Search
Category
Area
Season
-
Ascetic Training Programs at World Heritage Site Koyasan
1. Goma Fire Prayer Ritual
Offer your prayers to the sacred flame and get a feel for how such prayers have been carried on through the generations at the temples of Koyasan.
2. Acts of Service
Commit yourself to acts of service and cleanse the mind as you get up close with the Buddha statues in some of the Main Halls of Koyasan's temples, including Bekkaku Honzan, Jun-Bekkaku Honzan, or temples with long-standing connections to daimyo and warlords.
3. Furumaizen Cuisine Experience
Furumaizen is a traditional cuisine prepared especially for the high priests by the priests of Koyasan, and it is said to be the origin of Japanese hospitality.
The average visitor does not usually get the opportunity to try these dishes prepared by priests, for priests, but this memorable dinner experience offers illuminating insights and explanations into the meticulous preparation process.
● Participants will be granted special permission to view the main hall of temples where entry is usually prohibited. (permission only granted when accompanied by temple staff) -
Hiroshima Prefecture Fukuyama Castle Stay
This one-of-a-kind experience of history and culture is exclusive to Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture
1. Fukuyama Castle Lord Experience
Step inside the castle grounds and be transported back in time. The park is full of traditional arts, historic buildings, and other intangible assets for you to explore.
Take a glimpse into a bygone era brought back to life with the newly reconstructed 400-year-old Castle Lord's Bathhouse. The bathhouse sauna evokes the steam baths of old, and the entire bathhouse itself is inspired by the Edo period.
Finally, your "Castle Lord Feast" dinner will feature food showcasing all the rich produce that Fukuyama has to offer.
2. Fukuyama Hotspots Experience
Fukuyama is home to many charming and historic towns, such as Tomonoura and Kannabe Honjin. It also features many traditional arts like Noh.
Customize your Fukuyama Castle Lord experience beyond the basic itinerary at Fukuyama Castle Park to include any of the above.
Your concierge will tailor your stay based on your specific requests, and Fukuyama Castle Park, along with all of its facilities, will be at your complete disposal. -
Kaitori Daikichi Volleyball Nations League 2024 Fukuoka Interactive front row package
The anime “Haikyu!!” sparked a wave of newfound popularity in volleyball worldwide.
Now for the first time at an international tournament in Japan, you can root for your favorite players like never before with this exclusive interactive front-row seat package.
Fans can get up close and personal in the Excite and Premium S seats, and with exclusive access to the Special Cheer Zone and the Farewell Zone, they can cheer for their favorites up close and in person. The Casual Lounge is also available for fans to kick back, relax, and enjoy some food and drink before and after the matches, and with access to the Priority Lane, they will always be one step ahead of the line when it comes to the merchandise counter. This exclusive package, only available through the Volleyball Nations League, is packed with one-of-a-kind experiences that promise unforgettable moments.
Come cheer on your favorite players at the final preliminaries before the 2024 Paris Olympics as you make your way around Fukuoka and the rest of Japan. -
Kobe, the world’s sake capital
Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture is not only famous for beef, but it also includes part of the Nada Gogo, or “Five villages of Nada,” that became famous for brewing sake centuries ago. Nada sake uses the area’s relatively hard water and high-quality Hyogo-grown rice to offer richer flavors and lots of body, and was the origin of many brewing techniques still in use today.
Kobe breweries, including behemoths like Hakutsuru – which has over 280 years of history – collectively account for the largest production of sake in the world. Many have museums, like the Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Museum, a huge facility displaying traditional tools, videos and dioramas exploring the history of sake brewing, with information in English and other languages. Best of all, the museum includes plenty of souvenirs and a tasting area – with some free sake, and others that require a fee. -
Experience shukubo, a temple stay, on the holy mountain site
One of the best ways to experience the true magic of Koyasan is to stay overnight at a temple. Known as a shukubo, a temple stay at Koyasan gives visitors the opportunity to relax, reflect and immerse themselves in the traditional practices of Shingon Buddhism.
Discover the day-to-day lives of Koyasan’s monks in one of 50 temples that offer the shukubo experience. With breakfast, dinner and comfortable overnight lodgings available, you can truly immerse yourself in this enriching cultural experience. Taste the traditional vegetarian dishes prepared by the monks and join them for morning prayers and meditation.
Clean and simple furnishings, including traditional tatami floors and sliding doors (fusuma) typify the temple lodgings at Koyasan and reflect the abundant peace and tranquility that define these sacred spaces. It’s important to remember, though, that rooms and meals vary depending on the temple. For further information, you can refer to our guide on temple stays. -
Mind-boggling paper statues dazzle at the Aomori Nebuta Festival (August 2–7)
The Aomori Nebuta Festival is one of the most popular in Japan. Every year, nearly 2.5 million people descend on Aomori City in Japan's northeastern Tohoku region to experience a spectacle found nowhere else.
The biggest draw and the festival's namesake are the Nebuta. These vast floats are adorned with paper mâché characters from myth and legend: colorful, snarling warriors, bizarre monsters and lifelike animals. Alongside the floats, traditional Haneto dancers whip up a frenzy driven by the music of Nebuta bayashi bands. Visitors can even join in the dancing provided they wear the traditional Haneto costume, which is available for rent.
The intricate floats that take over the streets of Aomori City are a work of exquisite craftsmanship. Each Nebuta takes a full year to construct, all in aid of this unique six-day event. At the end of the festival, visitors are awarded a two-hour firework display, illuminating the city's skies and providing a fitting climax to this special event. Away from the main festival, visitors can learn more about the historical roots of Aomori Nebuta at the Nebuta Museum WA-RASSE. -
The Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival: Bringing art to Sado’s ports
Over the centuries, Sado Island off the northern coast of Japan’s Niigata Prefecture was a remote exile site and the location of one of Japan’s largest gold mines. These days, the beautiful bucolic community has become a hidden travel destination gem, welcoming visitors to the annual Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival.
Ryotsu Port, the primary gateway for visitors arriving by ferry, hosts the majority of the installations, but not all of them. Others can be found at historical buildings and scenic sites of the natural landscape elsewhere on the island, rewarding those who take the time to venture further into a part of Japan most tourists never see.
The Galaxy Art Festival is more than a purely visual celebration of the arts, too, as the program has included Sado’s unique folk songs and “onidaiko,” a dance and drum performance by a masked musician dressed as an oni, a ferocious demon or ogre from Japanese folklore. This “demon drumming” is a Sado tradition that dates back centuries as a means of warding off evil and giving thanks for good harvests, making it a perfect fit for the Galaxy Art Festival, whose goal is to introduce and preserve the island’s culture.