Donor Travel Program: Japan & Frank Lloyd Wright 150th Birth Year Commemoration

Trip Overview

CAF has been invited to attend two special events celebrating Frank Lloyd Wright's 150th birthday in Japan: a lecture and symposium in Tokyo at the Wright-designed Myonichikan school and a presentation at Meiji-Mura, an open-air architecture museum near Nagoya that contains the reconstructed lobby of Wright's Imperial Hotel.

Join us as we explore modern and traditional Japanese architecture and Wright's connection to this beautiful country during a 10-day program with an English-speaking guide who has a background in architecture. We'll begin in Tokyo, where highlights include Tokyo Skytree, the second tallest building in the world, the modern Omotesando shopping area, the Nezu Art Museum and the Meiji Shrine. Later, we’ll head north for a sightseeing tour of Nikko by private coach before traveling to Kyoto, where we'll visit Byodo-in Buddhist temple and Nijo Castle, among several other sites of historic, traditional Japanese architecture. Our trip will conclude in Osaka, where we’ll view the works of Tadao Ando and attend a seminar at the Osaka Institute of Technology.

The trip duration is 10 days and 9 nights. It includes all in-country transportation, all breakfasts, eight lunches, three dinners and three cocktail receptions. Travelers will receive a detailed daily itinerary approximately 30 days prior to departure. While unlikely, slight changes to the itinerary may occur.

CAF's Donor Travel Program is a one-of-a-kind educational experience that brings visitors to some of the most artistically and architecturally fascinating and thought-provoking sites in the world.

Hotel Accommodations:

Tokyo: Hotel New Otani, 4 nights
Nagoya: Westin Nagoya Castle Hotel, 1 night
Kyoto: Nikko Princess, 2 nights
Osaka: New Otani Hotel Osaka, 2 nights

*Notes

• Pricing includes land travel only. Packages including coach or business class airfare are as follows:
  Double land + coach air: $6,950
  Single land + coach air: $8,350
  Double land + business class air: $11,050
  Single land + business class air: $12,450
• The following is not included in the land package price: Travel to and from Japan; beverages other than those included with meals as indicated; personal expenses; optional travel insurance; baggage fees and other items not specifically mentioned as included.
• $500 deposit is required at the time of registration.
• Balance is due 95 days prior to departure (June 23, 2017)
• Published pricing is exclusively for donor level members at Deco level and higher. An additional charge will apply to non-donors, or you can become a donor level member today.

Cancellation and Refund Policy (to be made in writing)

In the event you need to cancel your participation in the Japan travel program, the following terms will apply:

• Reservations cancelled up to and including 90 days prior to departure will incur a $50 administrative fee.
• Later cancellations will be subject to the following charges: 40 to 89 days before scheduled departure 50% of tour cost; 7 to 39 days prior to departure the total cost of the trip, less any recoverable sums from independent providers or services, accommodations and the like; 6 days or less, including no-shows, or early return from the trip will result in forfeiture of 100% of the trip cost.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Wednesday, Sept. 27

Check-in at Hotel New Otani Tokyo, which was the tallest building in the city when it opened in 1964 to serve visitors to the Tokyo Olympics. The hotel has hosted many heads of state and features a revolving restaurant and a 400-year-old garden. Meet your fellow travelers and take in stunning views of the Tokyo skyline during an evening cocktail reception on the 40th floor of the hotel’s Garden Tower. (Included: cocktail reception)

Day 2 - Thursday, Sept. 28

Our day begins with a visit to the Meiji Jingu Shrine, built in 1921 and dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife. Later, we’ll explore a private collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art at the Nezu Museum and visit the modern Omotesando shopping area, known as the “Champs-Elysee of Tokyo.” Other sites we’ll see this day include Tokyo Skytree, the second tallest building in the world; Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple; the Nakamise shopping street; the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum; and the Sumida Hokusai Museum, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Kazuyo Sejima. The evening is free for you to enjoy on your own. (Included: breakfast, lunch)

Day 3 - Friday, Sept. 29

We'll continue exploring modern Tokyo with a motor coach tour that will take us to Raphael Vinoly’s Tokyo International Forum, the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan concert hall and the National Museum of Western Art. There will be time to walk and have lunch in the high fashion Ginza District before visiting the National Art Center and the Yoyogi National Stadium.

In the late afternoon we will travel to Frank Lloyd Wright’s MyoNichi-Kan school for girls for an exclusive, invite-only symposium about Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan led by John Sergeant of Cambridge University. A panel discussion with architect Kengo Kuma, author Seigo Matsuoka and Yutaka Mizukami of the University of Hyogo in Kobe will follow. We’ll enjoy a cocktail reception and dinner at MyoNichi-Kan after the lecture, before heading back to Tokyo for the night. (Included: breakfast, lunch, cocktail reception, dinner)

Day 4 - Saturday, Sept. 30

We'll start the day with an early breakfast and travel about two hours north of Tokyo to visit the Shrines and Temples of Nikko, a UNESCO World Heritage site that encompasses more than 100 structures dating back to the early 1600s. Highlights include the 17th century Toshogu Shrine and a Buddhist temple. We’ll also make a stop at the 318-foot Kegon Falls in nearby Nikko National Park. Lunch will be served at the Nikko Kanaya Hotel, the oldest Western-style resort in Japan, which Frank Llloyd Wright visited in 1905. We’ll return to Tokyo in the late afternoon. The evening is free for you to enjoy on your own. (Included: breakfast, lunch)

Day 5 - Sunday, Oct. 1

We’ll enjoy breakfast at the hotel before boarding a bullet train to Nagoya. From there, we’ll take a motor coach to Meiji-Mura, an open-air architectural museum. While at Meiji-Mura we will attend an exclusive lecture about Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel, which once stood in Tokyo and has been partially reconstructed at Meiji-Mura. The lecture will conclude with cocktails, dinner and traditional Meiji era (1868 to 1912) entertainment, with drummers and dancers. The motor coach will take us back to our hotel, Westin Nagoya Castle, at the end of the night. (Included: breakfast, lunch, cocktail reception, dinner)

Day 6 - Monday, Oct. 2

In the morning, we’ll have breakfast and continue our travels west via motor coach to Kyoto. We’ll make a stop en route at Byodo-in, a Buddist temple in the small city of Uji. We’ll also stop at the Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its bright red gates. After a lunch break at architect Hara Hiroshi’s futuristic Kyoto Station we’ll visit Toji Temple, which features a five-story pagoda that is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. We’ll return to Hotel Nikko Princess Kyoto in the evening and the rest of the night is yours to enjoy on your own. (Included: breakfast, lunch)

Day 7 - Tuesday, Oct. 3

Spared from air raids during World War II due to its historic significance, Kyoto is home to countless temples, shrines, traditional Japanese gardens and other historically priceless structures. We will explore many of them today via the motor coach. Highlights include the Japanese gardens of Ryoan-Ji and zen gardens of Daitoku-Ji. After lunch at a local restaurant we will finish our exploration of historic Kyoto with a stop at Sanjusangendo temple, which features more than 1,000 life-size statues, some dating back to the 13th century. The evening is free for you to enjoy on your own. (Included: breakfast, lunch)

Day 8 - Wednesday, Oct. 4

Before leaving Kyoto we’ll explore its modern side with visits to two projects by self-taught Japanese architect Tadao Ando: the Garden of the Fine Arts and Times I & II. Then we’ll travel about an hour south to our final destination, Osaka, and enjoy lunch before visiting Osaka Castle near our hotel, New Otani Osaka. Enjoy Osaka on your own for the rest of the evening. (Included: breakfast, lunch)

Day 9 - Thursday, Oct. 5

We'll start our day visiting some modern structures in Osaka, including the subterranean National Museum of Art, the Umeda Sky Building and Abeno Harukas, Japan’s tallest building. In the late afternoon we have been invited to attend an exclusive seminar, reception and dinner at the Osaka Institute of Technology. Professor Tanigawa, a graduate of this university and among the first to introduce Frank Lloyd Wright to Japan, will join us. (Included: breakfast, lunch, cocktail reception, dinner)

Day 10 - Friday, Oct. 6

After breakfast at the hotel you can continue your travels on your own or head to Itami or Kansai Airport for your flight home. (Included: breakfast)