A Monitor Tour of the Miyagi Countryside
Last month The Hidden Japan team worked with Miyagi DMO and other local companies to bring travel agents from around the world to Miyagi for an introductory tour introducing this region of Japan and its culture to these agencies that are looking for unique and new content for travelers interested in a authentic side of Japan off the path of the primary tourists routes.
Miyagi Prefecture offers a unique balance of off the beaten path destinations while still retaining excellent access from Tokyo via the Tohoku Shinkansen.
Only 1.5 hours from central Tokyo, Miyagi offers what more and more travelers are hoping to discover.
Our first destination was to meet a master katana blacksmith who is one of the few such artisans left in Japan.
This workshop offers guests a rare chance to meet a sword artisan and see incredible amount of time and mastery needed to work prized Tamahagane steel into these beautiful works of art. Guests even get to try their hand hammering their initials into their own small sword about the size of a letter opener knife to take home.
The Kokeshi Dolls of Tohoku
We next visited the Yajiro Kokeshi Village in Miyagi which features variations of these iconic wooden dolls from across the Tohoku Region as well as the entirely of Japan.
Here guests were able to take part in kokeshi painting with the artisans that they were able to take home.
This included other wooden crafts as well like these wooden tops, a traditional toy of Japan.
This experience would be excellent for families with children especially as it offers a balance of learning about a traditional craft with a meeting of the masters as well as hands on activities with the painting of the kokeshi dolls.
Onsen Hotsprings in the Mountains
The perfect balance to these craft activities are the onsen ryokan in the mountains of Miyagi.
For this trip we had the perfect visit to an ryokan called Ichijo where we experienced fresh snowfall that made for a beautiful backdrop for the traditional hot spring resorts here.
This mix of traditional Japanese rooms, natural hot spring baths, and seasonal meals is a cornerstone for any traveler seeking to experience traditional side of Japan.
And unlike the onsen ryokan of Hakone and other crowded hotspring towns, Miyagi offers ryokan without the peace of a non-crowded environment and with fewer foreign tourists.
Culinary Experiences in Miyagi
Another advantage of traveling up North to this region of Japan is the rich culinary experiences possible here.
For our tour we traveled to Ishinomaki where we visited the oysters farms out in the bay before taking part in a special culinary class working with the local harvest of the Miyagi Coastline. This mix of outdoor adventure on the boat, cooking together with the local people, and a shared meal together made for a great way to bring together the many appeals of these oceanside towns.