Traditions
Area
Season
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Famous Kyoto Temples in Collaboration with the Producers of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai
2nd Japan Annual-International Art Festival Special Program
A special experience awaits at Kyoto's famous temples, where tradition and innovation intersect. The 2nd Japan Annual-International Art Festival will span a range of artistic fields, including contemporary art, digital art, and sustainable art. It will feature exhibitions that pave the way for the future of Japanese art, as well as performances of traditional performing arts such as Noh theater, Kabuki theater, and Gagaku courtly music. Of particular note are three high value-added experience programs created by the producers of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
Kodaiji Temple: Special Tea Ceremony Program with Hiroshi Ishiguro's AVITA Avatar
Experience the encounter between 1,000 years of history and modern technology through a tea ceremony with avatars mixed with projection mapping.
Ninnaji Temple: Special Jazz Concert by Sachiko Nakajima
Sachiko Nakajima embodies the fusion of mathematics and music. This special concert offers a new musical experience in a traditional temple space.
Sennyu-ji Temple: Folding Screen Art Creation Workshop
Experience the Japan's unique culture of dedication by creating art in a traditional temple.
These programs offer one-of-a-kind experiences in which Japanese culture intersects with modern technology. Enjoy these special activites woven from history and art. -
Art Tourism Hyogo: One-Day Tour of Famous Architecture and Art from Kobe to Ashiya
The highlight of this tour is a private guided visit to KH Gallery Ashiya, the former private residence and gallery of Hiroko Koshino, a world-renowned fashion designer. The residence was designed by the acclaimed architect Tadao Ando. As such, this space is a unique collaboration between two of Japan's leading artists.
Visit the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, the only museum in Japan specializing in carpentry tools, and experience firsthand the craftsmanship of Japanese carpenters. Walk down Kobe Museum Road and see the lines of sculptures by famous Japanese artists, and visit the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, one of the largest Tadao Ando buildings in western Japan. A local host with a deep knowledge of art, architecture, and the culture of Hyogo Prefecture will serve as your tour guide.
Since Kobe cuisine includes food from both mountain and sea, you are sure to enjoy the region's culinary culture at the specially-prepared dinner at KOBE KITANO TERRASSE, a restaurant with a spectacular view of the city of Kobe. Your meal will feature French cuisine using ingredients related to Hyogo Prefecture.
Quench your thirst for knowledge through the art, culture, nature, and architecture of Hyogo Prefecture.
An English interpreter will be on hand at all times to assist. All tours are conducted by private tour cars. -
Memory, Moment, Kyoto
These World Heritage temples in Kyoto can be reserved especially for you to spend quality time away from the crowds.
How will you spend your time? Choose from three World Heritage temples: Daigo-ji Temple, Ninnaji Temple, and Ryoan-ji Temple.
For this experience, a Buddhist monk will guide you on an exclusive tour to see some places that are not usually accessible to the public.
This tour provides a private temple visit and a special experience unlike any other. -
Osaka Great Sky Art Fireworks: A Spectacular Fireworks Event Synchronized to Music
Excellent and easy access. Osaka Art Fireworks is a huge fireworks event that can accommodate 20,000 people. There are four special experiences to accompany the fireworks.
Cruiser Fireworks Viewing Plan / Limited to 100 people
View the fireworks from a yacht. Limited to 10 to 20 people per vessel. Don't just watch the fireworks on land—watch from the comfort of a special vantage point on the water! This area is known for having one of the best sunsets in Japan, and watching a beautiful ocean sunset followed by fireworks by boat is a truly exceptional experience.
Japanese Cuisine x Hot Springs x Fireworks Plan / Limited to 10 groups
Enjoy a local lunch course at Fudoguchikan, a long-established traditional Japanese inn, and bathe in a hot spring with a view of autumn leaves. After lunch, head to the venue and enjoy watching the fireworks from special reserved seating. A free shuttle bus service will be running from the restaurant to the fireworks venue.
Fireworks x Stay Plan / Limited to 3 pairs
This plan allows you to view the fireworks from a guest room located within the venue, the JYUBAKO mobile house as designed by architect Kengo Kuma. Enjoy a barbecue while glamping in comfort using Japan's very own Snow Peak camping gear. After enjoying the glorious sunset, watch the fireworks from the privacy of your guest room. Includes two meals per overnight stay.
Fireworks x Pyrotechnician Commentary Plan / Limited to 100 people
A one-hour seminar by a pyrotechnician accompanied by video footage will be held at Ochi Arena near the fireworks venue. This is a great opportunity to expand your knowledge of Japanese fireworks traditions before watching the fireworks. English translations are available. A souvenir senshu towel from Osaka's Senshu region, renowned for nearly 130 years of making craft Japanese towels, is included. -
Karate Tourism: The 52nd Japan Cup Karate-do Championships Premium Tour / Rising Sun Karate Spectacle
The 52nd Japan Cup Karate-do Championships Premium Tour!
The tour includes exclusive seats at the 52nd Japan Cup Karate-do Championships to be held at the Nippon Budokan on December 8, 2024, for an unprecedented and special experience. These seats will allow spectators to watch from a location normally only accessible to staff and affiliates of the tournament. The premium tour will allow participants to observe the athletes' warm-up routine, which is not open to the public, and take a commemorative photo with the winner's cups (the emperor’s cup and the empress’s cup).
Rising Sun Karate Spectacle
In January, 2025, a new karate demonstration event will be held at the Kyoto Budo Center (formerly known as Butokuden), the oldest martial arts demonstration hall in Japan. This event will feature kata, a designated series of defensive and offensive karate movements, demonstrated by first class karate players.
During the event, there will also be a hands-on tour for visitors interested in karate and Japanese martial arts. The tour is a one-day experience that includes training under the guidance of actual karate players, a karate workshop, and trying out Japanese swords, and other elements of Japanese culture.
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Joetsu's World-Class Nighttime Economy
This event will be held at the Kobayashi Kokei Residence, a designated National Important Cultural Property. The parlor will open its doors to 20 guests per night for an exclusive Japanese meal using locally produced ingredients. Drinks will include Japanese sake and Yukimuro wine, a highly sought-after rarity. The garden will be artfully illuminated, and guests can enjoy their meal while listening to live music performed by an orchestra from Joetsu City. This is a fun, content-packed experience for visitors to Japan.
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Lake Biwa Sunset & Fireworks Dinner Cruise
Make your very own fireworks at the Kakinoki fireworks workshop in the city of Nagahama on the northern shore of Lake Biwa, the largest and oldest lake in Japan.
This experience includes commentary by Hiroyuki Kakinoki, an award-winning pyrotechnician who has won awards at fireworks festivals throughout Japan.
After making the fireworks, you will select a kimono to wear, take a stroll around the traditional streets, and finally board a yakatabune boat for a sunset cruise along Lake Biwa.
A fireworks-themed Italian dinner using a variety of ingredients from Shiga Prefecture has been specially created for this sunset cruise.
For the finale, enjoy a premium, one-of-a-kind fireworks display that feature the fireworks you created earlier!
This is your chance to truly appreciate Japan’s fireworks traditions and the scenery of Lake Biwa. -
A Unique Artisanal Experience
Tsubame-Sanjo is home to many of Japan's leading artisans.
The entire town functions like a single historical workshop that continues to produce tools essential for daily life, using traditions passed down from the days of old.
Experience this town of craftspeople and witness the amazing handiwork of these artisanal masters firsthand. Become an artisan for a day in your very own workshop, explore the story of Japanese manufacturing and utility in daily life, and enjoy a bike ride along the Shinano River. You certainly won't find this extraordinary crafting journey in a guidebook!
The tour begins with a visit to an iconic 85-year-old vacant warehouse where you will learn about the region’s history.
You will then depart from the warehouse and go for a bike ride through the streets of Tsubame-Sanjo, where you can enjoy the Shinano River breeze against your skin.
Finally, create your own personalized kitchen knife engraved with your name, or perhaps your very own original frying pan at a blacksmith's forge with over a century of history. You will learn specialized techniques from a master artisan to complete your project.
The methods you learn to create lightweight and easy-to-use utensils that last a lifetime will surely leave lasting memories. -
Travel to the Heart of Sumo Wrestling
This high value-added experience centers on THE SUMO HALL HIRAKUZA OSAKA and the neighboring regions. Guests can experience the secret origins of sumo, the way of the warrior that is bushido, dedications to the gods, historical and cultural farming rituals, ancient Japanese forms of entertainment, and present-day sumo matches.
(1) Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture: Experience the legend of the wrestling match with Taima-no-Kehaya, considered the origin of sumo wrestling. See the dedicated ring and rituals to predict the harvest at sumo tourism center Kehaya-za, and watch local sumo take pride in strength. You can also try some sumo cuisine (known as chanko) as you learn about the relationship between rural life, climate, and local production and consumption in an antique restaurant with commentary from sumo wrestlers.
(2) Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture: Learn about the relationship between sumo wrestling as a Shinto ritual and local food culture, including the importance of sake, rice, and salt, at the Nadagogo Brewers Association and the restricted ozeki’s special facility Seiwakan. Special sake tasting and various other activities will also be on offer for participants on this tour.
(3) Osaka City, Osaka: Traditional sumo wrestler training experience
A high-value-added experience that educates participants on sumo wrestling and its relationship with Osaka. Learn all about the traditional sacred grounds of the sumo world, which play an important role for wrestlers training their physical and mental strength and cultivating their competitive spirit. You can also witness post-fight rituals such as bow-twirling, along with other aspects of traditional Japanese culture. This experience is brought to you by former professional sumo wrestlers have appeared on NETFLIX and others with extensive sumo experience. THE SUMO HALL HIRAKUZA OSAKA will be reserved exclusively for this event. -
Revealing the Shaka Nyorai Buddha Statue of the Inner Sanctuary and the Western Pagoda of the Shakyamuni Hall
In the spirit of Tendai Buddhism's "Light Up Your Corner," which advocates becoming a positive influence in your corner of the world, Mt. Hiei's Enryakuji Temple will be hosting an annual interdenominational religious summit for world peace. This year, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Enryakuji Temple's registration as a World Heritage site, a special exhibition will be held for the first time in seven years in the Shakyamuni Hall, the temple's oldest extant building. The previous public viewing of the cloistered statue of Shaka Nyorai Buddha—33 years after its initial opening—was attended by over 100,000 people.
This time, in addition to the revealing of the main statue of Shaka Nyorai in the inner sanctuary, there will also be a special DANDELION PROJECT exhibition, a participatory art project by artist Ryotaro Muramatsu based on the idea of connecting the world with transcendental prayers for peace. Stand in front of the DANDELION art installation amidst the soft candlelit interior of the Shakyamuni Hall and blow dandelion seeds carrying prayers for peace along the wall through projection mapping. Experience a new world of Buddhism through the latest in digital art technology at the Enryakuji Temple's oldest building.
Enryakuji Temple has long sent messages of peace to connect people. Now it will preserve history and transmit this desire for peace to the next generation through art, which is capable of communicating beyond words.