Culture and Cuisine in Japan

Upon landing in Tokyo, your private car and driver will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Hotel: Aman Tokyo

This morning, you accompany a local guide on a visit to the world-famous Tokyo's Tsukiji Outer Market, filled with traditional shops and excellent sushi restaurants. While the iconic inner wholesale fish market has been relocated to Toyosu, the outer market remains a lively center for visitors and locals alike, who congregate to enjoy delicious food and shop for local specialties. You then enjoy a fresh sushi breakfast in a local restaurant – the best way to start a trip in Japan! From Tsukiji, you will walk to Hamarikyu, a garden in a former private villa of a powerful feudal lord during the Edo period. While the garden’s wide collection of seasonal flowers make it one of the most visited in Tokyo, it is best known for its attractive teahouse, Nakajima-no-Ochaya. After tea, you will take a scenic river cruise to Asakusa, a part of Tokyo’s Old Town, filled with many traditional shops. This is the city’s oldest Geisha district and also home to Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple. After lunch here, you will continue walking to Kappabashi, also known as Kitchenware Town, a neighborhood filled with specialty stores. The last stop is in Ueno’s Ameyoko-cho, a former black market that sprang up after WWII. It is now a bustling shopping alley filled with food stalls that make it a great place to try local snacks.

Hotel: Aman Tokyo

Begin the day with a hands-on culinary adventure – a soba-making workshop at a cooking studio in Tokyo’s Tsukiji area. The class will be held by either Akila Inouye, founder and Master Chef of the Tsukiji Soba Academy, or one of the academy’s graduates. After a short demonstration by the sobatician, you will prepare the wheat mixture, work the dough and cut the noodles. At the end of the lesson, you will cook the soba and dine with the class. The rest of your afternoon is free. Relax at the hotel or discover the busy streets of Shibuya (scramble crossing), visit the fashion mecca of Harajuku or explore another neighborhood in Yanaka. An optional evening tour heads into the lively street food scene of Tokyo. It’s an exciting trip across some of the hidden gems that can only be found with the help of a local expert. The guide will escort you through tiny izakayas (Japanese-style pubs) and small traditional restaurants and bars – four or five venues in all – each showcasing distinctive atmospheres in heart of the traditional Japanese entertainment districts.

Hotel: Aman Tokyo

Today, you make the journey to Takayama, a small town nestled high in the Hida Alpine region of Gifu Prefecture. The first leg of the trip will be on a bullet train that can reach speeds of up to 160 mph. Next is the express train Wide View, which offers one of the most scenic train journeys in Japan. Spend some time strolling in Takayama’s downtown, where the streets are lined with century-old merchant homes and sake breweries. Stop into one of the breweries for a taste or try the famous Hida beef sushi in one of the food stalls. In Takayama, you experience a stay in a ryokan – the traditional Japanese-style inn furnished with low tables and chairs, sliding shoji doors and tatami flooring.

Hotel: Ryokan Tanabe

Explore some of the food shops in Takayama with a knowledgeable guide, learning about the town’s colorful history and treating your taste buds with local delicacies. The walking tour includes visits to a tofu seller, a rakugan shop (traditional Japanese candies), and a sake brewery. Food and sake tastings are also included. At noon, you take the bus to Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses. Gassho-zukuri means "constructed like hands in prayer," which is represented through the farmhouses' steep thatched roofs. This architectural style developed over many generations. The roofs were constructed without any nails and are intricately designed to withstand large amounts of snow.

Hotel: Ryokan Tanabe

Take one last soak in the onsen or hot springs before starting the journey to Japan’s cultural capital of Kyoto – home to around 2,000 shrines and temples, including 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In the evening, enjoy a Taste of Gion food tour in Kyoto’s Gion district. Its historic cobblestone streets are lined with traditional, narrow, wooden buildings known as machiya, teahouses known as ochaya, and traditional shops selling local specialities. Meet your guide in front of Minami-za, the historic kabuki theatre along the bank of the Kamo River in Shijo. The first stop is a small restaurant in the northern end of Gion, where guests will encounter a sophisticated yet homey atmosphere. Enjoy several Kyoto-style dishes that highlight the seasonal nature of Japanese cooking. Chat with the staff as the food is prepared, and learn why a meal in Kyoto is just as much about conversation as it is about the cuisine. The stroll to the next location takes in the illuminated Shirokawa River and the charming Tatsumibashi Bridge. You may also see finely attired geisha darting along the winding streets to their entertainment venues. The second stop is another cozy Gion restaurant, one where the locals come to unwind later in the evening. Here, you dive deeper into Kyoto cuisine, discovering the fresh vegetables, rich tofu and smooth dashi fish broth that Kyoto is known for. No food adventure is complete without dessert, and the decision for the final stop is up to the guests: a delightful traditional sweet known as dango or a refreshing green tea ice cream.

Hotel: Aman Kyoto

Today, you explore the former imperial capital with a knowledgeable local guide, utilizing Kyoto’s comprehensive bus system to visit some of the city’s World Heritage Sites. Start with a visit to the ornamental Nijo Castle, which was originally built to serve as the private villa of a powerful feudal lord. The main building was completed in the early 1600s and has since then been known for its Momoyama-style architecture, decorated sliding doors and “chirping nightingale” floors. Next on the list is the serene Ryoan-ji Temple. It is known to be the Myoshinji School of the Rinzai Buddhist sect and is famous for its well-maintained rock garden. Within walking distance from here is the stunning golden pavilion collectively known as Kinkaku-ji Temple. The grounds are relatively smaller than those in most temples and shrines in Kyoto, but what’s impressive is the pavilion that is completely covered in handmade gold leaves. We then travel to Kiyomizu-dera near Mount Otowa. This Buddhist temple is famous for its wooden veranda standing 45 feet tall, built without the use of any nails. It offers breathtaking views, especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom or when the leaves change color in fall. End your tour with a stroll along the busy streets of Higashiyama District, a collection of narrow alleyways lined with stores, souvenir shops and small eateries.

Hotel: Aman Kyoto

Set off on a Kyoto food tour guaranteed to please. Join a local guide and head to Nishiki – a covered mile-long food market – for an introduction into the world of Japanese cuisine. Browse the food stalls for local ingredients and spices. Your guide will explain how these items are used in authentic Japanese dishes and will help you select your fresh ingredients for the day's cooking class. Enjoy a sake tasting upon arrival at the machiya (traditional wooden townhouse), learning about the process of brewing this traditional alcohol and sampling different varieties. Then it’s time to start cooking. Step into the kitchen and join a local expert for a fun, interactive culinary experience. Learn to make rolled sushi, miso soup and fruit salad using traditional techniques and hear about the dining habits of the Japanese people. After this delicious, home-cooked dinner, you will head out to explore Kyoto’s nightlife or return to the hotel.

Hotel: Aman Kyoto

Home to more than 100 temples, Koyasan has been the center of the Shingon Buddhism sect for over 1,200 years. Koyasan and its vicinity is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The journey to Koyasan is one of the highlights of the visit, with the final ascent being on a cable car, which offers one of the most scenic journeys in Japan as it winds its way up the mountains. Meet your guide at Koyasan Station and spend the afternoon exploring a couple of popular sites that will lend insight into Japanese Buddhism. Visit Kongobu-ji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism and home to Japan’s largest rock garden. On rare occasions, guests might witness a small group of worshippers led by a monk chanting some scripts in front of the temple. Continue on to Okuno-in, Japan’s largest cemetery, which holds the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi. The classic approach starts from Ichinohashi Bridge and stretches up to a mile or so, filled with more than 200,000 tombstones that belong to feudal lords and prominent monks. Gokusho Offering Hall, Torodo Hall of Lanterns and Kobo Daishi’s Mausoleum are located at the end of the trail. Afterward, your guide will escort you to the shukubo (temple lodge), where traditional Buddhist cuisine is served.

Hotel: Ren’gejo-in Temple

Immerse yourself in the calming chants of the monks for the Morning Prayer inside the prayer hall of Koyasan. Prayers are in Japanese but some priests provide a simple explanation in English at the end of the ceremony. Then, you proceed to the dining room for a shojin ryori breakfast. The rest of the morning is free to further explore Koyasan before departing for Osaka, Japan’s Kitchen Capital. Osaka’s flamboyance, fun-loving people and amazing food are the highlights of the city.

Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka

Today’s tour showcases Osaka and its epicurean delights. Luckily, the motto that the city’s exuberant inhabitants live by is kuidaore – “to eat oneself bankrupt.” The first stop will be to try a new style of tempura in an eatery tucked away in a small alleyway. Old favorites such as shrimp tempura and more experimental combinations such as asparagus tempura and cheese can be found on the menu. Next, you head to a restaurant specializing in wagyu beef dishes. Often referred to as the most expensive beef in the world, wagyu beef is of superb quality, and part of many gourmet wish lists. Enjoy the melt-in-the-mouth textures with a refreshing cocktail. After walking around the atmospheric backstreets, your final stop will be a small teppanyaki restaurant to try some delicious gyoza and negiyaki cooked on a metal plate right in front of dining guests.

Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka

Today is a day at leisure until your return flight home departs from Kansai International Airport.