Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Incredible Land of the Rising Sun…. waiting to be experienced

Asia sticks to you. From the nomadic steppes of Kazakhstan to the frenetic streets of Hanoi, Asia is a continent so full of intrigue, adventure, solace & spirituality that it has fixated and confounded travellers for centuries. Friendly & fun loving, cultured & historic, Japan is truly timeless, a place where ancient traditions are fused with modern life as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Come…..experience ‘the land of the rising sun’ with us……

From sublime coastlines to snow-capped mountains, from the majestic Mekong River to wildlife infested jungle, from rolling landscapes fed by the monsoon rains & frenetic cities fizzling with energy, the diversity of Asia’s landscapes is mind-boggling with a vibrancy that captivates & enchants. Immense expanses of desert flow down from inhospitable mountains, which in turn give way to seemingly impenetrable forests.

As are their highlights from trekking Malaysia’s steamy jungles and wildlife spotting in southern India to riding horses through the Mongolian steppes, skiing  Japan’s Alps and dodging falling coconuts on of the continents many remote islands.

In a land where tigers still roam free (though far from noisy tourists), nature continues to be the driving force in many peoples’ lives. Virtually every climate on the globe is represented here; take a trek over the Gobi’s arching dunes or sun yourself on the sand-fringed tropical islands of the South China Sea.

This continent has contributed a cast of villains and heroes to global history. Most of the significant achievements of the modern world had their infancy in Asia. Historic trading routes sliced across epic terrain as expanding empires competed to trade goods & ideas throughout the continent and beyond. Asia’s ambitious civilisations ultimately gave rise to some of the world’s most revolutionary ideas.

Gleaming skyscrapers, whooshing magnetic trains, shiny smartphones: in Asia, the future is now. China is charging its way into the 21^st century with its economy developing at a head-spinning pace, while South Korea boasts some of the fastest internet speeds in the world & India is a hub of growing technology.

A spiritual place infused with the gods of past & present: the ancient spirits of the land and the family, the deities of Buddhism & Hinduism and the rules of Islam. Architectural wonders & sacred spaces abound from the Great Wall of China and the temples of Angkor to lesser known marvels in Myanmar, Nepal & Afghanistan & of course, Japan.

A frenetic buzz surrounds urban Asia: the fashion, culture and business in the continent’s metropolises easily challenge the biggest European & American cities for their status as global hubs. This ever-evolving modernity can make for some incredibly special travel experiences: watch rice paddies flash by from a high-speed train, pick up a shiny new laptop in a Hong Kong electronics market or go to a robot cabaret show in Japan.

And then, there is the food. Is there any greater place to eat than Asia? The continent has exported its cuisines the world over: India’s red hot curries, China’s juicy dumplings, Vietnam’s steaming bowls of pho soup & Thailand’s heaping plates of pat tai (pad Thai) noodles are known & loved across the globe.

Eating here can be both a joyous & chaotic affair: forks are forsaken in favour of fingers or chopsticks & food is enjoyed with unrivalled gusto. Whether settling down for a Michelin-starred meal in one of Singapore’s finest restaurants or pulling up a plastic stool on a Bangkok street, hungry travellers will never be bored by the diversity of Asia’s cuisines. Or tuck into fiery Indian curries, get adventurous with a local dish from a road side stall & gulp down a hearty bowl of Japanese ramen. With its colours, smells, flavours & personalities, you will find Asia is deliciously rewarding.

And now, let us talk about the ‘the land of the rising sun’. Friendly & fun loving, cultured & historic, Japan is truly timeless, a place where ancient traditions are fused with modern life as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

When you hear the word 'Japan', what do you think of? Does your mind fill with images of ancient temples or futuristic cities? Do you see visions of mist-shrouded hills or lightning-fast bullet trains? Do you think of suit-clad businessmen or kimono-clad geisha? Whatever image you have of Japan, it's probably accurate, because it is all there. Japan is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean with dense cities, imperial palaces, mountainous national parks & thousands of shrines & temples.

But you may also have some misconceptions about Japan. For example, many people believe that Japan is one of the world's most expensive countries. In fact, it is cheaper to travel in Japan than in much of North America, Western Europe & parts of Oceania. Others think that Japan is impenetrable or even downright difficult. The fact is, Japan is one of the easiest countries in which to travel. It is, simply put, a place that will remind you why you started travelling in the first place. Travel is always smooth & efficient, whether you are using the subway to get around or the shinkansen (bullet trains) to go from one city to the next, connecting the main islands of Kyushu (with Okinawa's subtropical beaches), Honshu (home to Tokyo & Hiroshima’s atomic-bomb memorial) &  Hokkaido (famous for skiing).

If traditional culture is your thing, you can spend weeks in cities such as Kyoto and Nara, gorging yourself on temples, shrines, kabuki (stylised dance-drama), tea ceremonies & museums packed with treasures from Japan's rich artistic heritage. If modern culture & technology is your thing, Japan's cities are an absolute wonderland - an easy peek into the future of the human race, complete with trend-setting cafes & fabulous restaurants. Outside the cities, you will find natural wonders the length & breadth of the archipelago. From the coral reefs of Okinawa to the ski-resort of Niseko, Japan has more than enough natural wonders to compete with its cultural treasures. Then there is the food: whether it is impossibly fresh sushi in Tokyo, perfectly battered tempura in Kyoto, or a hearty bowl of ramen in Osaka, if you like eating you are going to love Japan.

Wherever you are in Japan, it seems, you are never more than 500m from a great meal. Restaurants often specialise in just one dish - perhaps having spent generations perfecting it - and pay close attention to every stage, from sourcing the freshest, local ingredients to assembling the dish attractively. Moreover, you don't have to travel far to discover that Japanese cuisine is deeply varied. The hearty hotpots of the mountains are, for example, dramatically different from the delicate sushi for which the coast is famous. It is also intensely seasonal, meaning you can visit again at a different time of year & experience totally new tastes.

On the surface, Japan appears exceedingly modern, but travelling around it offers numerous opportunities to connect with the country's traditional culture. Spend the night in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), sleeping on futons & tatami mats, and padding through well-worn wooden halls to the bathhouse (or go one step further and sleep in an old farmhouse). Chant with monks or learn how to whisk bitter matcha (powdered green tea) into a froth.

The neon-lit streetscapes of Japan's cities look like sci-fi film sets, even though many of them are decades old. Meanwhile, cities such as Tokyo & Osaka have been adding new architectural wonders that redefine what buildings - & cities - should look like. There is an indelible buzz to these urban centers, with their vibrant street life, 24-hour drinking & dining scenes, and creative hubs that turn out fashion & pop culture trends consumed the world over.

Japan is a long and slender, highly volcanic archipelago. It is over two-thirds mountains, with bubbling hot springs at every turn. In the warmer months there is excellent hiking, through cedar groves & fields of wildflowers, up to soaring peaks & ancient shrines (the latter founded by wandering ascetics). In the winter, all this is covered with snow & the skiing is world class (& if you have never paired hiking or skiing with soaking in onsen, you don't know what you've been missing.) Meanwhile in the southern reaches, there are tropical beaches for sunning, snorkelling, diving & surfing.   

The celestial world is a close confidant in this Buddhist nation and religious devotion is colourful & ubiquitous.Buddhism is a way of life here. Ancient banyan trees are ceremoniously wrapped in sacred cloth to honour the resident spirits, fortune-bringing shrines decorate humble homes as well as monumental malls, while garland-festooned dashboards ward off traffic accidents.

But for many visitors, the real highlight of their visit to Japan is the gracious hospitality of the Japanese themselves. Whatever your image of Japan, it no doubt exists somewhere on the archipelago - and it is just waiting for you to discover it! From the splendour of a Kyoto geisha dance to the spare beauty of a Zen rock garden.

Get ready for a sensory overload of a busy morning market or a night out in Osaka. And, of encounters with history & culture, the new & the old, at just about every turn. Japan, with the power to enthral even the most jaded traveller, offers so much more & The Journeys is ready to take you on well, a journey (or journeys) of discovery.

 Come……be inspired & discover the World with us

We are in the process of updating our Offerings of experiential journeys to Japan. Please contact us in the interim if you want to explore more options & we will be happy to customise & offer suggestions based on your personal preferences………