The Hidden Japan

Park Hotel Tokyo is in Shiodome Media Tower, ideally situated in a flourishing center of business and culture. Having the concept of "Infinite time and space amid cognizant Japanese beauty," Park Hotel Tokyo will incorporate art into spaces throughout the hotel. All guestrooms on the Artist Floor (31F) feature murals by local artists. Each room is a piece of work itself.

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Room and night view from The Prince Park Tower Hotel, Tokyo

The Prince Park Tower Tokyo - Artist Room

Today, you'll go on a guided tour of Tokyo that explores both Japan's traditional and contemporary sides.

First, visit a local studio where you join a "daruma" workshop to decorate your very own good-luck talisman.

From there, take the train to Asakusa. This area of Tokyo feels like you have been transported back in time and is a great place to enjoy many aspects of Tokyo's traditional culture. After passing through the Kaminari Gate, stroll down the Nakamise shopping street. This street has provided visitors to Sensoji Temple with various Japanese snacks and craft items for centuries and is no different nowadays.

Later head over to the Toyosu area to visit the highly photo-worthy TeamLab Planets. There, you will experience the future of museums and the latest mapping technology.

Finally, end the day with a visit to Shinjuku for some bar hopping. The area is home to a few famous Yokochos (or drinking alleys), such as Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho.


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Getting to know the layers of Tokyo 

"Daruma" are hollow, round, traditional dolls that symbolize perseverance and good luck. Daruma dolls are usually gifted to or used by people with goals. Darumas typically feature empty eyes. It is customary that the doll's owner will fill in one eye to symbolize a wish. When the wish comes true, the other eye is filled in. They are found in and around Japan are typically red but actually come in an array of colors, each with its own meaning. Paint your Daruma according to your goals, or decorate one as a gift of encouragement.


Daruma Workshop

You can pick up some really unique and traditional Japanese craft items at this well-known shopping street in Asakusa and try out local snacks such as "Senbei" (Japanese rice crackers).

Nakamise

Sensoji Temple is a Buddhist temple known for its stunning red-colored gates and being a popular spot with locals and overseas visitors alike. Completed in 645, it is Tokyo's oldest temple.


Sensoji Temple

The Takinami is a luxurious ryokan with 400 years of history in a renovated Japanese storehouse harmonizing modernity with tradition. This boutique ryokan feels incredibly modern but maintains the building's historical roots.

Difficult to put into words, traditional Japanese architecture and modern construction have a surprising potential to be seamlessly blended together, which you can see here.


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The Takinami

Wake up early in the morning for a rare chance to have exclusive access to one of Japan's most famous hot spring baths.

Here you can take photos in the unique milky white hot spring water and even enter with a bathing suit special only for this time.

Transfer to the Kumano Shrine, where you will be able to learn about the Shinto shrines of Japan with one of the miko shrine girls here. This shrine also offers guests the chance to dress in the robes of the Miko and learn alongside them. During this experience, you will gain insight into their daily life at the shrine and some of the essential rituals they carry out at the shrines.

From here, we have many options available; one recommendation would be to try some kayaking or SUP paddling here in the rivers and lakes in this area.

End your journey in the countryside of Japan with a stay at The Takinami. This decadent oasis is the perfect place to rest and relax before heading home.

The Takinami also offers extravagant dinner pairing courses with your choice of sake or wine produced here in Yamagata Prefecture.

Accommodation: The Takinami
The Takinami is a luxurious ryokan with 400 years of history in a renovated Japanese storehouse harmonizing modernity with tradition. This boutique ryokan feels incredibly modern but maintains the building's historical roots.

Difficult to put into words, traditional Japanese architecture and modern construction have a surprising potential to be seamlessly blended together, which you can see here.


The Hotsprings of Yamagata

A Miko is a priestess or "shrine maiden." Mikos perform tasks related to the daily activities taking place at a shrine. At the Kumano Shrine, a shrine maiden will teach you about the duties of a Miko, and women will get a chance to try out part of the role from themselves.

Miko

This historic Shinto shrine in Nan'yō, Yamagata, is one of the three main centers of the Kumano religion within Shintoism. People still debate the foundations of the shrine. There are two main features to observe when visiting the shrine. First, a giant tree near the shrine is believed to be several hundred years old. Second, the shrine still contains a traditional tsurigane bell. Most iron bells were melted down during World War II, and this is one of the few original bells that remain in existence.


Kumano Shrine, Yamagata

Enjoy a final morning in the land of the rising sun!

After a week of adventuring across the Yamagata and Niigata prefectures, your Japanese journey has come to an end. We truly hope you enjoyed your time in our magical country and return home with beautiful memories and feeling rejuvenated.

You are welcome back anytime! Sayōnara


Sayōnara Japan

Walk a Ryokan is a small family-owned ryokan in the center of Sakata City. It is located next to the historic rice warehouses that were once the center of trade for this region. This ryokan is a historical landmark with traditional tatami mat rooms and hot spring baths. The drinking district and fish market are a short 2-5 minute walk away and are a great place to stay to experience the local life of this small port city. Note that this ryokan is an older facility and a locally owned one.


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Room at Wakaba Ryokan, Sakata, Yamagata

Farm stay Naa, Tsuruoka, Yamagata

Exterior of Wakaba Ryokan, Sakata, Yamagata

Wakaba Ryokan

Good morning! After a filling breakfast head into the fields near your farmer's homestay with your host family and harvest some local crops here, including famous heirloom crops only grown here in Tsuruoka.

This city has received recognition as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. It was the first city in Japan to receive this honor for its many unique cuisine and ingredients perfectly preserved through the centuries by the local people.

You have already experienced this in the form of shojin ryori and will now taste it in the form of these unique crops, and home cooking found only here.

Transfer to the small port city of Sakata, where you will visit a maiko teahouse and experience an intimate performance by the trainee geisha (Maiko) of Yamagata.

See their practiced perfection and even take part in traditional Japanese maiko games that they had played when entertaining the many merchants who would stop at the port here centuries ago.

Have some free time to explore some of the many historic buildings and local shops in the downtown area and have lunch at one of the recommended ramen shops serving up Sakata's famous regional cuisine.

Stay at a comfortable ryokan in the center of the port city and venture out to the drinking district for a night of drinking, delicious food, and meeting the locals of this historic yet lively town.



Somaro maiko dance, Sakata, Yamagata

The Maiko of Yamagata

Ryokans are Japanese-style inns, though they are more than just a place to sleep; they offer a unique cultural experience for each guest. Discover their attractive architecture, fantastic food, and traditional Japanese hospitality. Traditional Ryokans include tatami floors, Japanese-style baths, and simple beds. Typically located close to hot springs, ryokans are family-run properties that provide an alternative to the modern hotel. Their proximity to hot springs has given them a reputation for being a place of relaxation and rejuvenation. Sick back and soak in a cultural experience.


Ryokans

The Somaro Maiko Teahouse offers a rare opportunity to see maiko performances outside of Kyoto. Before performing, Maiko undergoes six months of intensive training to perfect their dance, singing, shamisen, and other skills. The teahouse dates back to the 17th century and was renovated and re-opened in 2000.


Somaro Maiko Teahouse

Good morning! Now that you have familiarized yourself with the city, today, you get to explore as you see fit! Whether you hope to shop, sample cuisine, or take in the city's energy, the day is yours! 

You can also follow a list of recommendations from Derek and freely decide your day as you wish. Explore Tokyo Tower or the Odaiba District; they are both excellent sights in the town. 



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Tokyo on your own

This modern escape on Tokyo Bay is a one-stop shop for shopping and seaside activities. The man-made Island was built to protect the city from marine attacks. It is now known as an entertainment hub for those looking to get out of town. 


Odaiba District

 This iconic structure, the Tokyo Tower (東京タワー, Stands 333 meters high in the center of Tokyo and is known as the world's tallest, self-supported steel tower. Built as a symbol of Japan's post-war rebirth and becoming a significant economic power, it was regarded as the structure in the country until 2012 with the completion of Tokyo Skytree. 


Tokyo Tower

Walk a Ryokan is a small family-owned ryokan in the center of Sakata City. It is located next to the historic rice warehouses that were once the center of trade for this region. This ryokan is a historical landmark with traditional tatami mat rooms and hot spring baths. The drinking district and fish market are a short 2-5 minute walk away and are a great place to stay to experience the local life of this small port city. Note that this ryokan is an older facility and a locally owned one.

 Begin your day with a delicious breakfast inside your ryokan and a chance to stroll freely along the streets. There is also an excellent forest path behind the onsen town to the silver mine that is great to explore.

Transfer to Yamagata City, where we will get an exclusive chance to tour the kimono factory of Tomihiro. This is one of Japan's top 5 oldest companies that the same family has run for over 500 years.

They are also the only kimono maker that produces its kimono entirely in Japan. Meet the artisans who design a unique series of kimonos from start to finish, from design to dyeing, to weaving entirely by a single artisan.

See the dyeing and weaving techniques with the chance to try on some of these kimonos.

Get a tour of one of Yamagata's most famous sake brewers. Yamagata Sake is heralded as some of the best sake in Japan. It is the only region in Japan to have received a Geographical Indication for its sake.

Learn about the brewing process and what makes sake here so special with a tour with a master brewer.

Transfer to a sake and pottery shop specializing in sake and enjoy a tasting session and sake lesson from one of Yamagata's most famous sommeliers.

Enjoy a dinner of Yamagata's famous wagyu at a teppanyaki restaurant in Yamagata City.

Transfer to an onsen resort on Mt. Zao.


Yamagata City

 Teppanyaki is a Japanese cooking method for grilling food over a large steel hotplate. Guests are seated around a table with a hotplate in the middle while a chef cooks the food right in front of them. While teppanyaki is a cooking style, there's also a performance aspect. Teppanyaki first became popular in Japan in 1945 as local steakhouses began combining Western and Japanese cuisines.

Teppanyaki

Wagyu is the highest quality Japanese beef, and some of the best wagyu is produced in Yamagata. The wagyu is incredibly buttery and tender. It's one of Japan's most iconic foods.

Yamagata Wagyu

The artisan studios of Tomihiro have been making fantastic kimonos for over 26 generations. A single artist works on each kimono from start to finish by hand based on traditional practices. After learning about the process, you can go to the boutique store and purchase one of these beautiful kimonos for yourself.

Tomihiro Studio

A local farming family runs a traditional farmer's home in Tsuruoka City. Enjoy Tatami Japanese rooms deep in the rice fields of the shonai region with various farming experiences available. The house is charming and comfortable, offering a modest stay where the experience and moments beat modern amenities.

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Farmer Homestay in Tsuruoka City

Good morning! Today after breakfast, challenge yourself to trek deep into the mountains here with the monks to participate in one of their most sacred rituals of waterfall meditation.

During your hike, you will learn more about their philosophy and religion and prepare yourself to meditate in a pristine waterfall deep in the forest.
Transfer to a farmer's home where you can shower and rest after enjoying the local home-cooked cuisine of the farmers of Yamagata.
Transfer to a soy sauce factory producing shoyu in the same building and utilizing the same techniques for centuries. Learn how traditional shoyu is brewed over a year instead of weeks like mass-produced shoyu. Tour their factory filled with the aroma of fermenting soy sauce with the owner and finally taste the incredibly rich flavors and aroma of this traditional shoyu together.


Waterfall Meditation with the Yamabushi

As you trek along the cedar-lined stone steps ascending to the divine peak, the piercing call of a horagai shell breaks the tranquil silence of the forest, and the white-clad Yamabushi makes his presence known. Here in the Dewa Sanzan extends the realm of the Yamabushi. Yamabushi practices are typically rooted in nature and often include partaking in ascetic practices of self-denial. These practices could be grueling mountainous treks, meditation under rushing freezing waterfalls, and even leaping over bursting flames. These rituals stem from beliefs that by abstaining from the world's pleasures, distancing themselves from society, and focusing on their connection with nature, one can abandon their worldly self and eventually reach enlightenment, ending the cycle of rebirth.

Trek & Waterfall Ceremony

Shoyu is Japanese-style soy sauces made from fermented soybeans, wheat, salt, and water. These generally thin and transparent sauces make for a great all-purpose cooking material or even on the table for added flavor. Tour the factory filled with the aroma of fermenting soy sauce with the owner, and finally, taste the incredibly rich flavors and aroma of this traditional shoyu together.


Shoyu Factory

Wake up bright and early to begin your journey away from the big city and into the heartland of Japan, where centuries of tradition continue to this day.

The first part of your deep dive will be to see Japan's obsession with perfection at an artisan city famed for its crafts called Tsubame Sanjo in the coastal prefecture of Niigata.

Here you will get an up-close look at how Japan's famed chef's knives are made by some of its most acclaimed artisans. Try your hand at making your own Japanese chef's knife with a master and engrave your name onto this knife that will last you generations. Learn traditional sharpening techniques with the artisan and how to maintain it before heading off.

Next, you will visit a copperware factory where artisans craft teapots with traditional techniques from a single sheet of copper entirely by hand. Here you will spend time with the artisans who have continued the legacy of this 200-year-old shop that has produced national treasures and even won awards at the World Expo over a century ago.

End your day with a visual dining experience using projection mapping, local cuisine, and served entirely with the crafts of Tsubame Sanjo at a memorable dining experience showcasing the history and pride of this city.

Accommodation Disclaimer: Your lodging for this day will be at a Japanese hot spring hotel in a small town up against the mountains with natural mineral baths and delicious Japanese meals. This traditional lodge's location will vary based on the season*

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The Artisana City of Tsubame Sanjo

"Tsubame Sanjo" is a combination of Tsubame City and Sanjo City, both famous for metal products since the Edo Period (1600-1850). Although the streets are quiet, they are home to factories renowned for manufacturing Japanese-style knives, tableware, and more. The area, especially Tsubame City, is celebrated for its exceptionally crafted cutlery. The cutlery used at the Nobel Banquet every year is produced in Tsubame Sanjo.


Tsubame Sanjo

Skirting the west coast of Tōhoku, Niigata Prefecture (新潟県; Niigata-ken) is known for its snow-covered mountains, rocky coastal stretches, and established onsen villages. In summer, thousands descend on the small mountain hamlet of Naeba for the famed Fuji Rock Festival. In winter, city slickers carve up the slopes around Naeba and nearby Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen. The prefecture's sprawling capital city, Niigata, is an industrial and transportation hub with excellent transport connections and is the gateway to quiet Sado-ga-Shima, a working island with an exciting history and a rugged natural beauty.


 Niigata Prefecture

Work alongside some of Japan's most famous artisans for an exclusive chance to learn about and make your own crafts, such as chef knives, sake cups, and more.


Artisans Workshops

Park Hotel Tokyo is in Shiodome Media Tower, ideally situated in a flourishing center of business and culture. Having the concept of "Infinite time and space amid cognizant Japanese beauty," Park Hotel Tokyo will incorporate art into spaces throughout the hotel. All guestrooms on the Artist Floor (31F) feature murals by local artists. Each room is a piece of work itself.


Welcome to Tokyo, and welcome to Japan! 

The land of the rising sun is country where ancient tradition and ultra modernity co-exist seamlessly.  Touching down in Tokyo, the largest metropolitan area in the world with a population over over 37 million people, you will start your journey at the center of this country of endless discovery. 

Take a chartered ride from the airport to your hotel next to Tokyo Station and enjoy an extravagant kaiseki dinner at one of Tokyo's most famous restaurants before getting some rest at your hotel for the journey ahead.

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Tōkyō e yōkoso

Experience the finest of Japanese cuisine with a kaiseki dinner course. This form of Japanese fine dining combines seasonal ingredients to showcase the wide range of colors and flavors of Japanese cuisine across up to 20 courses of various dishes. Come hungry!


Kaisekoi DIinner

It's almost impossible to keep up with Tokyo's progress: a city that is ever building, updating, and innovating. As the neon façades grow higher, the temples and parks are carefully respected, maintaining quiet refuges within the city. The latest trends and fashions can be found in quirky cafés and pop-culture clothing, while centuries-old rituals are still valued in the training halls of the sumo and under the tiered roofs of Tokyo's tranquil shrines.


Tokyo

Today you will wake up early in the morning to see the local fish auction of this small port city. (Fishing and doing a catch and cook is also possible).

This market is usually only accessible to chefs and whole sellers, but we will get exclusive access and silently watch the auction.
Following this, we can pick out our own fish from a seller before bringing it to a sushi restaurant. Here you can sit back and watch the chef prepare it from start to finish into sushi. You can also choose to work and learn alongside the master chef and fillet the fish and make your own sushi.
After, we will transfer to inland Yamagata via private car to the birthplace of one of the legendary sword arts of Japan, Iaido of Murayama City.
Here you will meet some of the samurai who continue to hone their skills with real Katana practicing this art that aims to end conflict in swift and decisive strikes with as little violence as possible.

Handle unsharpened Katana and learn various strikes and handling skills with these swords alongside the samurai. Try your hand at cutting tatami mats and watch the master samurai demonstrate their lifetime of mastery with the blade in a variety of dazzling strikes.

Transfer to the mountainous hot spring town of Ginzan Onsen, whose gaslit streets are said to have influenced the design of the bathhouse in Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away.


Iaido Abe-sensei cutting, Murayama, Yamagata sword katana

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Sakata to Yamagata City

Onsens are the Japanese word for hot springs. They form from hot water that percolates from the ground from one end of Japan to another. There are more than 3,000 of them in the country, more than anywhere else on earth – it's like Iceland on steroids. In Japan, it is not an unusual or even decadent way to pass the time soaking in a tub of bubbling hot water. Often flanked by traditional ryokans eager to allow their guests a steamy experience that couples geothermal swimming with decadent Japanese hospitality.


Onsen

Iaido refers to a Japanese martial art that focuses on being aware and responding quickly by drawing a sword when faced with sudden attacks. Iaido is usually practiced without a human opponent and is known as a non-fighting form of martial arts.

Iaido

A samurai's sword is his soul, and the Katana is the famous curved sword of the Japanese warrior. The Katana is beautiful, highly functional, and comes from two different types of steel. The sword is for both piercing and slashing. It takes a master Japanese swordsmith many steps to produce this unique blade.



Katana

This accommodation is a Yamabushi mountain monk lodge resting at the base of Mt. Haguro in the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture. These facilities, called shukubo, were made to house those who traveled to Buddhist and Shinto worship sites all over Japan. The comfortable accommodation provides guests with the basic amenities needed for an overnight stay. It's the perfect base to explore these sacred mountains and experience the mountain monk culture of this region of Japan.

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Miyatabo Mountain Lodge

 Start your day with a visit to the Yahiko Shrine nearby your hotel and say goodbye to this artisans village as we continue deeper into the countryside of Northern Japan.

Stop at a Japanese Buddhist Temple where you will rest after your train ride and participate in a tea ceremony in a beautiful Japanese garden regarded as a regional treasure to the people of Yamagata.

Visit the sacred Three Holy Mountains of Yamagata to meet the Yamabushi mountain monks who have practiced a unique sect of mountain worship here called Shugendo for over 1,200 years.

Change into the white shirosozoku robes of the Yamabushi mountain monks at one of the lodges that host pilgrims in the small village at the base of Mt. Haguro before joining a yamabushi guide to trek through the sacred forest of Mt. Haguro along its ancient stone steps up to the top.

Make a prayer at the Dewa Sanzan Shrine at the top before harvesting wild vegetation in the forests to prepare for the legendary spiritual shojin ryori cuisine. Over centuries of long isolation in the mountains, monks created this cuisine known to cleanse the body of impurities and bring myriad health benefits.

Spend the night next to the forest in the lodge deep in the woods of Mt. Haguro.


Hagurosan pagoda, Tsuruoka, Yamagata

Dewa Sanzan (Mt. Haguro)

Shojin Ryori is the traditional cuisine of the Yamabushi mountain monks of the Dewa Sanzan Mountains. Developed over 1,200 years of mountain worship, this cuisine was born from the monk's need to sustain themselves during their long isolation in the mountains away from civilization. It centers around wild mountain vegetables, many of which are poisonous without proper preparation. It also was developed according to the specific dietary restrictions of the monks. The diet is vegetarian except for fish eaten during particular parts of their training.



Shojin Ryori Cuisine

Donned in the all-white robes of the dead, horagai shell draped around the neck, and with walking staff clenched in their fist, the Yamabushi are the spiritual mountain ascetics of the Dewa Sanzan and pious practitioners of Haguro Shugendo. Shugendo is a religion unique to Japan and is an amalgamation of native Japanese Shinto and esoteric Buddhism, along with some trace practices taken from Daoism and folk Shamanism.


The Yamabushi of Yamagata

Protruding from the vast sprawling Shonai plains tower, the three sacred mountains are known as the Dewa Sanzan. The mountains are feared and worshipped for their sanctitude, beauty, and raw spiritual energy. The three peaks of Haguro, Gassan, and Yudono represent the journey of rebirth that pilgrims, travelers, and wanders have sought for over 1,500 years. As you trek along the cedar-lined stone steps ascending to the divine peak, the piercing call of a horagai shell breaks the tranquil silence of the forest, and the white-clad Yamabushi makes his presence known. Here in the Dewa Sanzan, extends the realm of the Yamabushi.
