Nature & the Outdoors
Area
Season
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Exclusive Access to Restricted Forests, Mountains, Lakes, and Historical Buildings! An educational tour led by specialist guides to satisfy adventure seekers
(1) Mount Usu is one of Japan’s 111 active volcanoes and it erupts every few decades. An eruption in the year 2000 affected residential areas, roads, and national highways. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. On this tour, trek through the remarkable terrain of Mount Usu and visit the rim of the crater, an area that is normally inaccessible.
(2) Learn cornering techniques and bicycle safety under the instruction of experienced adventure cycling guides as you tackle a dangerous and challenging downhill ride on narrow, steep slopes. This is an experience that would be nearly impossible with a regular rental bicycle, made possible using high-performance e-bikes. A support vehicle will be on standby to help participants take on the challenge.
(3) Cape Kamui is usually closed at night, but this exclusive tour offers a rare opportunity to experience the sunset, fishing lights, and the moment the lighthouse is lit after the gates have closed to the public. Enjoy this luxurious and premium experience immersed in the tranquil and quiet atmosphere of the night.
(4) Visit the Ainu Culture Museum to learn about the traditional tools used by the Ainu people in their daily lives and the things they foraged from the forests and rivers. Then, take a walk through the forest with Ainu guides as your storytellers, and immerse yourself in the past, present, and future of Ainu life, exploring the Ainu's deep connection with the forest.
(5) Cross the frozen Lake Nukabira with snowshoes or on a fat bike. This is an experience only available for about one month in winter. The feeling of the wind as you traverse the ice is a rare and unique experience that can only be had in Hokkaido at this time of year. You can also see the Taushubetsu River Bridge, which appears on the frozen surface of the lake when the dam's water level is low in winter. -
A New Nighttime Economy of Food and Myth in Aoshima, Miyazaki
This tour is an opportunity to try special foods and drinks, as well as traditional culture on the miraculous island of Aoshima. Surrounding the island, which has a circumference of 1.5 km, are irregular, visually pleasing rock formations created over the course of 6 million years. The island is covered in subtropical vegetation, the northernmost of its kind in the northern hemisphere, with scenery that makes you feel like time seems to have stood still.
On Aoshima, you will be able to enjoy a Miyazaki Prefecture gastronomy course prepared by a chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant. You can also enjoy special cocktails made by a bartender named in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2022. Nature, culture, and you. Enjoy a night where everything comes together in a timeless moment.
Aoshima by night: TIMELESS MOMENTO Menu
- Special dinner and cocktails
- One Plate・One Drink A moment to experience the charm of Miyazaki with all five senses
- Guided night tour of Aoshima Shrine
- Japanese calligraphy experience
Key players
Kojiro Kashiwada: Owner and chef of Kasane in Akasaka, Tokyo. Michelin-starred since 2011. Will serve creative Japanese meals that evoke the island’s culture and traditions.
Shuzo Nagumo: Owner of SBAR (Asia Top 50). Nagumo is one of Japan's foremost mixologists, and his cocktails made with local Miyazaki Prefecture sake have proved a game changer.
Yasutaka Nagatomo: Until 1737, only priests were allowed to set foot on the mysterious isle of Aoshima. The chief priest himself will guide you through the history, culture, and sacred kagura dance rituals of Aoshima.
Satoshi Iwao: Highly praised for his 'shodo' performances, Iwao became a qualified instructor at the age of just 16, though he did not begin to work professionally as a calligrapher until the age of 29.Performing on the streets of Miyazaki, Japan, Iwao has also performed in Paris - exhibiting at the Japan Expo Paris in both 2018 and 2019. -
FIA World Rally Championship FORUM8 Rally Japan 2024 - Hospitality Program
This hospitality program will make the experience of watching Rally Japan 2024 (the final match of the season in the FIA World Rally Championship) even more special than it already is.
Stadium hospitality: Watch the rally from the best seats, enjoy a meal at the stadium restaurant, attend a meet & greet, and more
Mountain hospitality: Includes transportation to and from the exclusive SS area in the mountains, and watching the race from amidst the great outdoors
Room hospitality: The top-of-the-line plan includes a comfortable stay in a Super Room at Toyota Stadium
Helicopter experience: The executive plan allows you to charter a helicopter to watch multiple SS races
This hospitality program includes special spectator seating, meals, rest areas, activity experiences, and more. That makes it the best way to watch up close and personal how the rally cars race at full speed and how the world’s top rallyists and mechanics working furiously to maintain them.
Take in the end of the WRC 2024 season in the best possible way!
◆ Services & activities:
- Rally car ride-along
- Meet & greet with special guests
- Priority entry to the course walk
- Service park tour
- Concierge service
- Rally Japan merchandise
- 20% discount on WRC merchandise
- Special pass gift -
Night Tour of the Sado Gold Mine: A World Heritage Site
The Doyu Mine is one of the most famous landmarks within the Sado Gold Mine World Heritage Site. During this event, Doyu no warito, symbol of the Aikawa Gold Mine, will be lit up for a fantastic night tour utilizing projection mapping and other light-based scenography. Available for a limited time only, this night tour is not something that visitors can experience on a regular basis.
The historic gold mine is a rare industrial heritage site, featuring a large-scale system of gold production that operated for more than 380 years on gold-rich Sado Island from the late 16th century to the mid-19th century. Under the management and operation of the Tokugawa Shogunate, isolationist policies limited the exchange of technology with the outside world. The system was thus quite different from those of Europe, and involved the use of Japanese traditional handicraft techniques to produce gold of world-class quality and quantity.
Workers were recruited from all over Japan by the shogunate, which resulted in a rich, diverse culture centered on the mine, including religious beliefs, performing arts, and entertainment.
In addition to the night tour, this event will give visitors a chance to experience Sado Island's unique performing arts, historical culture, and nature, as well as dishes showcasing the island’s delicious cuisine. -
Exclusive Four-Day Tour of Lake Kawaguchi, Nikko, and Ibaraki
On this exclusive four-day plan, you will be accompanied by an interpreter guide for the entire tour, take in the autumn foliage from the sky, and relax in your own private space.
View the splendid autumn foliage in comfort with unusual methods like helicopter rides and early morning private guided tours.
First, depart Tokyo by helicopter to enjoy a dynamic, spectacular view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi. Then, after landing at Fuji-Oshino, enjoy sightseeing in the Lake Kawaguchi area. The next morning, you will visit Kawaguchiko Museum of Art, with its extraordinary view of Lake Kawaguchi. It will be privately booked out before its opening hours for a special viewing of rare original ukiyo-e prints by Katsushika Hokusai that are not normally shown to the public.
On the second day, ride the helicopter from Fuji-Oshino to Nikko. Take in the view of the famous Irohazaka slope. It's known for its autumn foliage, and this way you can see it from the skies without getting stuck in traffic. Once in Nikko, enjoy a private breakfast and special guided tour of the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park, which was once the retreat of Emperor Taisho. You will also be able to experience Zen meditation at Rinnoji Temple, which is a World Heritage site, and take a tour not offered to the public.
Afterwards, enjoy spectacular aerial views of the Ryujin Suspension Bridge, Japan’s largest pedestrian suspension bridge. At Fukuroda Falls, one of Japan’s three most famous waterfalls, enjoy special admission in the morning when no one else is around for a quiet moment in the crisp, clean air. This special plan concludes with a helicopter ride from Ibaraki Prefecture back to Tokyo. -
Ritsurin Garden Wagashi and Walk
This exclusive eight day event will be held at the historic Ritsurin Garden, a landscape garden with walking paths that allow guests to enjoy its scenery from various angles. For this event, Mineko Kato, named Asia's Best Pastry Chef in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2024, has developed original Japanese wagashi confectioneries using wasanbon, a fine-grained sugar that is said to have originated in Ritsurin Garden. The beverages to be served with the wagashi sweets will be overseen by Shuzo Nagumo, one of Japan's leading mixologists. Savor these wagashi sweets and exquisite beverages in the historic Kikugetsu-tei and Higurashi-tei tea houses, as well as a modern outdoor tea room designed by a team of architects led by Yuko Nagayama Associates. The traditional Japanese tea ceremony has been reinterpreted and remade in a modern way so as to offer a new experience to guests.
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Enjoy Nasushiobara's Food, Hot Springs, and History with a Unique Garden Party at the Former Villa of Aoki Shuzo, Designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese Government
Nasushiobara has fantastic natural and cultural resources, including the great Nikko National Park, located in the Nasu and Nikko mountain ranges, as well as 178 cultural properties designated by the national and prefectural governments. Although the idea has always been to protect these resources, this program aims to use them in new and unprecedented ways in order to increase their appeal as tourism resources and pass them on to future generations.
This tour will offer special experiences such as a unique nighttime garden party at the villa of former Foreign Minister Aoki Shuzo (an Important Cultural Property that is also designated by the Japanese government as a Japan Heritage site); a wedding event set on the Momijidani Suspension Bridge which spansa the valley of Nikko National Park and is known as a ""sacred place for lovers""; and other special events that offer a glimpse of the local culture of Nasushiobara.
There will also be a premium gastronomy walking tour, which explores the nature, history, and cuisine of Shiobara Onsen and Itamuro Onsen in Nikko National Park. -
Premium Tour Featuring the Traditional Performing Art of Kyogen at Muroji, A Temple Famous for Extraordinary Autumn Foliage
Avoid the crowds and enjoy a relaxing experience of the superb autumn foliage in Japan's ancient capital of Nara!
Built about 1,400 years ago, Muroji Temple is the only temple of Koyasan that permitted women to visit since ancient times. It is popular as a secluded spot for viewing the autumn leaves in Nara.
This year, for the first time, Muroji Temple will open its main hall—a national treasure normally closed to the public—as a stage for a premium tour that includes a performance of Kyogen theater, one of Japan's classic performing arts, presented by the Izumi school.
In addition to the main hall, visitors will be guided by a priest on a special night tour of the temple grounds, which includes national treasures like the Kondo (main hall) and a five-story pagoda. They will then be treated to a performance of Kyogen by Motoya Izumi, the 20th generation headmaster of the Izumi school, who performs both in Japan and overseas. A special dinner plan showcasing Nara's traditional vegetables (available Nov. 25–26), and a plan featuring a performance by Japan's only female Kyogen performers (Nov. 23–24) will also be available—a fitting performance for Muroji Temple and its strong affiliation with women.
A month-long autumn foliage festival and illumination event will be held starting November 1. Come and enjoy the beautiful autumn leaves and appreciate the essence of traditional Japanese culture. -
Cinematic HOSOKAWA History ＆ Culture Encounter Higo-Hosokawa culture: Over 400 years of history
"Suizenji Jojuen Garden, one of the top Japanese gardens in Kyushu, will be open at night for a limited time only!
Visitors can experience the unique samurai culture of Kumamoto Prefecture (Higo-Hosokawa culture) while taking in the beautiful autumn foliage and flowers.
- Take part in a tea ceremony in the Kokin-Denju-no-Ma teahouse, an Important Cultural Property built about 400 years ago
- Experience bonseki, the traditional art of depicting natural scenes with sand and stones on a tray
- Try your hand at the traditional Kumamoto goldsmith’s craft of Higo-zogan inlaying
- Try iaido, a samurai martial art using Japanese swords
- Experience Noh theater, a traditional Japanese performing art featuring masks and beautiful costumes
The park will also feature illuminated bamboo groves and art pieces.
Visitors can tour the park while listening to the dedicated audio app and pondering the life of Hosokawa Gracia.
Hosokawa Gracia was the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and wife of Hosokawa Tadaoki. She was a famous heroine during Japan’s Sengoku (Warring States) period.
Enjoy history, culture, and Japanese autumn foliage through this fusion of Japanese garden and projection mapping."
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Kenninji Temple, Kyoto: Premium night viewing in the refreshing cool of evening ZEN NIGHT WALK KYOTO
Premium night viewing at Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto
A special nighttime viewing will be held at Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto. During this event, visitors can experience the spirit of Zen by walking through the temple’s corridors while listening to ""neuro-music"" scientifically proven to relax the brain.
Sound Corridors: Neuro-music
Walk through the corridors of Kenninji Temple while listening to ""neuro-music."" This music relaxes the brain, leading to a more mindful state.
Daiyuen Garden - Sokai (Vast ocean)
A sea of clouds appears in Kenninji's dry landscape garden, the Daiyuen Garden, on cool summer nights. This sea of clouds complements the beauty and serenity of the garden as visitors listen to neuro-music.
Twin Dragons & Digital Twin Dragons
Kenninji's iconic Twin Dragons painting, combined with the latest in projection art. Contemporary artist Rei Wakita will use the latest technology to visualize the flow of the dragons’ energy.
Japanese Garden Sound-Art Night Walk
Enjoy art installations of sound and light while touring the corridors of extraordinary Japanese gardens: the Circle-Triangle-Square Garden, the Cho-on-tei Garden, and the Daiyuen Garden.
A truly special evening experience of sound and silence, light and shadow. Experience the fusion of contemporary art and technology while enjoying the history and beauty of Kenninji Temple.