Culinary Culture Tour of Kaminoyama and Yamagata
Delight in the Culinary Culture of Yamagata
From kaiseki dinners and macrobiotic cafes to Japanese-french fusion and traditional sweets, experience the incredible cuisine of Yamagata and Kaminoyama on this 5 day, 4 night tour.
Tour at a glance
Inclusions:
- All lodging and accommodation fees
- Breakfast on days 2 through 5
- Lunch on Days 1-5
- Dinner on Days 1-4
- On-trip remote support via WhatsApp or other instant messaging service
- English-speaking interpreter-guide
- Transportation between accommodations and most scheduled activities
- Tsuyahime Rice and Soba Making Workshops
- Maiko Performance
- Bar Hopping Tour
- Onsen Ryokan Stay
Exclusions:
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses and gratuities
- Admission fees to attractions during self-guided time
- Food and drink in addition to the prix fixe meals included as part of the package
- Optional extensions or customizations to trip
- Other items not explicitly listed as included
We can also provide the following options for an additional fee:
- Add-ons to the tour
- Interpretation in languages other than English
Minimum number of participants
2 (Solo travellers may book, but the price will be greater!)
Cost
From ¥750,000 (per person, based an estimated group of 2)
Tour Length
5 days, 4 nights
Tour availability
Year-round, though weather may impact availability.
Tour Start/End Location
Kaminoyama Station/ Yamagata Station
Important notes
Dietary Restrictions:
Day 1: Arrival
Day 1 Tour Highlights
Arrive in Yamagata via a morning Shinkansen. For lunch, enjoy a soba making workshop and lunch near the station before being taken via private charter vehicle to your onsen ryokan accommodations for the night. Enjoy a delicious traditional Japanese kaiseki dinner and natural hot spring bath.
Day 2: Castles and Cafes in Kaminoyama
Day 2 Tour Highlights
After breakfast at your ryokan accommodations, you will be taken via charter vehicle into the heart of the city for a guided tour of one of the samurai houses. After lunch at a charming local cafe specializing in healthy cuisine, make your way on foot to the castle with your guide to try on some samurai armour. You will then have the rest of the afternoon to explore the museum and the rest of the town, from footbaths to local shops and maybe even the hermitage which once housed the creator of takuan pickles. Return on your own to your onsen accommodations for another delicious dinner and relaxation.
Day 3: Culinary Basics and Culture
Day 3 Tour Highlights
Enjoy breakfast at your accommodations. After breakfast, check out and travel via private charter vehicle to a local winery for a tour and tasting.
Afterwards, you will be ferried to Yamagata City, the capital of the prefecture. Learn how to prepare the locally grown Tsuyahime rice from a professional chef in a lunchtime workshop.
Spend a couple of hours of self-guided exploration and shopping in the downtown area, from the shops of Q1 to the Bunshokan history museum.
For dinner this evening, experience the best of traditional cuisine and culture with a dinner at a ryotei with maiko performers.
Day 4: Agriculture and Artisans
Day 4 Tour Highlights
After breakfast, tour a local family-owned farm and pick out some vegetables to take with you to a gourmet Japanese/ French fusion restaurant. Enjoy a multi-course gourmet wine-pairing lunch using some of the fresh produce you picked and wine from Kaminoyama wineries.
After lunch, travel by private charter vehicle to the artisan hamlet of Hirashimizu. Visit the workshop of kimono maker Tomihiro, where the highly trained employees craft kimono from raising silkworms to finished products. Tour the facility, hear from the master artisans, and try your hand at making a coaster for yourself on their hand-powered looms. Afterwards, travel to a local sake shop to learn all about koji, an ingredient used in the sake making process, and try some koji-based food and drink (This activity can be made suitable for those who cannot drink by removing the sake tasting portion of the tasting).
This evening, experience the downtown area like a local with a bar-hopping tour near your hotel, including small plates of food and drink at each of the locations you visit.
Day 5 Tour Highlights
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Afterwards, experience more traditional Japanese cuisine; your choice of either a lesson on how to make traditional Japanese nerikiri sweets from a local master, or a lesson on Japanese tea ceremony followed by enjoyment of a cup of matcha and a sweet. Next, enjoy a sumptuous locavore cuisine lunch in a restaurant set in a beautiful Japanese garden. After lunch, continue your adventures in Japan! |
Reservations
You can send a booking inquiry below. After we receive your inquiry, we will confirm if we can accommodate your group and tour dates and contact you from there.
Cancellation Policy
Our cancellation policy for this tour is below.
21 days or more before date of tour
No penalty
20 days to 8 days before date of tour
20% of total price
7 days to 2 days before date of tour
30% of total price
1 day before date of tour
40% of total price
Day of the tour
50% of total price
After start of tour or no-show
100% of total price
