Japan by Taste: A 10-Day Culinary Journey from Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka & Kobe

Welcome to Japan, a country known for its ancient traditions and its equally modern way of building huge skyscrapers, as well as for the vibrant and colorful streets that seem to come alive in the evening. After arrival at Tokyo airport you and your party will be greeted by your very own personal driver, who will transport you to your hotel. After your arrival at your hotel and after checking in, perhaps having a rest is the best idea and this is why the rest of the day is up to you and you can do as you like. For example, you could take a stroll around the local area or have an early evening dinner in a local restaurant where you can experience the fantastic flavors of Tokyo.

After breakfast, set out with your private guide for a full-day introduction to Tokyo, using the city’s efficient public transportation system like a local. The day begins at Tsukiji Fish Market, one of the best places to understand Japan’s devotion to freshness, seasonality and craftsmanship. Its narrow lanes are filled with seafood stalls, specialty shops, casual eateries and ingredients that reveal the foundations of Japanese cooking. Continue past the Imperial Palace before exploring the historic Nihonbashi area, once the commercial heart of Edo. Later, visit Senso-ji, one of Tokyo’s most important Buddhist temples, and wander Nakamise-dori, where small shops sell traditional snacks, crafts and souvenirs on the way to the temple’s main hall and five-story pagoda. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure, perhaps with an optional bar-hopping experience in Shinjuku for a livelier taste of the city after dark.

This morning, leave Tokyo with your guide and private driver for the Kawaguchiko area, one of the most scenic gateways to Mount Fuji. The drive takes approximately 2.5 hours, bringing you toward Japan’s tallest mountain and one of the country’s most meaningful cultural symbols. Visit Oshino Hakkai, a picturesque village known for its clear spring-fed ponds and traditional atmosphere, then continue to Arakurayama Sengen Park. From here, the Chureito Pagoda frames Mount Fuji in one of Japan’s most recognizable views, especially striking during cherry blossom season or autumn foliage. To experience the landscape from another perspective, enjoy a gentle cruise on Lake Kawaguchi, one of the Fuji Five Lakes. When conditions are clear, the mountain’s reflection shimmers across the water, creating a memorable setting for photographs before returning to the city for an evening at leisure.

Enjoy a relaxed morning in Tokyo, with time to explore independently, revisit a favorite district or simply slow down at the hotel before the afternoon’s culinary experience. Later, take part in a hands-on sushi-making class that introduces you to one of Japan’s most iconic culinary traditions. With the guidance of a friendly instructor, learn how to shape nigiri, prepare inari and understand the balance of rice, fish, seasoning, wasabi, soy and garnish that makes sushi both simple and highly refined. After the class, the evening is yours. You may wish to seek out a favorite neighborhood restaurant, explore Tokyo’s food halls or enjoy a quiet final night in the capital before continuing to Kyoto.

After breakfast, make your way to the station and board the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. Your ticket is included, and the journey takes around 2.5 hours, offering a smooth transition from Tokyo’s modern pace to Kyoto’s more traditional elegance. After arriving and checking in, take part in a kimono tea ceremony, a graceful introduction to sado, the Japanese way of tea. In a traditional setting with tatami flooring, learn about the preparation of matcha, the influence of Zen and the quiet etiquette that surrounds this deeply symbolic ritual. Traditional sweets accompany the tea, completing an experience that is as much about presence and hospitality as it is about flavor. The evening is free for your own first impressions of Kyoto.

A day of culture in Kyoto with this full-day private guided tour to visit some of the key sights. The Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) is a sight not to be missed as the beautifully adorned temple shines and its reflection jumps off the surface of the pond in front, set against a beautiful background of gardens. You will also visit the Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa shogun at Nijo Castle to see the inside of Ninomaru Palace with its stunning carvings and colorful tapestries in its many rooms. In the afternoon we visit Fushimi Inari Taisha with its thousands of vermilion torii gates which form walking paths up the sides of mountains. While there are easy walking paths for the less able, there are also many routes for the more able and fit to climb higher to be rewarded with even more spectacular views. You return to Gion, Kyoto’s famous geisha district and one of the few places in the world where you can see a geiko (geisha) and/or maiko (apprentice geiko) out and about and the guide will point out traditional buildings down quiet streets and give you insight into the culture of the geiko and maiko and how they live today in one of Japan’s oldest living traditions.

Today, explore Kyoto on your own over the course of a day. After breakfast you will start out for Arashiyama and proceed for a long walk through the Boating Pond grounds. Enter the famous Bamboo Forest and continue to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Tenryu-ji with one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, as well as a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains. After crossing the Katsura River, which winds its way through Arashiyama, you will make your way to the famous Togetsu-kyo Bridge (‘Moon Crossing Bridge’), one of Kyoto’s symbols. On the request of individual participants, the trip can be extended by a half-day to the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery, where, in addition to being able to learn a lot about the art of Japanese whisky production, you can also test some of the products. In the evening, as in Heian Kyō, you can also get to know Kyoto and its many sights through its many flavors, at high-end kaiseki restaurants as well as at simple restaurants in side streets.

After breakfast, take the hotel shuttle to the railway station for the short train journey to Osaka, with your train ticket included. On arrival, settle into your hotel and begin exploring Japan’s beloved culinary capital. During the day, you may visit Osaka Castle, the city’s best-known historic landmark or the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, where recreated streetscapes offer a glimpse of the city in earlier eras. Later, join a guided food tour through Dotonbori and Shinsekai, two energetic districts where Osaka’s food culture shines. Taste local favorites such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki and kushikatsu while your guide shares the stories and customs behind the city’s famously generous approach to eating.

You will be picked up from your hotel by your English speaking guide and driver after breakfast and depart for a full day private excursion of the best of Japan’s Heritage, Cuisine and Sake. After visiting Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s most impressive surviving feudal castles. This is a very large complex with many buildings to explore including the defensive moat, walls and battlements as well as the many castle buildings. After lunch in Kobe you will have the opportunity to dine at your leisure. Kobe is world famous for its cuisine and in particular for the exclusive Wagyu cattle breed of which only a few types are exported around the world. The Tajima-gyu, from Hyogo’s southern prefecture is perhaps the most well known and is certainly famous throughout Japan for its tenderness, marbling and cuisine uses. In the afternoon you will visit Nada district, the sake brewing capital of Japan. You will visit the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum, an old brewhouse where you can see the sake production process and sample a few varieties of sake brewed on the premises. In the evening return to Osaka where you will spend your last night in Japan.

After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to Japan. Transfer to Osaka airport for your onward flight, carrying with you memories of market tastings, tea rituals, sushi craft, street food, sake and the many regional flavors that shaped this tailor-made culinary journey.