoshima's sublime, tranquil landscapes and modern art installations, including the Benesse Art Site, Chichū Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum, the Art House Project, and Ando Museum world's away from the frenetic urban cities on the mainland. A visit to nearby Teshima is also highly recommended and can be arranged.
This master sushi class takes place under the expert instruction of a Michelin-starred chef in Tokyo, a city where food is both art and science, applied in search for perfection. Begin with a visit to the renowned Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest wholesale fish market int he world, with your sushi chef to learn about and pick out the right meats for your class.
Thrill to a private fishing trip with local fisherman, learning the trade as you drift through the magnificent ocean and karst landscapes on UNESCO World Heritage Halong Bay. Also visiting local fish farms, where live catch is kept and unique floating fishing villages. There are many remote beach coves where we can also arrange kayaking and dining in your own private area of Halong Bay.
This dynamic not-to-miss "street circus" features a unique format and social mission. Uniquely Cambodian, the circus shows tell stories that touch on themes strong in Cambodian tradition, ethos and spirit; A modern ghost story – many Cambodians are petrified of ghosts, A run-away boy – abused by his mother, ignored by his drunken father – tragically too real in Cambodia, A man shunned because of a disability, wreaks revenge, until the whole situation gets out of hand... These are authentic Cambodian stories. Accompanied by Khmer music there are feats of daring, including contortion, juggling, acrobatics, balancing mixed with dance, and modern and traditional theater.
Performers are from an art school, founded to provide education for poor, impoverished children from Battambang who would have no options for schooling. The school now provides services for over 1,200 students, include work with the circus. As well as the circus, we can arrange a visit to the school to meet with students. By your degree of interest in the arts, we can arrange a private encounter with the troupe before the show or for families with children, a longer meeting to dance and theater instruction by the troupe members. During the show, we also arrange best seats in the auditorium.
Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trail
Explore Japan's bucolic landscapes, traveling along rural coastlines, through remote islands, volcanic peaks, bamboo forests, river valleys, hot springs, and quaint villages. Explore by bicycle, foot, boat, and train, traveling through these quintessentially Japanese settings. Along the way, enjoy comfort and high aesthetics in the country's most luxurious hotels and renowned ryokans. Our outdoor luxury Japan vacations are completely handcrafted, taking you to landscapes that few have even heard about. Some of the featured destinations include Kamakura, Mount Koya, Hakone, the islands of Shikoku, Naoshima, and Kyushu, along with the remote and tranquil northern shores where few travelers venture.
This delightful, yet rigorous cooking class is not to be missed. Taking place in an elegant French villa with expert instructors, after a market tour learning and shopping for ingredients, you will be taught to master 4-5 dishes, including popular Vietnamese spring rolls, papaya salad, and mouth-watering banh xeo, a Vietnamese fried crepe. The course includes a market tour, and lunch dining on your creations.
In Japan, the tea ceremony is a composite art where the sense of beauty, space, etiquette, and the spirit of hospitality coalesce and is based on four principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. Experience the sublime “Way of Tea” during a private traditional tea ceremony lead by a tea master in a traditional machiya (wooden townhouse) we will arrange during your stay in Kyoto. This tranquil ancient ritual is deeply rooted in history and rich with symbolism—one of the most insightful and pleasant experiences you can have during your travel in Japan.
Experience the sublime “Way of Tea” during this private traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto lead by a tea master in a traditional machiya (wooden townhouse).
Tea ceremony
During this one to three-hour long ceremony, enjoy the pleasant setting of the tea house, surrounding nature, and calming, ritualized engagement with your host. Along with witnessing the choreographic practice of predefined movements and aesthetics in preparing and serving of green tea (matcha), enjoy traditional Japanese sweets called Namagash, that are served with the intent to balance the bitter taste of the green tea.
The most famous exponent of the tea ceremony was Sen Rikyū, an aesthete at the 16th-century court of the military dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who codified the ceremony into a style known as wabi-cha (meaning roughly “simplicity,” “quietude,” and “absence of ornament”), which still enjoys popularity in Japan. The preference of the wabi-cha tea masters for simple, seemingly rustic objects for use in the tea ceremony led to the production of tea utensils in this simple style most notably the famous pottery used for pots, bowls and cups, known as raku ware.
Since then, tea has become a quintessential part of Japanese culture and sipped everywhere, from Tokyo’s hip cafés to elaborate tea ceremonies in Kyoto's temple gardens. Wazuka, near Kyoto, is landscapes of undulating tea bushes and where the country's finest and most prized-tea tea, Ujicha, is from.
A tea practitioner, or host, must be familiar not only with preparing tea, but also the production and types of tea and associated components, including kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts in addition to his or her school's tea practices. The study of tea ceremony takes many years and often lasts a lifetime and there are tea ceremony schools—the main ones, Urasenke and Omotesenke, have their headquarters located in Kyoto
THE TEA CEREMONY
The point of the chaji (ritual), in which a light meal and whisked powdered matcha (tea) are served by a host to a
few invited guests, is founded in the samurai ideal “one lifetime, one
meeting” (ichigo, ichie). It is a moment to be treasured. A host presenting a decorated bowl of matcha to one of their guests.
The tea ceremony emphasized the following four qualities: harmony between the guests and the implements used; respect, not only among the participants, but also for the utensils; cleanliness which is derived from Shintō practices, requiring participants to wash their hands and rinse their mouths as symbolic gestures of cleansing before entering the cha-shitsu; and tranquility, which is imparted through long and caring use of each component of the tea ceremony.
One glance and you're captivated. The orangutan looks back at you, communicating through his eyes, mouthing something silently. Continue your journey along the boardwalk and there's an even more curious primate, smiling effusively from just a couple of meters away. Fingers curl around sticks, feet cling effortlessly to trees as they hang upside down, and it seems like you can tell what the orangutans are thinking. This is one of our closest cousins, an animal both endangered and enchanting, one that marks the highlight of almost any private Borneo tour. Along with two well-known chimpanzee rehabilitation centers, we also know of excellent places for finding these special animals deep in the wild.
Explore the best of a legendary cuisine, visiting farms, local markets, sampling street and food carts delights, and enjoying a private cooking class with an expert chef. Journey through markets of street food, sampling the most unusual and creative of local cuisine. Alos enjoy personalized dining recommendations at the country’s best restaurants, as defined by world-renowned chefs we partner with. Thailand luxury travel can include a sample of these experiences, or it can journey into the heart of a cuisine, from foraging for ingredients in the markets to private cooking classes and fine dining breakfasts.
We pioneered bike tours in Vietnam way back in 1994 through our adventure wing, VeloAsia, including our popular culinary cycling trip, Iron Chef Vietnam. Since then we've hosted hundreds of friends, small groups, and families for, as many say afterwards, was the most thrilling trip of their lives. Even if you are not a cyclist, we can recommend where to blend in a few leisurely rides during your trip in places that are wonderful on two wheels.
For longer cycling trips, days are not spent in a hurried ride from point to point (although you are welcome to plan a tour with doing just that—we've hosted many pro cyclists over the years). In the places we travel, we believe the diversions along the route often outshine the destination. Local perspective is provided not only with chance encounters, but with guest lecturers who cover language, history, handicrafts, cooking, culture and arts.
One day it's a lecture about a town we're visiting, the next there's a cooking lesson, others may be chance visits to a cooperative farm or vocational school. We also stay moving off the bike with city walking tours, snorkeling, swimming, and hiking. To help you prepare, an extensive pre-tour packet is mailed to you. Filled with practical, historical, and medical information, it is a valuable resource for enhancing the enjoyment of your tour.
We only recommend the Mekong cruises if you a longer trip, one that also explores the North and Central Vietnam which has far more beautiful landscapes and waterways, traditional culture, and where all of Indochina's terrific World Heritage sites are located. Halong Bay, for example, is one of the world's most spectacular cruises and should not be missed. We can also arrange short boat rides on scenic river along the way, including the tranquil Perfume River in Hue, busy Thu Bon in Hoi An, and a picturesque dinner cruise along the Mekong River in Luang Prabang. Smaller luxury cruise ships (typically around 20 cabins), such as the Aqua Mekong, are designed for shallow water providing not only a more intimate cruise but also access to the furthest reaches of lake, rivers, and canals, and feature fine wood interiors and comfortable travel.
Mekong cruises are ideal after visiting North Vietnam, and of course, after or before exploring the magnificent temples of Angkor, embarking from a port not far from the temple complex. Enjoy a tranquil 7-night cruise on vast Tonle Sap Lake and the legendary Mekong River, through the Mekong Delta past fishing villages and endless expanse of rice fields. This popular cruise also tours historic Saigon in Vietnam and the busy capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, with stops in rural towns, farms, remote, river islands, plantations, colorful pagodas while vividly taking in the unique cultures along the Mighty Mekong, marveling at the river life, cruising by hundreds of painted junks and sampans in the floating markets and past villages that dot islands and line the shore. On Tonle Sap Lake, Southeast Asia's largest lake, bird watchers will be delighted to spot rare migratory birds.
Our take: Mekong cruises can be a pleasant experience, but only after exploring the far more beautiful landscapes, waterways, and World Heritage Sites of northern Indochina.
