Shikoku Island tailor made holiday in Japan
This trip can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort in some of the best and most characterful local accommodation! Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The hot spring baths at Matsuyama are some of the oldest onsen waters in Japan and the Dogo Onsen ryokan has been in business for several hundred years. The waters are communally used and replenished daily, using recycled water rich in mineral content and reviving properties.
Transfers and travel is mainly by public transport and on a shared basis.
Community
Accommodation is Japanese run and owned throughout, with a total of 6 nights spent in traditional ryokan accommodation, guesthouses or communal properties. Food here is locally sourced, based on availability and seasonality. Expect mountain vegetables, home-made tofu and miso soup and locally reared beef and chicken, as well as regional varieties of tea and sake.
Staying at the Chiiori House in the Iya Valley gives you a chance to interact with a local community and help maintain this unique property. Guests must help to cook, clean and repair during their stay and are encouraged to keep in touch with the Chiiori Project once they return home. Chiiori House was renovated by orientalist and author of two books on Japanese society, Alex Kerr. He bought the derelict building in 1973 with the dream to save traditional construction techniques and revive an interest in cultures and traditions that had endured for centuries before being suddenly swept from the hills by Japan's 20th century industrial revolution. More recently Alex has been involved in restoring Kyoto Machiya houses and tours of the historic residences are available in Kyoto.
There is also the chance to interact with locals in Kyoto, during the cultural experience course. This is run by women from the WI of Kyoto, keen to share their knowledge of traditional crafts with tourists. The association was recently designated as a model company for the promotion of sustainable tourism in Kyoto as job opportunities have been created for local people through the scheme. Many of the attendants were ladies working at home raising children, cooking meals and making origami for the children. They were not aware that their skills could be utilised to show off traditional pastimes to foreign visitors. These people are now working as attendants or instructors on the courses and are getting paid to teach what they really enjoy doing. Also, the buildings in which some of the classes take place are traditional wooden structures that were not in use for some time. By using these houses for cultural experiences they have been successfully kept from falling into ruin.
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