Take your tastebuds on an 11-day culinary journey through Japan’s most delicious hotspots, relishing the flavours of the land of the rising sun. Uncover the secrets of sushi in Tokyo, pick local produce with an expert in Kanazawa, feast on plant-based monastic cuisine in Koya-san, meet local farmers in Uji and go on a food crawl in Osaka. Take part in cooking classes, cooking demonstrations and market visits, feasting on local delights along the way. From temples to tempura, shrines to sashimi, seafood markets to sake breweries, you’ll join a local leader on a food-focused adventure that has all the best Japanese ingredients.
- It’s true – Japanese people take incredible pride in their cuisine. Explore a country where food is taken seriously, all the way from the station tonkatsu restaurant to a high-end sushi establishment.
- Snack on awesome and adventurous street food in the unofficial culinary capital of Osaka and master the skill behind making the famous takoyaki (octopus and pickled ginger in batter).
- Travel by Shinkansen to the Japanese Alps and taste succulent wagyu beef in the 17th-century Edo period town of Takayama – the definition of a melt-in-your-mouth moment.
- Discover the traditions, culture and history behind tea in Kyoto during a private ceremony with a long-time practitioner of this art with your small group.
- Venture into mountainous Koya-san, spending the night in a monastery and discovering shojin ryori – a traditional vegetarian Buddhist meal with over 800 years of history.
- Venture into mountainous Koya-san, spending the night in a monastery and discovering shojin ryori – a traditional plant-based Buddhist meal with over 800 years of history.
- Learn the tricks of the trade when you take part in a hands-on sushi-making class in Tokyo, pick local produce from the market before a cooking class in Kanazawa and make your own okonomiyaki in Osaka.
- Meet local farmers during a day trip from Kyoto to Uji, the home of green tea production. Tour the green tea and matcha farms, enjoy a hot cuppa, then tour a vegetable farm full of fresh, organic produce.
- When you’re not busy eating, enjoy iconic experiences like wandering the streets of Tokyo, Kenroku-en garden in Kyoto, the glowing signs of Osaka’s Dotonbori district, learning Buddhist history in Koya-san and walking through Kyoto’s Gion district.
- Feast on delicious Japanese cuisine, from street food to restaurant favourites – including ekiben, sushi, matcha, takoyaki, okonomiyaki and fresh seafood.
- Sip on sake, the national drink of Japan, during a visit to a local sake brewery in Kyoto. Learn how sake is made and maybe even pick up a bottle (or two) to take home.
- By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Eden Reforestation Projects. Donations help them provide local employment opportunities and tackle climate change one tree at a time as they restore forests across 10 different countries.
- RYOKANS & MINSHUKUS
- Japanese-style accommodation - ryokans or minshukus (traditional inn/guesthouse) involve sleeping on futons or matresses on tatami mat floors, with bedding often packed away during the day. Attached bathrooms/toilets will usually be very small and many will only have shared bathing facilities with certain hours, or times available for booking at reception. Your leader will explain etiquette involved in using the shared facilities. As this style of accommodation will often not have furniture (ie. chairs or beds) in the rooms, please consider choosing a different trip style in Japan if you have difficulty getting up from the floor or have knee, hip or back issues. Some establishments may have a curfew when travellers need to be back in the accommodation - this is usually around midnight. Please also be aware that you would normally be required to change to slippers when entering into your room in such properties. Extra fees will be charged if dirty marks are left on their beddings or towels that require professional cleaning.
