The ICAA is pleased to announce an exclusive tour of the treasures of Japan, during which participants will be received by members of the Japanese cultural elite for exclusive visits of historic estates, offering a rare opportunity to savor unique architecture, art collections, and gardens in Kyoto, Nara, Naoshima Island, Nikko, and Tokyo.
This tour will be led by Dr. Monika Hinkel, lecturer and curator in the field of Japanese art, architecture and gardens. Dr. Hinkel is a Research Associate of the Japan Research Centre at SOAS, University of London, the only Higher Education institution in Europe specializing in the study of Asia, Africa, and the Near and Middle East. Dr. Hinkel was Curator of Japanese art at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, and spent three years as a Guest Researcher at the Gakushuin University in Tokyo.
This tour is arranged by Exclusive Cultural Tour Programs.
Main Image: Wiiii / wikimedia.org
Old Gion District
Participants will be led on a walking tour of the Old Gion District of Kyoto by an expert of Japanese wooden architecture to explore traditional architecture of tea houses, restaurants, and geisha houses.
Katsura Imperial Villa and Gardens
The Katsura Imperial Villa and Gardens is one of Japan’s most important large-scale cultural treasures. The villa and garden in their present forms were completed in 1645 as the residence for the Katsura family, members of Japan’s Imperial Family.
Kyoto National Museum
The Kyoto National Museum is one of Japan’s oldest and most distinguished museums, hosting a wide variety of Japanese archeological relics, sculptures, ceramics, calligraphy, costumes, and paintings.
Miho Museum
Participants will enjoy a curator-led visit to the Miho Museum, designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, located in the Shiga mountains outside Kyoto. The Museum houses Mihoko Koyama's private collection of Asian and Western antiques. Highlights of the collections have been featured in traveling exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1996.
Italian Embassy Villa
The Italian Embassy Villa is a former summer residence of the Italian Ambassador to Japan, located on the southeastern shore of Lake Chuzenji.
Golden Temple, Kyoto (Image Wikimedia / Jaycangel)
Italian Embassy Villa, Nikko (Image: Wikimedia / Tina Ivano)
Togudo Hall, Kyoto (Image: Wikimedia / Martin Falbisoner)
If you would like to register, you may contact the travel operator organizing the program. Please note that a $500 donation per person to the ICAA is required in order to participate in each travel program. The contact information for ICAA tour operators is included on individual travel pages. Kindly note that the ICAA works with three different consultants for program offerings. If you are unsure which travel consultant to contact for a given program, you may email [email protected] or call 212-730-9646 x109.
Your $500 donation helps to further the ICAA’s goal of advancing the practice and appreciation of the classical tradition in architecture and the allied arts by supporting its varied educational programs, including continuing education courses, college workshops, the Summer Studio in Classical Architecture, New Heights, and many more.
Yes, a donation of $500 to the ICAA is required for each travel program you register for. The donation is required for each person attending a tour.
You can make your $500 donation to the ICAA online, or you can download, complete, and mail this form to the ICAA. You can alternatively fax a copy to 212-730-9649. You may also call 212-730-9646 x109 or email [email protected] to make a donation. Donations must be made separately from the registration fee.
No, membership is not required to attend an ICAA travel program. However, complimentary Individual membership to the ICAA is included with your $500 required donation.
Please contact [email protected] for more information. Due to the exclusive nature of our tours, some private locations or visits may be omitted from the ICAA's website.
Over the past several years, the ICAA has travelled to destinations including Paris; Andalusia; Atlanta; Barbados; South Africa; Chicago; the Netherlands and Belgium; Scotland; the French Riviera; Morocco; the Italian Lake Region; Charlottesville; Naples; and New Delhi, among many other locations. The ICAA is always looking to diversify its travel offerings. If you have a suggestion or location you would like to see added, please email [email protected].