Food & Drink
Area
Season
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Fireworks, Yukata, and Live Music: Meiji Jingu Shrine's Prayer for Safety for Visitors Festival. Special One-Day Tour—Enjoy the Tokyo Summer Through a Shrine Fireworks Display
An extraordinarily special day at Meiji Jingu Shrine and Meiji Jingu Gaien, right in the heart of Tokyo. Take part in a special prayer ceremony for the safety of visitors to Japan at the Meiji Jingu Kaguraden, where you will be presented with a prayer talisman with your name written in katakana. Next, enjoy lunch at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu inside Meiji Jingu Gaien. After a summer yukata dressing service, head to your special seats at Jingu stadium for a live show and fireworks. You will have an opportunity to take photos with live performer Ken Matsudaira (TBC) and watch a show of 400 fireworks to welcome you to Japan. Accomodation at a nearby hotel and arranged transport in special chartered vehicles will make your stay easy and comfortable. Enjoy all this and many other special perks and spend a summer in Tokyo unlike any other.
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Held at the Old Mitsui Family Shimogamo Villa in Kyoto KYOTO NOH DINING 2024
This dining event will be held at the Old Mitsui Family Shimogamo Villa in Kyoto. Guests will enjoy an exclusive dinner crafted by a leading Japanese chef and take in a Noh theater performance in English, presented by Japan’s top performers. After the event, guests will be transported by private car to stay at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, Kyoto's premier luxury hotel.
The event takes place at the historic Old Mitsui Family Shimogamo Villa, a designated Important Cultural Property of Japan. Attendees will experience a close-up performance of Noh theater by members of the Kongo school, which boasts a 600-year history and whose current head is a designated Living National Treasure. All Noh performances will be in English, with English commentary between performances to help even first-time Noh theatergoers to deepen their understanding and appreciation of classical Japanese performing arts. A highlight of the event is the exclusive dinner, which is created by Head Chef Asano of The Mitsui Kyoto restaurant Toki and themed around Shimogamo-jinja Shrine in fall.
Join this special dining event to enjoy the very best of Japan’s cuisine and classical performing arts in this historic location, amidst the beautiful fall scenery of Kyoto. -
Opening the door to Yomei Bunko: A bespoke experience of Japanese tradition
This tailor-made tour offers an exclusive glimpse into authentic Japanese culture with a special viewing of national treasures, such as The Tale of Genji and Mido Kanpakuki, and accompanying English commentary at Yomei Bunko.
Yomei Bunko is a treasure trove of historical materials that has been maintained for over 1,000 years by the Konoe, a branch of the noble Fujiwara family. For the first time ever, there will be a special lecture on waka poetry and related aspects of Japanese culture by the incoming head of the Konoe family (a presenter for the Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading); a Japanese calligraphy experience; and a special tour of Hoshun-in Temple on the Daitoku-ji Temple grounds (an Important Cultural Property usually closed to the public).
Several other traditional Japanese cultural experience programs are also available, giving you the freedom to customize your own tour. Activities include a tea ceremony, ikebana flower arrangement session, court dance and music performance, kemari (an ancient Japanese sport), and a Kyoto culinary experience. -
”SHOGUN” Night Banquet & Tour at Nagoya Castle
The "SHOGUN" Night Banquet & Tour at Nagoya Castle is an exclusive outdoor dining and tour program that combines both culinary and traditional cultural experiences.
Aside from being one of the largest castles in Japan, Nagoya Castle is the only one with an authentic castle keep and palace architecture stunning enough to host the shogun.
The outdoor dining program starts by asking, "If the shogun existed today, what kind of banquet would he hold under the stars?" Participants will be treated to an exquisite dinner with this very theme, prepared by the youngest-ever chef to receive two Michelin stars. Feast on delicious cuisine that is specific to this locale in a glorious space right by the castle tower.
The program also features a tour of the Honmaru Palace, the pinnacle of early modern Japanese castle palace architecture, with the building booked out exclusively for you. The tour will include a recreation of a face-to-face audience with the shogun in the Honmaru Goten, with the highest level of hospitality ever offered by the Owari Tokugawa family at Nagoya Castle. In addition, there will be a Noh theater performance based on Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu's visit to Nagoya Castle.
This experience will be an unforgettable evening of elegance and splendor. -
Ritsurin Garden Premium Tea Ceremony
Ritsurin Garden boasts a history of nearly 400 years and is where the Takamatsu Matsudaira family, the samurai lords who ruled this area, entertained various guests. This dinner program recreates the family's unrivaled hospitality. There will be a guided tour of the garden by writer Alex Kerr, who will provide guests with insights into the garden's most famous and historic trees, the natural beauty of Japan exhibited throughout the garden, and the characteristics of Japanese culture from the Edo period onwards. The garden tour will be followed by apéritifs at the historic Kikugetsu-tei Tea House, during which a Living National Treasure lacquerware master artisan will discuss Kagawa lacquerware—a representative traditional craft of Kagawa Prefecture. This will be followed by a cha-kaiseki dinner, the highest form of hospitality within the tea ceremony.
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Special Night Admission to Itsukushima Shrine, Bugaku Dance Viewing, and G7 Hiroshima Summit 2023 Attraction Tour
Tour the highlights of Miyajima, an island venerated as sacred since ancient times, accompanied by a local interpreter. Your knowledgeable guide will help you tease out the intricacies of Miyajima’s diverse heritage of faith and Shinto-Buddhist syncretism.
At Akushu Restaurant, our lunch venue, enjoy a luncheon of foods with special connections to the Summit and Hiroshima, prepared specially for our tour.
Iwaso, a long-standing Japanese inn on Miyajima, was the venue for a working dinner during the G7 Hiroshima Summit. The tour will include a visit to the facilities of Iwaso, which is connected with the G7 Hiroshima Summit, and a talk by a staff member about episodes from that time, and the tea ceremony experience will take place at a special place Iwaso too.
You will visit Itsukushima Shrine, and have a general worship session and a tour of the facility.
At Miyajima History and Folklore Museum, you can learn about the history and culture of Miyajima. -
World Natural Heritage Site of Shiretoko: Experience Fishing with Rausu Kelp Fishermen and Learn about Japanese “DASHI” Culture
The setting for this experience is the World Natural Heritage Site of Shiretoko. Rausu Kelp fishermen are traditional Japanese craftsmen, and one of their production sites will be made specially available to those wanting to experience the actual production of Rausu Kelp. Participants can see kelp fishing up close, try their hand at washing and drying kelp, and learn how kelp is made into different sorts of products. Some of the kelp fishermen will be offering tours on their fishing boats to help you get a sneak peek into the underwater world. You can use actual fishing gear to look down into the seabed to see how kelp grows. You can also help make some local dishes and special lunches with the fishermen’s wives. Finally, the tour will take you to the fish market (normally closed to the public) to see all the various types of fish caught in the local area and to watch the fish auction. Enjoy traditional Japanese culture at a deeper level. Seaside Cottage KOBUSTAY will open in February 2025, allowing guests to experience the kelp fisherman’s lifestyle in its entirety.
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Gero Onsen Special Illuminated Autumn Foliage Tour to Savor Local Cuisine in Historical Buildings
・Gero Onsen Gassho Village will be specially lit up this autumn season.
Enjoy the autumn leaves with gohei-mochi rice cakes, snacks, and sake at Odo House in Gassho Village rented for your exclusive use.
・Go on a private tour of the former Kikusuiso, a building of historic value located within Onsenji Temple at Gero Onsen.
・Immerse yourself in traditional geiko performing arts and the tea ceremony while viewing the illuminated autumn leaves.
・In addition, with the Ryukoukutsu dry landscape garden specially lit up for this event, you can try your hand at zazen meditation in a mystical atmosphere. -
Dinner Show Featuring Gagaku Court Music by Hideki Togi and Japanese Cuisine with an Illuminated Mikazuki Falls
Kusu, Oita Prefecture, will host a special tour based around the theme of “The Legend of Mikazuki Falls,” a Heian-period tale of true love in Kyoto. This tour offers abundant attractions for international tourists seeking to experience what makes Japan unique.
For two days, there will be dinner shows featuring live performances of gagaku ancient court music by Hideki Togi at Arashiyama Taki Shrine during the mid-autumn Harvest Moon, when the full moon shines brightest in the clear night sky. The Togi family have passed down gagaku court music from generation to generation since the Nara period 1,300 years ago. Hideki Togi, who inherited this tradition, has performed at court ceremonies and gagaku concerts held at the Imperial Palace throughout his career. He has also played a large role in promoting traditional Japanese culture and encouraging international goodwill. Sushi Kappo Yamanaka, a famous restaurant frequented by food connoisseurs from all over Japan since its opening in 1972, provides the cuisine for dinner shows. The seafood used for their Hakata sushi is procured from the Genkai Sea and other nearby coastal waters and is carefully selected by the restaurant's owner. The chefs will spare no expense in preparing your meal for this gem of an event. The dinner will also feature local Kusu Rice, which is the same type of rice specially offered to deities at the Daijosai Festival.
This event, featuring Japanese-style lighting of Mikazuki Falls and Arashiyama Taki Shrine, gagaku court music accompaniments by Hideki Togi, and a collaboration with local restaurants in Kusu town, will continue for the next two months.
The beauty of Mikazuki Falls and Arashiyama Taki Shrine, lit up in a quintessential Japanese style, makes for the perfect view to enjoy with the gagaku court music by Hideki Togi in the background, and is sure to be a hit on social media! This event offers a precious opportunity to experience the true depths and beauty of Japanese culture. Centered around luxurious Japanese tradition and history, this special event will make for unforgettable memories. -
TANADA MORNING
Inagura's rice terraces have captivated many, and have also been selected among the “100 Best Rice Terraces in Japan."
Okazaki Shuzo, a sake brewery in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture that has been brewing high-quality sake for 350 years, tends to these fields. This not only provides the brewery with rice for sake, but also preserves the landscape.
Anyone who works the rice fields knows that the Inagura rice terraces are the most beautiful when bathed in the morning light. Now, visitors will have the chance to take in the sights, sounds, and flavors of this landscape as part of a new type of sake tourism by Okazaki Shuzo: the rice terrace breakfast.
Enjoy a private breakfast among the rice terraces, a landscape formed and perserved by sake brewing, while basking in the morning sun.