Paint the legendary beauty of the Kyoto Spring ! Develop your watercolour skills with an expert tutor and see the Gardens of Kyoto at their best.

Transport  -  Depending on destination and time of day, we have found it both good value and convenient to use a combination of buses, trains, taxis and hired transport.

Garden Entrance Fees -  Vary from site to site and on whether or not there is a 'Special Opening' for gardens not normally open to the public ( Y300-Y800 ).

Food & Living Expenses  - The whole world has 'Japan is expensive' embedded in its psyche.   In fact, food and daily living costs are quite reasonable and much better quality for the price than most Western countries.  Hotel room rates quoted do not include food.

Painting Course & Gardens of Kyoto Budget :

Includes - 10 nights room only accommodation, transfers from Airport to hotel return, average local transport costs and garden entrance fees, Painting Course Fee, Garden Guide Fee & Service charge   Excludes - flights, food and living expenses.

Singles * - £960 / $1,625 approx     Sharing * - £870 / $1,475

* Minor variations to these budgets may occur.

Materials - A detailed list of lightweight material requirements is available upon application.

Group size - The maximum room allocation per group is 11, permitting a maximum group size of 16 For everybody’s benefit, we will try to manage group sizes to 10-12 maximum.

Flight Reservations - As the Tours are accessible internationally, we do not provide international flight options.  A Tour place is deemed to have been reserved when confirmation of a flight booking is received. However, we do have reasonable knowledge of best routings and prices, and the first step would be to contact us for general logistical advice on flights and to confirm the exact time of arrival at the hotel. In some cases, we can generate a flight proposal for you at a reputable discount flight agent, which you 
would be responsible for confirming by credit card payment. 

Osaka Airport - unless travelling elsewhere in Japan, for convenience and cost saving, all clients should transit through Osaka Kansai Airport.  Budget return flights from Europe to Osaka range from £480 - £600.

Last night - most European flights depart Osaka Kansai in the morning, 10.00-12.00 am, which means an early start from the hotel in Kyoto to catch the 6.15-6.45 am train. Alternatively, an extra day may be added by leaving one’s bags at the hotel in Kyoto at check-out time 11.00 am, spending the day in Kyoto, and then taking an evening train to stay at one of the hotels near Kansai Airport for the last night.

Transfer to Kyoto - By rail from the Railway Terminal, right next to the International Arrivals Terminal - and well signed in English. The basic train fare to Kyoto (Y1,850) can be purchased from the automatic ticket machines, paying an extra (Y1,150) to the ticket collector on the train - or the Total Fare ( Y3,000) at the ticket office. Y 6,000 for the express return fare to Kyoto Station is included in the budget. As check in at the hotel does not start until 1.00 pm, and as most flights from Europe travel through the night and arrive between 8.00-10.00 am, there is actually no hurry to get to the hotel. When you get to Kyoto, you can either spend an hour or two, orientating and checking out events at the main Kyoto Tourist Office, on the 9th floor of the station, or you could leave your bags at Kyoto Station, and spend the day sightseeing, before checking into the hotel late PM.

Excess Baggage - regrettably the meticulous character of the Japanese also extends to the matter of charging for excess baggage - you are more likely to get charged at Osaka Airport than just about anywhere else in the world. Charged at £35-40 / $50-60 per kilo for European destinations, a 5-7 kilo excess, that is often waived elsewhere, can give you a very unwelcome parting gift.

Being based in one place for 10 days saves on the most expensive aspect of Japan
- cost of travel - 2 ½ hrs on the Shinkansen ‘Bullet’ train costs about £90-95 / $160-165. Those who wish to visit other areas should obtain a Japan Rail Pass, purchasable from official Japan Tourist Offices only outside Japan. As it is easier to recover from the journey and jet lag in one place, it is probably best to extend your journey after your stay in Kyoto.

Transfer to Hotel in Kyoto - ( Y 1,500-2,000 ) The return taxi fare from Kyoto Station to the hotel is included in the quoted budget figure.

Hotel in Kyoto - 10 nights international standard accommodation is included in the budget :

Single - Y9,450 per night ( excl breakfast ) - Y10,500 per night ( including breakfast )
Sharing - Y7,350 per night ( excl breakfast ) - Y8,400 per night ( including breakfast )

Normal Western style buffet breakfasts are available, but as lunch tends to be taken whilst out painting, and as one can also eat late in the evening, that can lead to three sizeable meals per day. So, there is a mini-breakfast for Y400 from the hotel coffee shop, or one can have juices, fruit and cereals stored in the rooms as a ‘room breakfast’ option.

The hotel is in the Shijo Karasuma central part of Kyoto, with good connections North-South and East-West by bus, subway or suburban trains.  Bicycles are also an excellent way of getting about Kyoto. All hotel rooms are on the small side in Japan, but these are neatly appointed and well priced. All rooms have a small fridge and a Japanese style kettle with small cups - please bring your favourite teas, coffee and snacks.

- In addition to the en suite bathroom facilities, there are traditional style single sex Japanese bath houses on the ground floor - highly recommended at night.
- Payment by cash / travellers cheque / credit card on the day of arrival is the preferred system of payment in Japan & China - one should always be in credit with the hotel.
- Local facilities - situated in a ‘lived in’ part of town, there are numerous modern city facilities within easy reach, including 24 hour mini-markets and internet access.
- Prior to departure, we will provide more detailed information with a map of Kyoto and of facilities in the area local to the hotel.

Local Transport - Y8,000 approx. ( depending on size of group ) 
All modes of transport will be employed, depending on cost and convenience. In some cases, city buses and subways will be the most effective, and all clients will need to purchase a Y3,000 multi-trip travel card at the start of the Tour. For trips out of town, hiring mini-buses might be best, at approx.Y5,000 per person per day, or less per part day.

Temple & Garden Entrance Fees - Y 7,500 approx. 
Entrance fees normally vary from Y300-500, but ‘Special Openings’ are not to be missed, and cost approximately Y800. At 4-5 garden visits per day, this cost can mount up over the Tour.

World Spirit Service Charge - £40 Single Room - Sharing Room £30
Half of this charge is due as a non-refundable deposit, upon confirmation of Tour booking.

Budget - Based on Room only rates at hotel, including transfer to and from Osaka Airport, Guide Fees and Service Charge - plus estimated costs for local transport and garden entrance fees - but excluding food, guest lectures, travel insurance and flights :

   * Please check latest exchange rates 

Food - surprisingly good value for basic fare at small local restaurants. Typical tray meals with a rice or noodle dish, pickles, soup and tea should cost Y700-1000. Making full use of the kettle and fridge in the room, one should allow Y2-3,000 per day for ‘Basic Food’, but don’t deprive oneself of at least some of the gastronomic delights of Japan - for standard western restaurant prices or less, one can get a fabulous 8-9 course meal.

Travel Insurance - all persons are required to have valid and comprehensive travel insurance policies, covering cancellation of flights, lost luggage etc etc, and with at least £2m for medical costs, with a 24 hour medical contact telephone service and with provision for repatriation in case of emergency. To properly assist you in an emergency, details of the policy numbers and personal contact numbers will need to be submitted.

Climate and Seasons in Kyoto - The most important point about climate and garden viewing in Kyoto is to go in April or November - any day at this time of year is a good day. A perfect cherry blossom or autumn maple day is not so important. The main thing is to avoid the hot humid weather at other times of the year.

Cherry Blossom Viewing ( hanami ) - the exact time is, of course, climate dependent.
Traditionally, cherry blossom is at its peak in the second and third week of April. If there is a warmer than normal winter, it will tend to peak in sheltered city microclimates in early April, and in outlying districts in the following two weeks.

April 2000 - blossoms peaked in Kyoto April 6th-10th, falling on a warm day c. April 12th, but they were coming to their best on April 13-14 on the way to Ohara in the North. By April 14th-15th, blossom trees were starting to reach their best in Arashiyama, in the hills surrrounding Kyoto. The cherry blossoms at the castle of Hikone were at their peak on April 17th-20th. A visit on April 9th to one of the most famous cherry blossom trees in Japan, near Ouda, was fruitless - its buds remained firmly closed. Trees in the various hill temples are at their best later in April Spring 2002 - ‘cherry blossom’ all over by the end of March was the earliest for 53 years, leaving one with the gracious beauty of the delicate bright green tracery of maples coming into leaf.

Temperatures in early April vary from a warm muggy hint of summer to being damn freezing - though generally dry and pleasantly warm, rain at some stage is to be expected.  Warm summery temperatures are to be increasingly expected as the month progresses.

Maple viewing - just as variable as ‘hanami’ and dependent on preceding Autumn temperatures. For maximum autumn effect, it needs to be beginning to get cold.

November 2001 - T-shirt weather of 20-25°C in the last week of October, changed to fresh, cool, occasionally rainy conditions from the beginning of November through until departing on November 18. Fukui, 90 minutes north of Kyoto, was bitterly cold on the night of November 15.  Maple trees began to ‘turn’ November 6th, were at full effect November 11th-14th in Northwest Kyoto and Southeast of the city centre, on November 17. In November 2002, the maples turned about 7-10 days earlier than 2001.

Only once in Japan ? - It is impossible to choose which is better between the Cherry Blossom and the Maple Viewing seasons - from the natural and the social point of view, they are both amazing experiences - at the core of the Japanese ethos. Ideally, one should plan to visit Kyoto twice, in both Spring and Autumn. Some seasoned observers, having witnessed both, tend to prefer the subtler, gentler radiances of the Autumn effect.

Dress sense - the variable temperatures and conditions of both April & November suggest flexible layer based clothing. One is more or less out of doors all day - none of the temples, where many of the gardens visited are based, have heating. One needs a folding umbrella, shoes without laces to ease repeatedly taking them on and off, loose clothing and a second pair of thick socks for walking about without shoes on cool days.  Dress code in Japan tends to be slightly more formal than present standards in the West.

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