Cultural Connections – Around the World by Luxury Private Jet – JAPAN

OCTOBER 9 – 13  SEATTLE – OSAKA, JAPAN

We gathered in Seattle at the luxurious and historic Fairmont Olympic Hotel to embark on this extraordinary adventure…Around the World by Luxury Private Jet connecting cultures of our world.  Our welcome gala cocktail and dinner party in the hotel’s magnificent Garden Room was a wonderful reconvening of friends and meeting of new ‘soon to be’ friends.

Being classed as a “Private Jet”, our luxuriously appointed Boeing 757 departed from private ‘Boeing Field’ – close to downtown Seattle .  For us, no hassles of that lengthy trek out to SeaTac and all the commercial hubbub. We were airborne before 11am  and on our way to Osaka, Japan with a brief refueling stop on the Russian peninsula.

During our extravagant champagne luncheon on board – with clients enjoying dining in our on board “sky lounge” – we were treated to magnificent clear views of the majestic snow capped mountain ranges of northwestern Alaska.

Following our refuel stopover we flew on to Osaka…a sumptuous dinner enroute…landing well ahead of schedule in the mid-afternoon.  We proceeded directly to our ‘home’ for three nights, the beautiful Ritz Carlton Osaka Hotel .  On arrival we were treated to an introductory “sake & sushi” celebration.

In our small, personalized groups we discovered the highlights, including the Osaka Castle, and a scenic cruise around Kobe Bay in a private salon  (while enjoying a superb Kobe beef luncheon). A highlight for many was our visit to the the Kobe Girls School where we enjoyed a tour of this impressive school as well as personal interactions with several classes.

Another unexpected highlight was touring the ‘underground city’ of Osaka and enjoying all the underworld shopping markets and stores, a surreal experience during the rush hour traffic.

Our journey to Kyoto revealed Nijo Castle, one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and Kinkaku-ji Temple of the Golden Pavilion with its traditional Japanese gardens.

Our luncheon in Kyoto at Misoguigawa was for many a ‘best of best’, being a 3-star Michelin restaurant fusion of Japanese-French cuisine. After lunch, we were private guests at the Kodaiji- Gessin-in Temple, where we participated in a Japanese tea ceremony and enjoyed a dance performance by a young geisha-in-training, known as a Maiko.

We explored Nara’s Deer Park and Temple of 1000 Lanterns before returning to Osaka.   In the evening the group enjoyed Lakani’s signature “Dine by Choice”, choosing any restaurant (anywhere in the city, not just in the hotel).  

Click here to view more photos in the Japan photo gallery.

Follow our Private Jet journey to our next destination,  Hanoi,  Vietnam.