20 March to 1 April 2025
Join Asian Studies professor Livia Kohn on a wonderful study tour covering the temples, gardens, and mountains of Japan. Enjoy beautiful scenery, spectacular foliage, delicious food, and steaming hot tubs while learning first-hand about Japanese culture, religion, and lifestyle. Also, increase your health, vitality, and good fortune by completing the pilgrimage to the Seven Lucky Gods. This is done by picking up a cardboard canvas, scroll, or booklet to collect calligraphy stamps for all seven, honoring them in turn.
Day 1-2: Air to Japan, flying into Osaka, either Kansai (international) or Itami (domestic).
Day 3-4: Shrine Shinto and a major Pure Land temple plus the imperial palace and residence of the shogun, walking through neighborhoods and exploring while starting on the pilgrimage.
Day 5-6: A miniature pilgrimage to Kobodaishi in the hills behind Ninnaji, followed by an exploration of tea culture and the floating temple of Byodoin in Uji as well as more lucky gods’ temples.
Day 7: An excursion to Mount Hiei northeast of the city and vigorous hike down.
Day 8: Free to explore on your own, visit museums, or connect with local friends.
Day 9-10. A visit to museum, plus a pleasant hike along a gorgeous river valley in the western mountains.
Day 11-12: Nara. Move to the ancient capital of Nara and spend one day walking along the Heian Highway to enjoy fields and forests, shrines and tombs. Then visit Todaiji with its giant buddha, relax among the tame deer, wander through gardens, and explore museums, parks, and shrines.
Day 13: Onward. By train to Osaka to fly home or continue further explorations of Japan.
COST
US $1750 per person, including hotel, pilgrimage items, daily lunches, as well all transfers, bus/train fares, and entrance fees. Single supplement: $150.
For a more detailed itinerary and information, as well as to reserve a spot (limited to 14), please contact liviakohn@proton.me or call 727-501-6915.
YOUR GUIDE
Livia Kohn, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University, where she began teaching in 1988 after spending ten years in Kyoto, Japan. She has written thirty-four sole-authored books and over a hundred articles, translated five works from the German, French, Chinese, and Japanese, and edited eleven multi-authored volumes as well as fourteen issues of the Journal of Daoist Studies. After retiring from university teaching in 2006, she now serves as the executive editor of Three Pines Press, gives Zoom lectures (DaoExplore), and runs Daoist workshops as well as hiking trips to Japan.
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