Collectors, Artists, and Architects of Japan

Days 1-6: Tokyo (5 nights)

Upon arrival in Tokyo, transfer to the sublime, centrally located Capitol Tokyu Hotel, our home for the first five nights of our journey.

Our Tokyo touring will include:

A Welcome Dinner that is literally a moveable feast – on a yakatabune dinner boat sailing in Tokyo Bay

Central Tokyo, including the Meiji (1868-1912, Western style) architecture around Tokyo station, a walking tour of the modern architecture of the Ginza, and a visit to the Artizon Museum (Matisse, Monet, Cezanne, Picasso, de Kooning, Kandinsky as well as East Asian and Greco-Roman art).

Eastern Tokyo, including the historic Asakusa neighborhood, a Sumo stable including lunch, the just-reopened Edo-Tokyo Museum, the Hokusai Museum, and the architecture of the National Museum of Western Art, and Yoshio Taniguchi’s Horyu-ji Treasures Building at Tokyo National Museum (Martha worked with Yoshio Taniguchi while CEO of Asia Society in Houston).

Roppongi’s art and architecture, including the Mori Art Museum and Observatory (weather permitting), the National Art Center, and Tadao Ando’s 21_21 Design Sight masterpiece.

Western Tokyo’s Omotesando neighborhood, with indoor stops such as the Nezu Museum, Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo, and the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, and outdoor stops such as the Meiji Shrine with its magnificent forest – entirely planted by hand starting in 1920 – and the lively shopping district of Harajuku.

Days 6-12: Kyoto (6 nights)

Check out of our Tokyo hotel, then enjoy one final Tokyo architectural tour

Board the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto in Green Car (First Class)

Transfer to the Kyoto Hotel Okura, Kyoto’s original luxury hotel

Our Kyoto tour will include:

Special meals, such as an exquisite Zen Buddhist vegetarian lunch, Tsudaro in Gion – dating to the mid-1800s, and even some French cuisine!

Central Higashiyama (East Mountain) including galleries and antique stores in Gion, and some of the most esteemed temples of Kyoto

Arashiyama (Western Kyoto) including the exquisite garden of Tenryuji Temple with our Buddhist vegetarian lunch, a rickshaw ride through an immense bamboo forest, a walk through the serene miniature moss garden of Giouji Temple, and a visit to the sublime Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion).

Southern Kyoto, including the Fushimi Inari Shrine to walk up through hundreds of red Shinto torii gates, Sanju-sangen-do Temple with its 1001 human-sized statues of the goddess of mercy Kannon, and the Kyoto National Museum whose original wing dates to the Meiji era, and whose Heisei Chishinkan Wing was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi.

Northern Higashiyama including Okazaki Park hosting multiple museums, the Heian Shrine, the Philosopher’s Path, Silver Pavillion of Ginkakuji, and a stop at the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery of Japanese ceramics.

Miho Museum & Shigaraki Pottery starting with a drive to the mountains northeast of Kyoto to the I.M. Pei-designed Miho Museum, built into the top of a mountain and accessed through a tunnel and a bridge over a ravine. The mountainous setting is stunning with one of the world’s most exclusive private collections. The nearby village of Shigaraki is known as one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns, so we will also visit a local ceramics shop.

Days 12-16: Okayama & Naoshima (4 nights)

Our last four days will be centered around the Benesse Art Site on the art islands of Naoshima and Teshima. The Benesse hotels allocate rooms on a strict schedule, so we will set our final itinerary after we know which if any nights we can stay on Naoshima itself. Following is our preferred option.

Travel from Kyoto to Okayama, the closest mainland city to Naoshima and spend one night at a hotel by the train station.

The next day, we will board our bus that will take us onto the ferry to cross to Naoshima, then take us around the island.

These are some of our highlights on Naoshima:

Benesse House Museum (the original contemporary art museum on the island, that includes six hotel rooms)

Chichu Museum (built into a bluff by Tadao Ando), featuring Monet Water Lily paintings under natural light and spatial exhibits by James Terrell and Walter de Maria.

The Lee Ufan Museum and Valley Gallery (Martha commissioned Lee Ufan to create a piece for the Asia Society Building in Houston)

The Art Houses of Honmura Village (several local houses turned into art installations by visiting artists)

Naoshima New Museum of Art (opened in 2025)

Among the artists featured on Naoshima are Kusama Yayoi (famous for her “pumpkin” sculptures) and Hiroshi Sugimoto, as well as the architecture and landscape itself.

We will also visit the Teshima Art Museum, another part of the Benesse Art Site on the neighboring island of Teshima.

We will conclude our journey back in Okayama for one night, allowing flights to Tokyo Haneda any time the next day, to connect with flights home.

An Exclusive Journey with Martha Blackwelder

Step into the heart of Japan’s art, architecture, and culture on an unforgettable 16-day journey designed for art lovers, collectors, and visionaries. Guided by Japanese art curator Martha Blackwelder, you’ll explore the traditions and innovations that define one of the world’s most dynamic contemporary art scenes.

Martha’s lifelong career in Japanese art—spanning curatorship, leadership, and collaboration with major artists and architects—provides a rare lens for this experience. As former CEO of Asia Society Texas, she worked directly with luminary architect Yoshio Taniguchi on the $50 million Asia Society building. Taniguchi is best known in the US for the MoMA renovation he completed in 2003. On our trip you will encounter his landmark buildings in Tokyo and Kyoto. On Naoshima, you’ll visit the Lee Ufan Museum, an artist Martha commissioned for a site-specific work at Asia Society. Along the way, you’ll meet artists, dealers, and collectors, gaining insider access to Japan’s vibrant cultural landscape.

Martha’s passion and deep curiosity make this more than a tour— it’s an inspiring immersion into Japan’s creative soul.