Traditions
Area
Season
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Get to Know the Gods and History of Nikko through Traditional Japanese Cultural Experiences and a World Heritage Theater Form
Nikko City is proud to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "The Shrines and Temples of Nikko" is a World Heritage Site that includes not only the beautiful well-known buildings of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Nikkosan Rinnoji Temple, and Nikko Futarasan Jinja Shrine, but also the cultural landscape formed by the surrounding natural environment. During the quarter century since it was registered as a World Heritage Site, it has been visited by many visitors, both from Japan and overseas. December 4, 2024, will mark the 25th anniversary of its registration. An Executive Committee for the 25th Anniversary of World Heritage Registration was even established to make this commemorative year a more exciting one, with various celebratory plans underway. Visitors will enjoy experiences linked to the historical significance and background of the various shrines and temples in Nikko, as well as traditional Japanese performing arts such as Kabuki, and dramatic readings that offer insight into Japan’s modern anime culture.
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Enjoy Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints and Edomae-Style Sushi After a Private Viewing at the Sumida Hokusai Museum
The tour includes an early-morning private viewing (an experience that is not usually available) at the Sumida Hokusai Museum, a museum established by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. During this viewing, a curator and English-speaking professional guide will explain the ukiyo-e woodblock prints on display. Afterwards, a professional folding screen artisan from Tokyo’s only folding screen specialty store will guide you through the making of an ukiyo-e folding screen and give a talk on the history of folding screens used in Japanese daily life and culture. This will be conducted at MARUGEN 100, a less crowded area of the Sumida Hokusai Museum. You'll be able to take home a karakuri-byobu folding paper screen as a souvenir. Later, enjoy Edomae-style nigiri sushi made by a sushi chef from Sumida City, the birthplace of nigiri, using ingredients shipped directly from Toyosu Fish Market. This will be an unprecedented combination of Edo art, culture, and culinary tradition, and a very fun, content-packed experience for visitors to Japan.
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Premium Tour Featuring the Traditional Performing Art of Kyogen at Muroji, A Temple Famous for Extraordinary Autumn Foliage
Avoid the crowds and enjoy a relaxing experience of the superb autumn foliage in Japan's ancient capital of Nara!
Built about 1,400 years ago, Muroji Temple is the only temple of Koyasan that permitted women to visit since ancient times. It is popular as a secluded spot for viewing the autumn leaves in Nara.
This year, for the first time, Muroji Temple will open its main hall—a national treasure normally closed to the public—as a stage for a premium tour that includes a performance of Kyogen theater, one of Japan's classic performing arts, presented by the Izumi school.
In addition to the main hall, visitors will be guided by a priest on a special night tour of the temple grounds, which includes national treasures like the Kondo (main hall) and a five-story pagoda. They will then be treated to a performance of Kyogen by Motoya Izumi, the 20th generation headmaster of the Izumi school, who performs both in Japan and overseas. A special dinner plan showcasing Nara's traditional vegetables (available Nov. 25–26), and a plan featuring a performance by Japan's only female Kyogen performers (Nov. 23–24) will also be available—a fitting performance for Muroji Temple and its strong affiliation with women.
A month-long autumn foliage festival and illumination event will be held starting November 1. Come and enjoy the beautiful autumn leaves and appreciate the essence of traditional Japanese culture. -
ONE Ariake Art Festival 2024
ONE Ariake Art Festival is an area-based art project in the Ariake Rim area. The aim of the project is to rediscover the charms and challenges of the region and connect the rich culture of Ariake with the importance of living with abundant nature. Many of the projects are nature conservation activities in the Ariake Sea and creative activities for children and people with disabilities.
The theme is “Diversification of Local Resources.” The festival combines the unique culture of the Kankai Ariake region—the art, craftsmanship, sports, food, drinks, and tea that have been cultivated over the generations—to create new experiences, products, and values.
1. ACTIVATE ART+KOGEI: HAGAKURE - Freedom & Passion exhibition
2. ACTIVATE ART+KOGEI: Flowers & Vases + Sake & Sake Vessels + Art from Kyushu exhibition
3. Industrial remnants art and traditional art networks
4. Hizen Hamajuku Autumn Kurakura Festival: Hizen Hamashuku Pickle Store Tazo (Concert + Art + Sake)
5. First international standup paddleboard (SUP) qualifying tournament and parent-child SUP tournament held in Ariake Sea + art (children's art workshop, art for people with disabilities)
6. Ariake Sea round-the-world cycling event
7. Ariake Sea beach clean-up -
Dance the Traditional Bon Odori in Nagarekawa
Immerse yourself in Japanese festival traditions through Bon Odori dance. This event includes instruction in how to perform the Bon Odori dance, as well as assistance in dressing in a rental yukata, a light kimono that is popular at summer festivals. There will also be a booth where you can write prayers from Hiroshima for world peace on strips of paper. Professional interpreters will be present at the event.
The Hashigo-zake tour and Hiroshima bar district tour will also be available in conjunction with this Bon Odori dance program.
The Hiroshima bar district tour allows participants to enjoy drinking and dining at restaurants around Nagarekawa at discounted rates. A tour-specific map and tickets will be provided to make getting around very easy. Each location has English menus for participants' ease and enjoyment.
The Hashigo-zake tour is a guided tour of the food establishments around the Nagarekawa area. You will be guided through the history and culture of Nagarekawa as you navigate its alleyways and shrines. Enjoy all-new dishes made with local Hiroshima produce with expert guides. -
FIRST-TIME KABUKI at Kyoto Station Building
Kabuki is one of Japan's leading forms of traditional theatrical performance. Its origins can be traced back to the early Edo period (early 17th century) when the Kabuki Odori dance was first performed in Kyoto.
First-Time Kabuki is a one-hour kabuki experience and explanation event for all first-time kabuki viewers. It concludes with the performance of a famous scene, set on the Gojo Bridge near Kyoto Station.
Come and enjoy the world of kabuki, a form of Japanese culture that has endured for over 400 years, in Kyoto—the birthplace of Kabuki!
(1) Kyoto Station venue means easy access!
(2) Night shows held daily at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.!
(3) Free rental for audio guides in English, Chinese, and Korean! -
Kenninji Temple, Kyoto: Premium night viewing in the refreshing cool of evening ZEN NIGHT WALK KYOTO
Premium night viewing at Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto
A special nighttime viewing will be held at Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto. During this event, visitors can experience the spirit of Zen by walking through the temple’s corridors while listening to ""neuro-music"" scientifically proven to relax the brain.
Sound Corridors: Neuro-music
Walk through the corridors of Kenninji Temple while listening to ""neuro-music."" This music relaxes the brain, leading to a more mindful state.
Daiyuen Garden - Sokai (Vast ocean)
A sea of clouds appears in Kenninji's dry landscape garden, the Daiyuen Garden, on cool summer nights. This sea of clouds complements the beauty and serenity of the garden as visitors listen to neuro-music.
Twin Dragons & Digital Twin Dragons
Kenninji's iconic Twin Dragons painting, combined with the latest in projection art. Contemporary artist Rei Wakita will use the latest technology to visualize the flow of the dragons’ energy.
Japanese Garden Sound-Art Night Walk
Enjoy art installations of sound and light while touring the corridors of extraordinary Japanese gardens: the Circle-Triangle-Square Garden, the Cho-on-tei Garden, and the Daiyuen Garden.
A truly special evening experience of sound and silence, light and shadow. Experience the fusion of contemporary art and technology while enjoying the history and beauty of Kenninji Temple. -
Tailored ascetic training experience at the World Heritage site of Mt. Hiei Enryakuji Temple
Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei is a religious institution that is renowned for producing famous monks, such as Honen and Shinran, from various schools of Japanese Buddhism. Many monks continue to engage in various forms of ascetic practices on the temple grounds.
The experience involves the following:
・ Participants will be guided by the chief priest (the current instructor of monks-in-training) of Enryakuji Temple, one of the most famous Buddhist monasteries in Japan and a World Heritage Site.
・ Each participant will speak with the chief priest, who will ask about their daily thoughts and worries to determine the most suitable training.
・ The training is identical to that practiced by many monks today:
- Circle the mountain in kaihogyo, an ascetic practice that has performed by monks at Mt.Hiei for the past 1100 years
- Practice seated hoto-zazen meditation while visualizing the 1,200-year ""eternal flame of Buddhism""
- Clean the temple grounds and dojo to clear your mind and attain a meditative state
- Recite the name of Amitabha Buddha in Amitabha samadhi, one of the four kinds of samadhi practiced on Mt. Hiei
In contrast to the tourist-oriented training experiences of the past, we offer an authentic training experience in which participants will attain new understanding and insights. -
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. -
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.