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Edible Japan

Edible Japan 2024


Small Group Journey

Off-the-Beaten-Track Culinary Tour

Welcome to Japan, a culinary hotbed, and a world-class food destination. On this 8-day tour, you will be traveling to Tokyo, Nagano, and Yamanashi with a food blogger/chef to explore the best of Japan’s culinary traditions. Together, we will visit the Tsukiji fish market and take a cooking class, shop in Kappabashi (Japan’s “kitchenware capital”), and try some delectable street food in the bustling city of Tokyo.

In the second part of the tour, we will take our curiosity to the countryside to learn about where the food comes from and how ingredients are prepared, visiting a wasabi farm, touring a miso brewery, preparing soba noodles, and staying overnight at a century-old farmhouse. You will also relax in hot springs, sample Japanese whiskey, and visit cultural sights to nourish your body and soul.  

This tour is offered twice a year: at the first sign of spring, and during the harvest season in the fall.

Note: Itinerary dates are listed below. Please contact me directly if you are interested in other possible dates to better suit your travel plans.

Edible Japan Map

Travel Details

dates:
5/25-6/6, 2024

price:
$4200 per person, double occupancy
$4600 per person, single occupancy (limited)
Deposit due at the time of registration

what’s included:
hotels
local Transportation
cooking Classes and admissions
15 Meals
guide & interpreter

what’s not included:
travel or medical insurance
flight to/from Japan
personal spending including:
shopping, alcohol, laundry, some meals

contact:
koshiki yonemura
651-734-3923
koshiki@tanpopojourneys.com

let’s talk

Highlights

  • Master sushi-making, at a class at the Tsukiji Fish Market
  • Shop in Kappabashi, in the “kitchen town” of Asakusa
  • Visit Nagano for shogun ryori, temple stay, and a Zen experience
  • Tea ceremony
  • Visit a wasabi farm to learn how wasabi is grown and harvested
  • Tour the 500-year-old Matsumoto castle
  • Ponder the history and process of making miso at a miso brewery
  • Relax at a traditional hot spring and enjoy a multi-course kaiseki dinner
  • Sample world-class sake in the lakeside town of Suwa
  • Visit a knife maker
  • Tour the Suntory Distillery and learn about Japanese whiskey
  • Take a soba-noodle-making class in the mountain town of Yamanashi
  • Stay overnight in a community farmhouse

Itinerary

Day 1(Wed., 5/29) > Arrive in Tokyo
Japan Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan

Welcome to my home country. I am excited to share its food culture with you. We start here in Tokyo, the bustling capital of Japan, where some of the most sophisticated and refined Japanese food is found. Let me assist you with check-in, and we will head out for a welcome dinner.  

Day 2 (Thur., 5/30) > Tsukiji Market Tour and Sushi Workshop
Shibuya yokocho
Izakaya in Tokyo

After breakfast, a hands-on learning opportunity awaits you at Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest fish market in the world. The relocation of the inner market in 2019 made the outer market more spacious and accessible for visitors. Now located both along the Sumida River and in the Ginza district, Tsukiji handles over 400 different kinds of seafood and more than 700,000 tons of fish every year. Today we will learn about food history and culture, and the varieties of seafood and seasonal produce at the market. For our lunch, we will learn how to make sushi in a class taught by a master sushi chef.  

In the afternoon, we will hop on the subway to visit Kappabashi, a “kitchen town” where professional chefs and restaurant owners shop, located in Asakusa. Enjoy street food as we stroll through the busy streets on the premises of Senso-Ji Temple.  

Day 3 (Friday, 5/31) > Shojin Ryori, Temple Stay & Tea Ceremony
Zenkoji in Nanano
Zenkoji in Nanano

Today we are taking the Shinkansen to Nagano City for a Zen experience. We will visit Zenkoji, the largest Buddhist temple in the prefecture. Nagano City was built around Zenkoji Temple, and from the train station, a cobblestone walkway will guide us to the temple entrance, where you will be welcomed into a community of shops and inns and cafes.  In the afternoon, we will visit a local tea shop to experience matcha tea.  

Our evening meal will be served in the temple’s dining hall.  It will be a traditional vegetarian meal, carefully prepared using long-established methods to bring out the best flavors of local vegetables and grains. Admire the artful presentation and  savor the delicate and delicious vegetarian flavors as you relax in the  tranquility of the Zen lifestyle.

Day 4 (Saturday, 6/1) > Matsumoto Castle & Miso Brewery
Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto Castle, known as “crow castle”

After morning prayers at Zenkoji Temple, we head to the picturesque castle town of Matsumoto, a cultural destination and home to one of Japan’s finest feudal era castles. We’ll tour the castle and explore the amazing architecture and history of Japan’s feudal era.

We’ll also visit a 150-year-old Miso Brewery. Ishii Miso is known for using traditional wooden barrels instead of modern stainless steel for its three-year maturing process. No additives are used, resulting in delicious natural, pure-tasting miso. In the afternoon, we will visit a destination wasabi farm. 

The afternoon is open to stroll through this arts and crafts town, visit Ukiyoe or Matsumonot Fine Arts Museum.  Optional wagyu beef or a visit to izakaya tonight.  

Day 5 (Sunday 6/2) > Wasabi Farm & Suwa Hot Spring
wasabi roots
Fresh wasabi in Azumino

This morning, we will take a half day trip to The Daio Wasabi Farm in rural Azumino City.  It is one of Japan’s largest wasabi farms and a popular tourist destination. The farm has multiple large fields with a meticulously maintained network of small streams that constantly provides each wasabi plant with clear, flowing water from the Northern Alps. 

In the afternoon, we will head to a lakeside town of Suwa where we will check in at a traditional ryokan, an inn in a hot spring.  Enjoy a relaxing evening soaking in a hot spring and a splendid meal paired with local sake.  

Day 6 (Monday 6/3) > Sake Brewery, Japanese Knives, and Rebuilding Center
Masumi sake in Suwa
Masumi sake in Suwa

Today, we are going to explore the lakeside town of Suwa. Rich in history and blessed with nature, the city of Suwa is famous for many things: sake, natural hot springs, clock-making, and Japanese silk, to name only a few. We will visit a local knife maker and then visit a neighborhood brewery to learn about sake.  The Rebuilding Center is just a short walk away where you might find local treasures. 

Day 7 (Tuesday 6/4) > Soba Doji & Hakushu Whiskey Distillery
Farm stay in Yamanashi
Farm stay in Yamanashi

Today, we will travel through a spectacular valley in the Japan Alps to Yamanashi Prefecture. Yamanashi is well-known for its national parks, the beautiful peaks of the Yatsugatake Mountains, high-quality produce, and buckwheat (soba). Upon arrival, we will learn to make soba noodles for our lunch. Because they contain only freshly ground buckwheat, a little wheat and water, these nutty and aromatic noodles are highly regarded for their flavor and refined preparation.  

In the afternoon, we will tour the Suntory Hakushu Whiskey Distillery, nestled in the forest on the slopes of Mt. Kaikoma. Known locally as the “Forest Distillery”, it’s also one of the highest whiskey distilleries in the world. Here, surrounded by a wild bird sanctuary, we’ll learn about the distillation process and taste some of the finest Japanese whiskeys.

Tonight, we are going to sleep at a thousand-star hotel (a.k.a. the bunkhouse on the farm premises). We’ll enjoy a dinner that is home-cooked by the inn owner and served in the formal dining room of a 150-year old farmhouse. Before dinner, be sure to take the time to stroll through the farmhouse gardens.

Day 8 (Wed. 6/5) > Back to Tokyo
Tokyo train station

Wishing you all a safe journey home!

Request Full Intineary
Koshiki Yonemura, Tanpopo Journeys

After graduating from University of Minnesota, she and her partner opened a Japanese restaurant in St. Paul, MN. After nearly 18 years in the restaurant business, she co-founded Tanpopo Journeys, a boutique travel company, offering hands-on tours to Japan. She has curated and lead groups to Japan on food and art tours to Japan as well as working as an interpreter for the General Mill Wheaties Team during the Nagano Olympics. Come travel to Japan and discover the hidden gems of culture, textiles, and food!


Trip Video

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