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Ultimate Wellness Tourism: Special experience of nature and history in Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park Three days of sports, hot springs, and food to nourish the body and soul
This tour offers the ultimate in wellness tourism, making the most of the amazing natural setting, sports resources, hot springs, and food in Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park. The goal is to help you achieve physical and mental wellbeing through amazing experiences unique to the Myoko area.
(1) Experience kurort walking, which allows you to control exercise stress and manage your body surface temperature during exercise. Enjoy aerobic exercise and strength training while walking and having fun in the great outdoors with a professional instructor.
(2) Take part in a refreshing underwater exercise program in a specially-booked hot spring training pool, to recover from fatigue.
(3) After learning the practical application of kurort walking, you can travel around sightseeing spots that are not part of existing courses (such as nationally registered Tangible Cultural Properties and some of the best waterfalls in Japan).
4) Courses by a master ""Onsen Sommelier"" available. You can also obtain the ""Onsen Sommelier"" qualification here.
(5) You will also be served healthy meals made from Myoko ingredients, as well as local cuisine, sushi, and more.
(6) Take the Setsugekka chartered resort sightseeing train and enjoy views of the Sea of Japan from the base of Mt. Myoko, while savoring dishes prepared by a local chef. (Depending on itinerary, others plans may not include this Setsugekka train ride.) -
Stay in Echizen and Try Your Hand at Making Hammered Blades and Japanese Umbrellas Under the Instruction of Traditional Artisans
Learn traditional crafts from craftsmen and artisans who have preserved and passed down the traditional industries of Fukui Prefecture's city of Echizen for generations. In this program, you will have the opportunity to make your own one-of-a-kind traditional craft items.
Learn how to make Echizen hammered blades from the artisan Takeshi Saji in a workshop not usually open to the public. Next, the artisan Naganobu Komamoto will teach you how to apply maki-e lacquer decoration to the handle to match the knife made in the workshop.
Artisans will also teach you the meticulous art of making Japanese umbrellas using Echizen washi paper.
Back at your accommodation, you can try your hand at cooking shabu-shabu using renowned Wakasa beef from Fukui Prefecture.
On each part of the tour, you will be accompanied by a professional interpreter.
Private hire cars are also available for transport from the meeting point and the accommodation. -
Interactive Study and Observation Tour of Wild Asiatic Black Bears and Exploring Traditional Japanese Perspectives on Nature, Past and Present
Since ancient times, Japanese people have believed that spirits reside in mountains, rivers, plants, and animals. Even today this belief can still be seen through wood carvings at shrines and sacred trees. One reason for this is that Japan is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis, and people have always tried to coexist with these natural disasters. Despite Japan’s relatively small size, the Asiatic black bear, a large and oftentimes threatening wild animal, has managed to avoid extinction and even live close to civilization.
This program starts with a visit to a long-standing shrine where participants learn about traditional Japanese perspectives on nature, which tend to differ from the views of monotheistic cultures. Next, they learn about the issues that residents of Karuizawa face with bears. Karuizawa is an area where people and bears live in close proximity to each other. Then, participants learn how the town of Karuizawa, in collaboration with the Picchio Wildlife Research Center, addresses issues caused by bears. They also get a chance to observe the world’s most advanced system of black bear conservation and management, which aims to enable humans and bears to coexist in harmony. Finally, they get the opportunity to observe, in person, one of the world's rarest black bear species. -
Hokuriku-Echizen Grandmaster Tour
The Hokuriku area is home to a large number of traditional folk crafts, 23 of which are nationally recognized. All have a long history, and have been carefully handed down to the present day.
The Tannan district in the Reihoku area of Fukui is truly unique, with five nationally designated traditional craft centers concentrated within 10 kilometers of each other. One such craft is Echizen washi paper, which has a 1,500-year history and is said to have been used by world-famous painters like Rembrandt and Picasso. Toyama is surrounded by the Tateyama mountain range, which provides easy access to high-quality timber, and many crafts that utilize wood have flourished there. Inami, a town known for sculptures, was recognized as a Japan Heritage site in 2018. Home to 36 traditional folk crafts, Ishikawa is also known as the “kingdom of crafts.” Ishikawa is particularly well known for its 10 traditional crafts specially designated by the Japanese government, and has it produced a remarkable number of artisans who are recognized as Living National Treasures.
Interact with the grandmasters of these nationally designated traditional crafts, whom tourists typically never get the opportunity to meet, and tour their workshops that are usually closed to the public. Enjoy a special dining experience in collaboration with area chefs which showcases local ingredients and makes use of the craft items crafted by these grandmasters. -
Tour for Luxury Tourists: “The Path of the Craftsman—A Journey Through the Heart of Japan”
This tour is an in-depth experience of traditional Japanese crafts, natural landscapes, and culinary culture unique to various areas. The following unique experiences will be offered in the Aichi, Gifu, and Kyoto Prefectures.
(1) Traditional folk craft experiences
- Ceramic art: Learn from the direct apprentice of a Living National Treasure at the Kobeigama Kiln for an authentic Japanese experience. This activity is exclusive to participants of this tour, and the items can be mailed back to your home countries at a later date.
- Small blade making: Try your hand at making a small blade in a workshop not usually open to the public in Seki, Gifu Prefecture. This experience is also exclusive to participants of this tour, and items can be mailed back to your home countries at a later date.
- Mino-washi papermaking: Learn from an artisan how to make hon-minoshi paper, a method which is registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
(2) Traditional scenery and accommodations
- Tour historical buildings: Visit traditional buildings in places like Gifu Prefecture's Takayama City, Mino City, and Shirakawa-go, as well as Kyoto Prefecture's Kyoto City. Enjoy strolling around and taking photos wearing a kimono.
- Traditional accommodations: Stay in select accommodations in old private homes built more than 130 years ago, or in machiya-style townhouses designated as Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese government. Enjoy an extraordinary experience in a truly special space.
(3) Culinary culture and seasonal produce
- Michelin Guide-listed restaurants: Enjoy dishes made with seasonal local ingredients, such as wild vegetables in spring, ayu (sweetfish) and eel in summer, matsutake mushrooms in fall, and wild game in winter. Accommodations can also be made for vegan or halal dining.
Participants will be accompanied by a guide from the region who is fluent in the participants' language, has extensive knowledge of the area, and who can provide a deeper understanding of Japanese culture. -
Chikuma City: Geisha Kimono Experience
At the height of the geisha culture that once flourished around Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen, there were more than 400 geisha in the area to entertain travelers.
Even today, a small number of geisha still entertain guests at traditional parties and geisha performances.
This event provides new entertainment value by combining geisha culture with different tourism resources.
The Geisha Train, a geisha dance performance inside a moving train. Special dinners where guests can enjoy local food and sake while experiencing traditional ozashiki (Japanese-style tatami room) parties. Facilities that are normally inaccessible will be opened to the public, and visitors will be able to try on kimono and take a bus tour dressed in kimono.
A large photo shoot will also be held in conjunction with the kimono experience, allowing participants to recreate photographs taken during the heyday of geisha culture, further promoting the culture, and preserving the experience for future generations. -
Tsuzawa Yotaka Andon Festival: Special spectator seating with delicious festive food as impressive lanterns clash
Held every year on the first Friday and Saturday nights of June, the Tsuzawa Yotaka Andon Festival is a historical festival that originated in the Edo period (1603–1867). During this event, illuminated lantern floats assembled from dengaku lanterns, dashi floats, and hanging lanterns crafted with bamboo and washi paper are paraded through the streets at night to the sound of taiko drums and cheering. The main attraction of the festival is the Toyama fighting lantern floats: giant lanterns that are 7 meters high and 12 meters long. The lanterns crash fiercely into one another, and the goal is to break the opponents floats.
Special up-close spectator seating has been made available to watch this powerful clash of lanterns. This unique experience also comes with a meal and beverages, including local sake. The second floor of the Oyabe Tsuzawa Andon Fureai Hall, located near where the clash is set to take place, will be decorated as a dedicated space for this two-day event, allowing visitors to take in the view at their leisure.
Visitors can also tour the town with an interpreter and guide in addition to the lantern float parade. Experience the area firsthand as you learn about the festival and the local community.
Workshops will be held to create lantern art by reusing parts of the lantern floats that have broken off in the collisions. These lantern floats were created especially for the festival, and they are filled with the passion of its participants. While the broken pieces originally would have been incinerated, they are instead recycled for the workshop where they will be transformed into one-of-a-kind artworks that you can take home with you. -
Echigo's Three Great Fireworks Festivals & Premium Niigata Dining Experience
This tour offers three special travel experiences. The first offers a private, dedicated viewing area for spectators to watch Echigo's three great fireworks displays by the sea, mountains, and river. The second offers dining packages at temples and other historical buildings, which are produced in collaboration between local and international award-winning chefs. The third is the option to add another special experience to go along with your tour.
The aim of this tour is to provide guests with a memorable, behind-the-scenes look at Japanese cultural traditions and cuisine.
[Special Fireworks Viewing]
- July 26 (Fri.): Japan's most beautiful fireworks display over the sea｜Gion Kashiwazaki Festival Sea Fireworks
- August 2 (Fri.), August 3 (Sat.): River fireworks｜The Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Show
- September 13 (Fri.), September 14 (Sat.): Mountain fireworks and "yonshakudama," the world's largest firework｜Katakai Fireworks Festival, Asahara Shrine Autumn Festival Dedication Fireworks
[Premium Dining]
- July 26 (Fri.): Restaurant Seroja (#31/Asian's 50 Best Restaurants) Chef Kevin Wong at Important cultural property old Hasegawa family housing
- August 1 (Thu.): South Korea's Top Chef Jeong Kwan at Chofukuji Temple (est. 1502)
- September 12 (Thu.): European Chef (TBC) at Historic Iizuka-tei Garden, Shukoen -
Bringing Japanese Arts and Crafts to the World - The Future of the Beauty of Craft: Vessels, Wrapping, and Decoration
This arts and crafts exhibition will be held between two venues in Tokyo and Kyoto to help share Japanese crafts with the world.
(1) Tokyo Venue Dates: July 4 (Thu.) to July 16 (Tue.), 2024 / Venue: TERRADA ART COMPLEX Ⅱ, BONDED GALLERY
(2) Kyoto Venue Dates: November 3 (Sun.) to November 5 (Tue.), 2024 / Venue: Kenninji Temple, Shoin (temple building)
(Admission is free for both venues. However, please note that the Kyoto venue has a separate admission fee to enter Kenninji Temple.)
The exhibitions are under the general supervision of Yuji Akimoto, the director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. They will offer visitors the opportunity to see works of Japanese art and crafts, especially those from Kyoto and the Hokuriku regions. The Kyoto exhibition in particular will be held in a special space within the temple that is not usually open to the public.
Selected exhibited works will also be available for purchase. -
Private boat cruise to enjoy the Imizu City earthquake relief fireworks and a bamboo-lit Uchikawa River night cruise with lion dancers
[July 28 (Sun.), 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Relief Fireworks Display: Charter Boat Viewing]
- This historical fireworks display has been held since the mid-1800s. Guests will be able to enjoy the show from a private fireworks viewing on board the sailing ship Kaiwomaru. Highlights include the Niagara fireworks fired from the Shinminato Bridge, which boast the world's largest vertical drop, and the underwater starmine fireworks.
[Uchikawa River Sightseeing in the Early Morning & Evening]
- Enjoy unique ryoshi-meshi (fishermen's dishes).
- Bamboo lighting will be installed along at various establishments along the Uchikawa River as part of earthquake relief efforts. Open-air cafes will also be available.
- Uchikawa sightseeing boats will operate at night with special foreign-language commentary. Guests can enjoy a private lion dance performance by torchlight at Riverside Station Shinminato.
[Exclusive Experiences for Inbound Travelers]
- Fireworks viewing VIP seats on sightseeing boats and the Kaiwomaru (Kimono rentals available upon request)
- Private nighttime lion dance experience (Connect with local residents through the lion dance)
- Glass shrimp fishery tour (Learn about the environmental efforts taken by local fishermen. Watch the sunrise and admire the magnificent Tateyama Mountain Range from Toyama Bay, the world's only glass shrimp fishery. Glass shrimp dishes will be served on board.)
- Exclusive overnight stay in a 150-year-old former merchant house