Traditions
Area
Season
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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. -
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. -
DIY Study Tour: Renovate a Genuine Old Folk Residence Passing on the Japanese Way of Life
This is a special tour of a traditional thatched folk house not usually accessible to visitors and built with multiple traditional Japanese techniques.
It is a chance to experience local activities, architecture, and home renovation techniques.
You can even try your hand at renovating the house yourself under the instruction of artisans, trained in the traditional skills of this community.
Hidetsugu Matogawa will be your thatching expert. Hidetsugu learned from local thatching artisans and performs thatched roof refurbishments throughout Japan.
Hajime Wilds will be your woodworker and carpenter. Hajime is well-versed in local traditional techniques, and he also studied design and woodworking in his father's hometown in the USA. He practices new spatial designs that blend traditional techniques.
Finally, Kyle Holzhueter will be your plasterer. Kyle holds a doctorate in natural materials research and gives workshops throughout Japan as a plasterer and builder.
This workshop in a thatched folk house helps to pass on living culture through the use of traditional tools. You will also be provided with a meal of shijimi soup, a traditional food of the region.
Immerse yourself in the beautiful morning scenery of Lake Shinji, then board a fishing boat to try your hand at clam fishing to get a feel for local efforts to protect fishery resources.
Each part of the trip will be guided by an experienced professional interpreter.
Private cabs are also available for transportation from your accommodation. -
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.