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Ⅰ. Tour Examples and Tour Expenses
Course 1
Formal Tea Ceremony at a Japanese House with a Tea Ceremony Teacher in Osaka
You can experience a full course tea ceremony with Japanese cuisine. Gorgeous seasonal decorations welcome you at the entrance of the house. You can savor the current season of Japan! Your host, a tea ceremony teacher, introduces you to a tearoom, where you can experience the world of tea ceremony: serenity and the austere refinement of tea ceremony.
It is possible to add an extra tour with a visit to a very famous temple called Shitenno-ji Temple or Osaka Castle. On the way to the temple near the teahouse, you can enjoy shopping at local stores selling rice crackers and Japanese sake. These stores sell goods wholesale, so you can buy them at a lower price than at other places.
JPY 30,000 – 60,000 (US$ 300-600) per person for 2-4 persons
This tour expense includes lunch and a tea ceremony experience (sweet and tea are served), excluding dinner.
Course 2
Visiting a Grand Shrine and Strolling a Neighborhood with Old Traditional Houses and a Local Market in Osaka
A little far from downtown, in the southern part of Osaka city, there are some gorgeous spots. First, you can visit an old high class shrine called Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, founded in 211 A.D. It is a very quiet and calm place to visit. Nearby there is a rather big local market, where you can enjoy shopping among local people and explore commodity shops which sell groceries like vegetables, fish, tea, tofu, tempura, and flowers for everyday life. There are also some clothing stores selling kimono, obi sashes, and other traditional Japanese items. You can catch a glimpse of Japanese everyday life in Japan. Also you will notice traditional street cars running with colorful ads on each side near this market.
After that you can get on one of those street cars and move to a well-preserved neighborhood with traditional Japanese houses, some of which are designated as an important preserved property by the local government. These houses were renovated into teahouses (cafés) and restaurants preserving the traditional atmosphere. Secret places like these are becoming more and more popular among Japanese people, though they are still not so popular among international tourists. These teahouses and restaurants are great for taking rest and having Japanese cuisine, or even Chinese or French cuisine arranged in a Japanese style.
JPY 14,000-40,000 (US$ 140-400) per person for 2-6 persons
Course 3
Exploring “Wagyu” (Japanese Beef) and Japanese “Kissaten” (Coffee Shops or Teahouses) on a Gourmet Tour in Kobe or in Osaka
When it comes to Japanese beef, Kobe beef is well-known all over the world. We could take you to one of the best Kobe beef restaurants: the owner of the restaurant also runs a long-established meat shop. You can taste quality Kobe beef, which they choose carefully and serve in the style of “teppan-yaki” (grilled beef and vegetables just in front of guests on an iron plate). It is said that there are only nine restaurants in the U.S.A. that serve genuine Kobe beef. Many restaurants in the world say that they serve Kobe beef. However, almost all of them are serving something other than real Kobe beef. By all means, just come and enjoy the real thing in Kobe or Osaka. After you enjoy Kobe beef, we will show you a fantastic coffee shop. Kobe has been influenced by other cultures since Japan opened its ports at the end of 19th Century. Not only movies and sports, such as baseball and soccer, but also western food like bread, cake and coffee were introduced earlier than any other areas in Japan. The coffee shop we will take you to is among the oldest in Kobe, where they offer individually coffee made and served using cotton fabric filter. If you like, you can enjoy coffee with an original hand-made cake! Cakes in Kobe are said to be some of the most delicious in Japan. Every cake shop there offers excellent quality and taste!
There are a lot of Japanese style coffee shops (“kissaten”) in Kobe. Some of them are ones you can hardly find easily by yourself. After the ports were open to foreign countries, cafés and coffee shops were also introduced to Japan. These imitations of western style cafés developed into original coffee shops or teahouses, entertaining guests by serving good meals and tea. If you would like to try such a coffee shop, it would be a warm and comfortable place for you to spend some time. We can say that “kissaten” is one aspect of Japanese cultures.
JPY 14,000-40,000 (US$ 140-400) per person for 2-6 persons
Course 4
Exploring Traditional Local Markets of Osaka
Just within 20 minutes on the subway from downtown Osaka, there are some large local markets located where some” former famous supermarkets first began in Japan. Local people visit various kinds of shops to buy fresh fish, vegetables, sweets, casual clothes, and groceries. You can experience and observe real Japanese every-day life.
Back streets are another attractive place to visit. If you go off of the main streets, you’ll find small, traditional small ice-cream shops full of people, sometimes with a long line waiting in front of them.
When you enter a shop, you’ll see people sitting at the table and having “monaka”-ice” (ice-cream covered with rice wafer) and colorful shaved ice with various kinds of syrup like strawberry “maccha” (powdered green tea), “an”(red bean paste) and other favors.
I bet that you will say, “It’s fantastic! This is a very cool sweet shop!”. Among local people, you will be able to feel a typical Japanese atmosphere and have a chance to communicate with the locals. They will probably be
Osaka people, and are known for being very familiar with everyone.
Besides these sweet shops, there are a few Japanese restaurants where you can try western food arranged in a unique Japanese style. What we call “yoshoku ” (western food) includes “omuraisu” (fried rice rolled with omelet) or “tonkatsu” (a fried breaded pork cutlet). These shops are also worthy of visiting.
In front of such restaurants, you might see a case with food samples inside. These food samples often look so realistic and attract many customers. Nowadays they are well-known among international tourists as a part of modern Japanese culture. Food samples are created through Japanese handcrafting techniques.
JPY 14,000-40,000 per person for 2-6 persons
Course 5
Japanese Cuisine Cooking School by an Ordinary Japanese Housewife in Wakayama
Wakayama is a well-known area for Koyasan (Buddist temple on Mt. Koya) and Kumano-kodo (Kumano pilgrim road). They are World Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO. On the way there, you can experience and enjoy Japanese cooking at an ordinary Japanese house with a cooking teacher. You can learn how to make dashi (Japanese broth) as well as everyday Japanese cuisine which is very healthy and nutritious for your body. You may realize the reason why many Japanese people are so slender and often live well into their 80’s.
There is a famous local castle named Wakayama Castle near the cooking school. After cooking, you will be able to visit the castle and feel the atmosphere of the samurai warrior era.
JPY 20,000-60,000 per person for 2-6 persons
This tour expense includes lunch and Japanese cooking experience.
Course 6
Traditional Country Japanese Lunch at a 200 hundred-year-old Japanese House with a Road Station Market Visit
In the northern part of Osaka, you can take a train and a bus to reach a 200 hundred-year-old traditional Japanese country house that has been preserved just as it was when it was first built. The owner opens this house and offers lunch made of fish, meat and fresh vegetables, etc. Dishes are served one by one as a “kaiseki” meal (Japanese course cuisine).
Unlike gorgeous Japanese cuisine at high class restaurants, dishes here seem a little more simple, but are made with ingredients that are typically fresh, seasonal, and carefully prepared. Here you can also experience a tea ceremony in the tea ceremony room next to the dining room after lunch.
After having lunch, you will drop by the “Michinoeki” (Road Station Market) to see or buy fresh vegetables and fruit, processed goods made from local ingredients such as sushi, sweets, or pickled vegetables, and handmade crafts like chopsticks, baskets and so on. This facility is not so far from the downtown area of Osaka, and you can easily get a feel for the simplicity of countryside life in Japan.
JPY 15,000-60,000 (US$ 150-600) per person for 2-8 persons
This tour expense includes lunch and tea ceremony experience (Japanese tea and sweet are served)
Course 7
Visiting an Old Country House with a Long and Distinguished History, and Plum Flowers in Full-Bloom
This tour is available from the end of February to May, when you can enjoy a special view of plum tree flowers in the deep mountains of southern Nara, a neighboring prefecture of Kyoto.
After about an-hour train ride from Osaka or Kyoto, you will reach the nearest station to the destination. The shuttle bus of the country house takes you deep into the mountains full of Japanese plum trees in 30 minutes. You will see an old traditional Japanese house with a thatched roof, and this house is more than 600 years old. This house is so popular due to its ancient history related to a certain emperor named Godaigo, from the 12th Century during the samurai warrior era. He stayed here for more than 30 years as he secluded himself from society, having run away from Kyoto and the Battle of the Northern and Southern Courts. The owner at that time took care of the emperor by protecting him in this house and offering support.
The present owner is a descendant of that owner, and is very proud of this family history. They have maintained their house as they run a restaurant and sell processed plum products such as “umeboshi” (plum pickles), sweets, plum sake and other items. March 3rd is the day for Hinamatsuri (the Doll Festival) in Japan. During March they display a set of dolls dressed in Heian-era costumes, representing the Emperor, Empress, and their court in five to seven tiered stands to celebrate girls’ growth and health. Do not miss it!
JPY 15,000-60,000 (US$ 150-600) per person for 2-8 persons
This tour expense includes lunch with tea and sweet.
Ⅱ. Services and Conditions
In Addition to single day courses, I can also plan multiple day courses. However, I cannot make arrangements for lodgings, buses, or any other special travel arrangements.
We will travel by public transportation and taxi, during which the customer will be responsible for the fares of both themselves and the guide.
Also, the customer will be responsible for any meals that aren’t specifically included in the tour course.
I look forward to spending time with all of you and hope to hear from you soon.
Contact : elcielomo@yahoo.co.jp
Yoko Kaii
*cancel policy: 20% charge for 6 days before tour, 50% charge for 2 days before tour and 100% charge on the day of tour.
