Tours to Japan: A Taste of Japan 11-Day Culinary Journey

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Tokyo, Robatayaki dinner

At the tour hotel in central Tokyo, you’ll be greeted in the evening by your guide and the other group members. Afterwards, we’ll make our way to the city’s vibrant streets for a Robatayaki dinner. This unique style of Japanese cooking involves grilling ingredients over hot charcoal at different temperatures.

✓ Dinner

Day 2: Kanazawa, Oomi Ichiba, and traditional cooking class

We’ll take the train to Kanazawa, located on the Japan Sea coast which was formerly the seat of the Maeda Clan during the Edo Period. It was renowned for its grand castle and its cultural accomplishments, particularly its refined and sophisticated cuisine. We’ll have lunch at our leisure in the Higashichaya district before heading to the historic Oomi Ichiba, also known as ‘Kanazawa’s kitchen pantry’. Afterward, we’ll partake in a cooking class in a traditional Japanese-style residence, using locally purchased ingredients to create delicious dishes with the help of a professional.

✓ Breakfast and Dinner

Day 3: Gokayama, traditional foraging experience

On our excursion today, we travel by private motorcoach from Kanazawa to Gokayama, a World Heritage Site that is home to the iconic Gassho-zukuri farmhouses with their distinctive triangular thatched roofs. This area of Japan has been isolated from the rest of the country for centuries, so the villagers continue to cling to their traditional lifestyles. With a local plant hunter, we explore the surrounding mountains and collect wild plants and mushrooms to use in local dishes. We even visit the home of Mr. Nakanishi, who grows a special variety of rice for brewing Sake. After tasting the home brewed Doburoku Sake, the villagers will teach us how to prepare a delicious meal with our harvested ingredients.

✓ Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 4: Shirakawa-go, Takayama, and a Kaiseki dinner

After a traditional Japanese breakfast, we will set off by highway bus to visit the nearby UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go, renowned for its collection of Gassho-zukuri houses. After lunch in Shirakawa-go, we will continue to Takayama, nestled in the mountainous Hida region. Takayama is well-known for its beautifully preserved old town, its unique culture, and its special crafts such as yew carving, Shunkei lacquerware, pottery, and furniture.

This evening, we will enjoy a multi-course Kaiseki dinner at a family-run Ryokan. Kaiseki cuisine is the pinnacle of Japanese food, with preparation and presentation being of the utmost refinement. Seasonal ingredients, such as those called ‘Hashiri’ which have been harvested before their seasons, are used to create dishes which embody the aesthetics of Japanese culture, with the appearance, colours, and combinations of ingredients, as well as the tableware, all being carefully considered. Each dish is served in small portions, allowing the natural flavours of the ingredients to shine through.

✓ Breakfast and Dinner

Day 5: Hida Furukawa, classic Okudo-san cooking experience

We’ll take a quick train ride to Hida Furukawa, an old and well-preserved town with notable, white-walled storehouses that still give off the Edo Period’s vibe. We’ll visit one of the oldest Machiya houses and see a local grandmother demonstrate the traditional Okudo-san cooking technique, which is rarely seen today. After lunch, we’ll go to a local sweet shop where Furukawa’s signature Miso Senbei crackers have been made with the famous Hida Miso for over a century. Then, you’ll have some free time to explore Takayama and dine at one of the area’s restaurants.

✓ Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6: Travel to Osaka, sakana and Sake experience

We are departing Takayama with Ekiben lunch boxes to embark on our journey to Osaka, historically known as the ‘Tenka no daidokoro’ (the nation’s kitchen). This city is renowned for its Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as its street food specialties such as takoyaki and okonomiyaki – the food of the common man. Tonight, we will be visiting a hidden house in the downtown of Namba, owned by a unique Sake shop. The shop owner has been passionately devoted to fulfilling the brewers’ intentions for over 30 years and has amassed an impressive collection of 10,000 locally made Sake bottles. This dinner will be accompanied by a selection of the traditional ‘sakana’ – food specially designed to pair with the Sake.

✓ Breakfast and Dinner.

Day 7: Sakai City, lesson on Japanese Knives at local smithy

This morning, we embark on a journey to Sakai City, a place renowned for its kitchen knives, but which was once known to produce Samurai swords. After arriving, we take a walk to a local smithy, where we will witness firsthand the forging process of Japanese knives. We will be face to face with the embers and sparks, and the skilled craftsmen will reveal to us the whole process of folding steel and honing edges. Additionally, we will learn how to sharpen and maintain a Japanese knife, and if desired, purchase a cutting-edge souvenir to take home. In the evening, we will be back in Osaka for dinner.

✓ Breakfast

Day 8: Awaji Island Foodscape experience

Awaji is renowned as the birthplace of the Japanese archipelago, having been where gods Izanagi and Izanami first created an island. Historically, Awaji has been referred to as a Miketsukuni, a place where food was produced to be offered to the Imperial court. On this visit, we have the chance to take part in a fish auction at a port and visit a local producer of traditional fare. After that, we can enjoy a beachside lunch with a difference, as our chef today will be crafting a ‘Foodscape’ with locally sourced ingredients – a culinary creation that promises to be a feast for all the senses. To finish off the day, we will be staying at a beachside property on Awaji, then taking a tour of the port’s backstreets and sampling the local drinking culture. Dinner is at your own leisure.

✓ Breakfast and Lunch

Day 9: Uji tea plantation and Kyoto traditional tea ceremony

We depart Awaji Island in the afternoon by private vehicle, making a brief stop for a local lunch. Our next stop is Uji, known all over the world for its green tea. Here, we visit a tea plantation and get to experience the real flavour of tea through a tasting. Afterwards, we make our way to Kyoto for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, where you can wear a kimono if you choose to. After that, dinner is left to your discretion.

✓ Breakfast

Day 10: Kyoto Tofu making, Bamboo Forest, and Nishiki Market farewell dinner

Today we explore the renowned cuisine of Kyoto, from the delicate refinement and artistry of Kaiseki to the traditional Washoku dishes. We visit a long-standing tofu shop and learn to make traditional Kyoto-style tofu from locally sourced soy. Then, we take a trip to the colorful Nishiki Market, known as ‘Kyoto’s Kitchen’, where we find a wide variety of traditional foods and specialty items such as seafood, pickled and dried Japanese vegetables, tea, sweets, and ceramics. Our journey takes us to the beautiful Arashiyama, where we enjoy a traditional Buddhist vegetarian lunch surrounded by a lush garden. Afterwards, we visit the famous Bamboo Forest before heading back to Central Kyoto for our farewell dinner.

✓ Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 11: Tour ends and departure.

At the conclusion of our tour, breakfast will be served at the hotel in Kyoto. Afterward, your guide will provide suggestions for your return flight or any additional trips you may be taking in Japan.

✓ Breakfast