Search
Category
Area
Season
-
HAMANASHI HOUSEBOAT
Experience gastronomy and art on the only houseboat on Lake Kawaguchi. Enjoy twilight views of glorious forest scenery and a six-course dinner inspired by autumn in the northern foothills of Mt. Fuji with premium wine pairings. The dinner will be prepared by Yamanashi Prefecture native and chef Kohei Horiuchi, winner of the Grand Prix at RED U-35 2021, one of Japan’s largest culinary competitions, as well as other chefs who know Yamanashi inside and out. The menu will consist of six dishes and six wines. After sunset, participants can take in some unique Yamanashi pixel art while enjoying exquisite desserts. This cruise tour begins at 5:00 in the evening, and will last approximately 2.5 hours.
・Food to experience the changing seasons of Yamanashi
・Wine that will bring out the natural, delicate flavors of these Yamanashi dishes
・A perfect marriage of wine and food
・Expressing the wonderful landscape and culture of Yamanashi through art -
A New Immersive Experience to Engage with the Ancient World at the Foot of Mt. Fuji
Omuro Sengen Shrine has been home to various traditional Japanese ceremonies and festivals that have been held for over 800 years, such as the Yabusame Festival and Tsutsugayu Festival. Participants can head to the shrine to enjoy immersive experiences unique to the area, from interacting with sacred horses to an exclusive nighttime worship session with a shrine priest; watching a performance of Bugaku, a form of dance that combines samurai martial arts with traditional performing arts; and live performances by contemporary artists. There will also be plenty of content for foodies and more, including creative food inspired by oshi-style cuisine, a form of traditional Japanese cuisine that used to be essential to climb Mt. Fuji.
-
Special Private Tour of a Spectacular Flower Garden in Hiroshima Prefecture's Sera Highland
This special private tour takes place in a flower garden where you can enjoy both historical insights and spectacular views. Enjoy a premium dining experience in a flower garden, and immerse yourself in Japan’s four seasons. Our goal is to elevate your travels from ordinary sightseeing to extraordinary experiences.
*Candlelit tours are available during the winter season when flowers are scarce.
This tour also gives participants a special opportunity to see the wooden statue of Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon, a national Important Cultural Property that is usually only open to the public once a year. This special viewing includes an explanation by a member of the National Commission for the Protection of Cultural Properties at Imakoyasan, which is to the west of Mount Koya in Kishu and is said to have been founded by Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), the founder of the Shingon sect.
Participants will also visit a renovated cafe in a former pilgrim’s lodging for a teahouse experience with vegetarian cuisine, as well as sencha and hojicha teas grown on a restored local tea plantation.
Every part of the trip will be guided by an experienced professional interpreter.
Private cabs are available for transportation from participants' accommodation. -
Hachinohe, the City of Fish: Food Experience at Hasshoku Center, with Famous Chefs Preparing Dishes With Ingredients from the Sea
Hachinohe City is known as the City of Fish and offers a bounty of seafood cultivated in the rough nearby seas, including squid, for which they boast the largest catches in Japan, as well as fatty mackerel. The city has long thrived and developed on the basis of its fishing industry.
Hasshoku Center, located in the city, serves almost like a kitchen for Hachinohe locals because all the produce of Hachinohe is gathered under one roof, from fresh seafood to dry foods, fruits, meat, vegetables, sweets, local sake, and more. The facility is also ranked among the top tourist attractions in the prefecture.
This program offers a premium culinary tour of Hachinohe City, with participants able to select seafood delivered from the fish market to Hasshoku Center, and enjoy these ingredients in dishes prepared by renowned chefs. Participants will also be able to tour sake breweries such as Hachinohe Shuzo, which has been popular in the port town for its sake which pairs well with fish, and will also enjoy the culture of Yokocho, a side street that flourished alongside the port. -
Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s Greatest Swordsman: Experience the Spirit of Musashi with the 18th Head of the Niten Ichi-ryu Style (The Book of Five Rings: Ground, Water, Fire, and Wind editions)
The spirit and culture of Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's greatest swordsman, still lives on in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Kumamoto is where Miyamoto Musashi spent the last years of his life. Miyamoto Musashi was invited there as a guest of Hosokawa Tadatoshi, the first lord of Kumamoto, and spent the last five years of his life in Kumamoto. There, he established the military art Niten Ichi-ryu, and wrote The Book of Five Rings. This book, which explains the spirit of the samurai, is nowadays read by people throughout the world. And now, 380 years later, there is a modern-day samurai—an 18th-generation samurai who has inherited the spirit of the Niten Ichi-ryu, and who is working to promote it in modern times. Spending time with him and experiencing the essence of the spirit conveyed in The Book of Five Rings, is sure to be a truly one-of-a-kind experience.
-
Ride the Tadami Line with Local Guides & A Night Tour of Mugenkyo Gorge
At 135.2 kilometers in length, the JR Tadami Line connecting Aizu-Wakamatsu Station in Fukushima Prefecture with Koide Station in Niigata Prefecture is famed as a hidden gem of a local rail line which boasts extraordinary views. The scenery, which includes the spectacular landscape of the Tadami River, the villages dotted along its riverbanks, and the majestic mountains nearby, is astoundingly beautiful no matter the season and has proven highly popular amongst visitors. This special tour is offered by a guide who is one of the most well-versed people in the world about the Tadami Line. Enjoy hidden sights and photo spots known only to this guide—both from inside the train and from the train’s windows.
The Mugenkyo Gorge ferry is a hand-pulled boat that runs between the towns of Kanayama and Mishima in Fukushima Prefecture, crossing the Tadami River. The name "Mugenkyo” derives from the ephemeral beauty of the valley when it is shrouded in river mist on summer mornings and evenings—as if in a scene from a dream. Although the Mugenkyo Gorge ferry normally runs only from morning to evening, this tour features special yakatabune boats that operate at night. The illumination of the yakatabune boats will give the nighttime Mugenkyo Gorge an even more mystical appearance. You will also enjoy a meal that is often served at times of celebration in this region, prepared with lots of local ingredients and traditional dishes.
On both the Tadami Line and Mugenkyo Gorge tours, you will be loaned a tablet with video and audio features that can provide multilingual guidance for your convenience, and you will stay at a guesthouse renovated from an old private residence.
Packed with rare content, these tours offer deep experiences of the culture of the Oku-Aizu region.
-
Kumano Food and Culture Branding Promotion Project: Experience the Essence of the Kumano Faith and Savor the Bounties of Nachi-Katsuura
This program is a chance to spend a meaningful time at Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine, Seigantoji Temple, and Nachi-Katsuura Nigiwai Market.
- After the shrine gates are officially closed, head to the World Heritage Site Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine for a special nighttime visit in the hushed atmosphere. Afterwards, enjoy a premium dinner in the shrine precincts, with dishes and tableware that express the world of the Kumano mandala. After dinner, listen to a sacred dedication and savor local Kumano sake made from the holy waters of Nachi Falls.
- Experience a tea ceremony in Heian costume in the tea room at the World Heritage Site of Seigantoji Temple. This is the first time this tea room has been opened to the public, and it overlooks the three-story pagoda and Nachi Falls. Experience Kumano Shugen by viewing the hidden Buddha statues of Fudarakusanji Temple, learn about the essence of the Kumano faith through a Kumano mandala painting session, and participate in a ceremony at Gyojado Hall, which took 150 years to construct.
- You'll also go to Nachi-Katsuura Nigiwai Market. This market, which is attached to the Katsuura Tuna Market, serves fresh raw tuna from Katsuura, masterfully prepared on the spot by locals. This is a rare and delicious opportunity to appreciate fresh-caught whole tuna.
-
Train with the Last of the Ninja: Nindo Demonstration and Training by a Genuine Agatsuma Sanada Ninja
Experience training under an authentic Agatsuma Sanada ninja in Higashi-Azuma.
The training is supervised by Master Jinichi Kawakami, who currently holds a 10th dan in the art of nindo, the highest rank in Japan, and who is an advisor to the Japan Ninja Council. Master Iyoku Matsukaze of the Sanada Ninja Arts Research Association, the only remaining master of Agatsuma Sanada ninja and a descendant of the Sanada ninja, will lead you through a genuine ninja training experience.
The implements used in technical demonstrations and training include authentic ninja tools from a time when ninjas were still active in Japan.
Learn the basics of ninja and Sanada ninja—etiquette, basic physical techniques, walking techniques, ninjutsu, ninja staff techniques, kuji symbolism, shuriken (throwing stars), and more—over the course of two days.
In the early morning, you will experience the sunrise at Mount Iwabitsu, a mountain once revered by the Agatsuma Sanada ninja, and be awarded Nindo Level 2 as proof that you have completed all of your ninja duties.
Only in Higashi-Azuma can visitors learn from the descendants of the real Agatsuma Sanada ninja and experience ninja training using real ninja gear! -
Yamaguchi City Ouchi Culture Experience Tours: Yamaguchi Gion Festival Course and Yamaguchi Tanabata Chochin Festival Course
Enjoy the Yamaguchi Gion Festival, one of the three major festivals in Yamaguchi, and the Yamaguchi Tanabata Chochin Festival, one of the three major fire festivals in Japan, both of which have links to the Ouchi clan.
The Yamaguchi Gion Festival Course is a special experience plan that includes explanations by the chief priest of Yasaka Jinja Shrine on the eve of the festival, and a chance to take part in rituals that are not normally available to the public, such as carrying a portable shrine. Enjoy a meal and local Yamaguchi sake while watching the festival from special seating.
The Yamaguchi Tanabata Chochin Festival Course is a special experience plan that allows participants to interact with locals through activities like lighting lanterns and carrying a portable shrine.
The Onari Procession Experience Plan features an event based around the Ouchi clan—powerful daimyo lords in western Japan who built a cultural sphere to rival Kyoto using the wealth they gained through trade with Ming China around the fifteenth century. This reproduction of the Onari procession and banquet is based on Japan’s largest banquet of the Medieval period, which was held on March 5, 1500, when Ouchi Yoshioki entertained Ashikaga Yoshitane, the former shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate. At this event, a total of about 20 people, representing the shogun, Ouchi clan members, and the shogun's entourage, will wear Muromachi period costumes, ride horses, and take part in a parade through designated Ouchi cultural areas. Afterwards, you can enjoy a traditional banquet at Yuda Sansuien Garden. Dine on a Ouchi-gozen meal while watching traditional entertainment, as if you yourself were at this historical banquet. This is your opportunity to become a shogun and truly immerse yourself in the Ouchi culture of Japan’s Medieval period.
This is a comfortable tour that comes with a nationally licensed guide-interpreter, a tour guide, and private car. -
First Rocket Public Viewing of the Launch Site! Enjoy Southern Wakayama Prefecture and Feel the awesome power of the rocket launch with your closest seats to the launch.
This tour combines new with old, with the latest in rocket technology and the unique heritage sites of the Kii Peninsula and Kumano.
That’s even more things to do and enjoy your experiences longer in southern Wakayama Prefecture!
(1) Premier seating for the rocket launch
The rocket, KAIROS, will be launching from the first private launch site. You will watch the rocket that is attracting worldwide attention and was mentioned by Elon Musk from the special viewing seats that are not part of the official viewing area.
Four viewing locations are available:
- From the sea on a chartered cruise
- From a private hot spring room for two
- From the World Heritage Kumano Kodo trail
- At close range to experience the full sound and power of the rocket launch
(2) Optional tours to make the most of local World and cultural heritage sites before and after the launch
Enjoy a dinner prepared by a Michelin-starred restaurant chef, participate in a party to eat “gibier” cuisine at a place of natural monuments, attend a special temple opening with a fire ritual held by the abbot of a World Heritage temple, or create and launch your very own original rocket.
Video interpreting systems will be available in conjunction with English, Mandarin, and Cantonese interpreter-guides to provide services in a maximum of 13 languages.
(3) Special tour behind the scenes of the launch site
During non-launch periods, visitors can tour the restricted first private launch site and see a rocket-related exhibition before it opens to the public with an expert guided tour.