Join the founder of Atsuko's Kitchen and cookbook author Atsuko Ikeda in this all-inclusive journey that invites you to immerse yourself in a blend of ancient traditions and modern tastes, from bustling markets to refined dining experiences.
We’ll also have the opportunity to take part in cooking lessons personally led by Atsuko, where you’ll learn different dishes and gain insight into the nuances of Japanese cuisine. Complementing these immersive culinary moments are visits to iconic temples, serene gardens, lively neighborhoods, and seasonal delights that bring the flavors and stories of Japan to life.
Please contact Masahiko at masahiko@johnshorstravel.com. We'd love to have you join this fabulous tour!
Fly into Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda Airport (HND); flights usually arrive in the late afternoon.
Each individual traveler or family of travelers will have a reservation for a complimentary, private car that will drive them from the Airport to our 4.5 star hotel in downtown Tokyo. This drive will take about 35-70 minutes depending on your airport.
Note: If guests wish to arrive one day earlier, so that they may relax for a full day before the tour starts, they may do so. Anyone arriving one day early will still have complimentary airport pickup, but will be on their own for September 19th in terms of activities, and will be charged for an extra night at the hotel.
The hotel would be our 4.5 star hotel, The Dai-ichi Hotel, or similar.
Meet in the hotel’s lobby, and walk to a nearby Japanese restaurant for dinner. Enjoy a welcome dinner at Sotoroku, located at The Blossom Hibiya hotel next door.
Meet at the hotel lobby and head over to a private venue to learn from Atsuko's Shojin Ryori teacher, Mari Fujii.
Shojin Ryori is a type of Japanese cuisine mainly consumed by Buddhist monks, and focuses on a vegetarian and minimalistic approach. Meals usually highlight seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients, and is a form of spiritual practice.
After making your own Shojin Ryori meal, enjoy what you made for lunch.
After our workshop and lunch, head to the Hamarikyu Gardens. Once a private retreat of feudal lords, the garden is a beautifully preserved Edo-period landscape with tidal ponds coming in from Tokyo Bay, wooden bridges, and a traditional tea house over the water.
While at the garden, we will make our way to the Nakajima Tea House to enjoy a cup of traditional green tea (if interested).
As this will be our first day, enjoy the rest of the day to relax at the hotel, or continue exploring independently. We will also have an early day tomorrow.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
Meet in the hotel lobby and head to Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple to meet our market guide.
Walk through the well-known Tsukiji Outer Market and try the variety of traditional foods, or buy professional kitchen equipment. The market has been operational since 1935 and, together with the inner market, was the largest food market in the world. Since 2018 however, the inner market has since moved and named Toyosu Market, and caters almost exclusively to restaurants around the region.
Note: The market caters to tourists and the food industry, which may get quite busy and crowded. Please wear non-slip shoes as the floor may get wet.
Enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant.
After Lunch, head over to Tokyo's Kitchen Street via subway.
Step into the heart of Japan’s culinary craft at Kappabashi Street, Tokyo’s legendary "Kitchen Town." Just a short walk from Asakusa, this lively street is lined with over 170 specialty shops selling everything from handcrafted Japanese knives and artisan ceramics to sake cups, bento boxes, and the iconic plastic food models you’ll see in restaurant windows across Japan.
Head back to the hotel to relax or continue exploring independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and head to the restaurant via taxis. Enjoy dinner at Jojoen Tokyo, where you will have the chance to cook your own food with a person grill in right in front of you, using high quality ingredients.
Meet in the hotel lobby. Depart via taxis, to enjoy a stroll through the peaceful and large Yoyogi Park. At this park, we will enter through the Meiji Jingu gate.
Enjoy lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant.
After lunch, head to our immersive art experience at the Teamlab Borderless by taxi.
Head back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring independently.
Note: To make tomorrow's transit less tiring, you can send your large luggage to our next hotel via the front desk. A John Shors Representative will assist in this process. Please note that it takes 1 night for sent luggage to arrive at its destination (latest possible time to send tonight will be 6 p.m.).
Meet at the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby sushi restaurant. Tonight's dinner will be a pre-set course, please let us know in advance if you would like to avoid certain types of seafood.
Note: Many nigiris are topped with raw fish.
Meet in the hotel lobby, with bags ready, and take taxis to head to Shinagawa Station. We will be riding the bullet train (Shinkansen) here. As we'll be traveling over lunch, we'll have a simple bento box for lunch on the train.
Enjoy a 2 hour ride on one of the fastest trains in the world.
If it is a clear day, we will get to Mount Fuji along the way (Right side of the train).
Welcome to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan and a city that retained many fragments of its past. Kyoto is a city of more than 2,000 temples and shrines.
Take taxis to the hotel and check-in, or leave your bags at the front desk if not ready yet. The hotel will be Cross Hotel Kyoto, or similar.
After a long journey, enjoy the rest of the day to rest or explore the surrounding area.
Across the hotel (if Cross Hotel) is Kyoto's largest shopping district. Find shops for recycled vintage clothing, drug stores, dessert stalls, souvenirs, and just about anything you would be interested to purchase while in the city.
Meet at the hotel lobby and head to the brewery via subway.
at 5:00 p.m. Enjoy a tour at Kyoto's oldest sake brewery made with water that flows from the nearby Mount Hiei. After walking through the brewery, be treated to a sake tasting experience at their partner tasting bar to sample some in-house specialties and local favorites.
As we will be walking through the actual manufacturing area, the owners have specific rules for visitors:
Avoid eating anything fermented throughout the day (Natto, yogurt, etc.)
Avoid wearing perfumes, fragrances, body creams, oils, and etc.
Wear comfortable clothes, the brewery may drop temperature to about 10-20C (but avoid wearing furs and hairs)
Refrain from chewing gum while touring the facility.
You will be given a cap to wear before the tour, please keep it on the entire time.
Take taxis from the store's entrance and head to Fortune Garden Kyoto, which is one of the city’s best restaurants and is located next to a Zen garden. This restaurant serves French food in addition to Japanese dishes.
Meet in the lobby and walk about ten minutes to Nishiki Market. This market, founded in the year 1310, offers fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, and fruits to locals.
We will be joined by a guide who will take us around different stalls and walk us through the different foods and culture of the area. Our guide will also take us to nearby attractions including Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine and Teramachi-Dori.
After our tour, walk to a nearby ramen restaurant, Moon & Back. Enjoy an omakase ramen course, made with ingredients from the nearby Nishiki Market.
Take taxis to Nanzen-ji, which was built in the early 13th Century, and is one of the most famous Zen temples in Japan. Nanzenji has numerous gardens, including some very special rock gardens.
Within the temple grounds, you'll find a mix of Zen rock gardens, mossy paths, and the unexpected beauty of a brick aqueduct—part of a 19th-century canal system, now a beloved photo spot.
Meet at the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant.
Meet in the lobby and depart via taxis for Arashiyama, a picturesque part of Kyoto.
Enjoy a 30-minute ride through a famous bamboo forest in a traditional Japanese rickshaw.
Afterwards, spend time walking around the area or rowing on the nearby lake in small boats.
Enjoy lunch at Shigetsu restaurant, which is famous for its Zen Buddhism food (vegetarian) and is located inside the famous Tenryuji Temple grounds.
After lunch, enjoy the grounds and wonderful garden at Tenryuji Temple.
Afterwards, guests may continue to explore the area (which has great shopping), return to the hotel via taxis for free time, or walk up the nearby “Monkey Park”. This is about a 20-minute hike, each way, and at the top of the mountain are many wild monkeys. The summit offers not only views of the monkeys, but a great view of the city.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet at the hotel lobby, and head to a nearby restaurant.
Leave bags in the lobby.
Options include:
Walk to a local restaurant of your choosing for lunch.
Reconvene at the hotel lobby. We will have private vans and drivers take us from Kyoto to Osaka. This drive will take about one hour.
Around 3 p.m. we will check into the five-star Swissotel Nankai Osaka, which is a high-rise hotel located in the heart of the city. Here we will enjoy beautiful views of Osaka, and will be within easy walking distance of some of the city's most famous sites.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to Dontonbori, one of the most famous pedestrian malls in the world, which is known for its countless street food stalls.
You will be given local currency to enjoy food at your own pace. There are also many restaurants sprinkled around the area if you prefer to have a sit-down meal.
Meet at the hotel lobby and depart, via taxis, for a private cooking class at Otafuku Sauce Osaka. Learn how to make two of Osaka's specialties: Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki.
Enjoy what you made for lunch!
After our workshop, head to Osaka Castle via taxis and tour the area. Originally built in the late 16th century by warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it symbolized the unification of Japan and the rise of Osaka as a cultural capital.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
If you would like to do some shopping, we recommend exploring the underground corridor of Namba Walks. Lined with many shops and eateries.
Another option is to walk through the Takashimaya Depachika (Underground Department Store), and look through all the many food stalls and snacks you can buy. The basement floors of Takashimaya is frequented by many after a work day as they offer a variety of foods to-go, as well as beautifully packed gift boxes.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant for a farewell dinner. Tonight's dinner will be at Teppanyaki Minami.
Enjoy watching a chef prepare your food right in front of you, with seasonal locally sourced ingredients.
There is a high-speed train that departs below our hotel and heads directly to Osaka airport (Kansai International Airport – KIX).
A ticket and instructions will be provided for each guest for this train. The transit to the airport is exceedingly simple.
(*This is an all-inclusive tour with the exception of alcoholic beverages and hotel incidentals such as laundry, room service, etc.)
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