Senju Great Bridge from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo by Hiroshige (1797–1858).

Cultural tours in Asia

Buddhism, in its various manifestations, is a common thread of our tours of Asia – from Sarnath, in India, where the Buddha preached his first sermon, to the giant figures carved into cliffs at Datong in China, and the ancient temples of Nara, Japan’s original capital. These three countries dominate our itineraries.

We take the bullet train from Tokyo and the ‘toy train’ to Shimla in the Himalayan foothills, study the erotic carvings of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh and look the Terracotta Warriors in the eye (from a special viewing platform) in Xi’an. We wander the holy mountain of Wutaishan in China and the tea terraces of Kerala in southern India, sail the Hooghly River through Bengal on a private cruiser and try onsen bathing in Japan’s hot springs. But above all we do justice to some of the world’s greatest historic sites and artistic achievements – the Forbidden City in Beijing, the cultural riches of Kyoto and of course the Taj Mahal – thanks to the expertise of our lecturers, who number among the world’s finest Orientalists.