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<p><strong>Please note: due to the special focus of this tour on Japan&#39;s culinary heritage, which includes meat, fish, seafood, soy sauce, <em>miso</em>, and items made from wheat, we are unable to accommodate any dietary requests for this tour.</strong></p>

<p style="text-align:justify">This culinary journey visits famous locations like the ancient imperial capital of Kyōto, as well as hidden rural villages and culturally-unique Awaji Island in the fabled Inland Sea, where culinary traditions have been handed down from generation to generation. &nbsp;Foraging for wild ingredients, harvesting the bounty of the land, cooking with emblematic figures and alongside members of local communities, this culinary adventure will show you how food is one of the most intimate ways to uncover Japan&rsquo;s history and culture.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align:justify">Japan is blessed with rich natural products from <em>satoyama</em>, the border area between flat arable land where rice is grown and the mountains. Managed sustainably over centuries, <em>satoyama </em>areas&nbsp;are biologically diverse and support a wide variety of wildlife throughout four seasons, offering a great variety of dishes and regional specialities. Japanese cuisine&#39;s unique qualities are the product of a long tradition of respect for the harvest of ingredients, and for nature itself.</p>

<p style="text-align:justify">Food culture in Japan is also closely related to festivals and rituals, and reflects the way of life in each particular region. Travelling from mountain villages to fishing ports, staying in rural thatched-roof houses and dazzling cities, and experiencing the food and the culture, you will awaken your senses and share unforgettable moments with people you&rsquo;ll meet on your journey.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align:justify">Our adventure starts in Tōkyō and takes us to the local food market in Kanazawa, followed by then hunting for wild mountain vegetables in the village of Toga. Next, we travel to Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage Site, and Takayama, where we take in the beautifully preserved traditional architecture. In Sakai City in Ōsaka, an area famous for its steelwork, we learn about the art of Japanese knives and the forges that make them. We visit a fishing port on Awaji Island before heading to Uji where we learn more about Japan&#39;s unique tea culture and the origin of sencha tea. Our tour ends in Kyōto City, where we learn how to cook using the traditional method of an earth oven stove known as an okudo-san and explore central Kyōto.</p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Exclusive behind-the-scene experiences:</strong></p>
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<div class="float-wrapper"><img alt="Nakanishi-san (sake brewer)" class="float-image" height="999" src="https://static-oku.diqit.io/cdn-cgi/image/format=webp,quality=80/https://static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/ck-editor/nakanishisan_sake_brewer_web-1726215381048.jpg" width="1500" />
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<p><strong><em>Nakanishi-san (sake brewer) - Community-hosted lunch in Toga</em></strong></p>

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<p style="text-align:justify">Toga is a small village in Toyama prefecture. Nakanishi-san cultivates rice to brew <em>doburoku sake</em>, and he will take us foraging for seasonal produce. We&#39;ll call at villagers&#39; houses on the way, tasting some home-preserved <em>sansai</em>, or wild vegetables. The villagers will collaborate to produce a community-hosted lunch for us.</p>
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<div class="float-wrapper"><img alt="Chef Shinse" class="float-image" height="999" src="https://static-oku.diqit.io/cdn-cgi/image/format=webp,quality=80/https://static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/ck-editor/chef_shinse_awaji_island_web-1726215422177.jpg" width="1500" />
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<p><strong><em>Chef Shinse - Foodscape beach lunch on Awaji Island </em></strong></p>

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<p style="text-align:justify">Rendez-vous on the coast for the ultimate beach lunch experience! Your chef today is a real artist and will prepare his signature &#39;foodscape&#39;. Using locally harvested ingredients, he applies his inspiration to create an edible landscape that will delight all your senses.</p>
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<div class="float-wrapper"><img alt="Baba Cutlery Works" class="float-image" height="1000" src="https://static-oku.diqit.io/cdn-cgi/image/format=webp,quality=80/https://static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/ck-editor/baba_cutlery_works_web-1726215442367.jpg" width="1500" />
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<p><strong><em>Baba Cutlery Works - Craftsmanship inherited from father to son</em></strong></p>

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<p style="text-align:justify">Sakai City in Ōsaka is the home of Japanese knives with a history of 600 years. Founded in 1916, Baba Cutlery Works has been inherited from father to son with a commitment to create the best quality kitchen knives and pass this knowledge on to the next generation. We will visit Sakai City to observe how collaboration between highly skilled professionals creates steel with an unparalleled sharpness.</p>
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<p><a href="https://static-oku.diqit.io/uploads/oku/itinerary_japans_culinary_heritage_guided_xt9yp1j.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ed1c24;"><svg style="display: inline-block; width: 1em; height: 1em; vertical-align: -0.125em;" viewbox="0 0 512 512" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M64 464l48 0 0 48-48 0c-35.3 0-64-28.7-64-64L0 64C0 28.7 28.7 0 64 0L229.5 0c17 0 33.3 6.7 45.3 18.7l90.5 90.5c12 12 18.7 28.3 18.7 45.3L384 304l-48 0 0-144-80 0c-17.7 0-32-14.3-32-32l0-80L64 48c-8.8 0-16 7.2-16 16l0 384c0 8.8 7.2 16 16 16zM176 352l32 0c30.9 0 56 25.1 56 56s-25.1 56-56 56l-16 0 0 32c0 8.8-7.2 16-16 16s-16-7.2-16-16l0-48 0-80c0-8.8 7.2-16 16-16zm32 80c13.3 0 24-10.7 24-24s-10.7-24-24-24l-16 0 0 48 16 0zm96-80l32 0c26.5 0 48 21.5 48 48l0 64c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48l-32 0c-8.8 0-16-7.2-16-16l0-128c0-8.8 7.2-16 16-16zm32 128c8.8 0 16-7.2 16-16l0-64c0-8.8-7.2-16-16-16l-16 0 0 96 16 0zm80-112c0-8.8 7.2-16 16-16l48 0c8.8 0 16 7.2 16 16s-7.2 16-16 16l-32 0 0 32 32 0c8.8 0 16 7.2 16 16s-7.2 16-16 16l-32 0 0 48c0 8.8-7.2 16-16 16s-16-7.2-16-16l0-64 0-64z" fill="#ed1c24"></path></svg> Download PDF itinerary</span></a></p>

<p><em><strong>Please note that Days 5, 8, and 9 differ slightly between 2025 and 2026 departures.&nbsp;</strong></em><i data-stringify-type="italic">Please see the details in the below itinerary for more information.&nbsp;</i></p>

A small-group guided food tour through Japan's best-kept culinary traditions

Japan's Culinary Heritage

<p style="text-align: justify;">A small-group guided food tour through Japan&#39;s best-kept culinary traditions</p>
