You arrive in Okayama by air, rail, or bus, and check into your hotel. Dinner (not included) is at a local restaurant.

Included: Dinner

After breakfast (included), you meet your driver and board your private vehicle for the drive to Bitchu-Matsuyama. Here, you take a shuttle bus up the mountain to the remarkable mountaintop castle with a view over the expansive valley below. Lunch (not included) is at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you drive to the fascinating town of Fukiya and explore at your own pace. Your accommodation is in the picturesque Taishaku Valley. Dinner (included) is at the accommodation.

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast (included), you drive to the Taishaku Gorge in Shōbara where you stroll down a nature trail beside the river with dramatic natural stone arches and visit a fascinating museum documenting the prehistoric culture that lasted for thousands of years. Lunch (not included) is at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you visit various local food producers including a cheese maker, fruit farm, farmer’s market, winery, and sake brewery. You take the ingredients you purchase to tonight’s accommodation in a converted traditional Japanese home where your purchases are converted into a gourmet dinner by the owner-chef.

Included: Breakfast

After breakfast (included), you drive to Kagura Village in Akitakata to see a performance of kagura. Once a sedate Shintō shrine dance, kagura has developed into a baroque theatrical show featuring smoke blowing dragons. Lunch (not included) is a local restaurant. In the afternoon, you drive to Hiroshima city and visit sites related to the atomic bombing, or more traditional attractions such as the castle and Mitaki-dera Temple. You stay at a hotel in Hiroshima city. Dinner (not included) is at a local restaurant.

Included: Breakfast