There are so many benefits to travelling with a small group when you visit Japan. One of these is the ability to participate in classes to learn skills embedded in the local culture — perhaps you will even come home with some new recipes and techniques to try in the kitchen!
Seeking out community-based travel experiences supports sustainable tourism and enables you to have a richer, more authentic experience of Japanese culture. Connecting with local people, supporting local businesses and contributing directly to the local economy are all important considerations.
Here are 17 of our favourite unique experiences in Japan that will make your trip the envy of people you know.
Stay
Stay at Azumi Setoda
Azumi Setoda is a 19th-century building in the Hiroshima coastal area port city, on Ikuchijima island. This area is famous for still blue waters, seafood, citrus fruits and the picturesque horizon scattered with island silhouettes.
During the Meiji period in Japan, affluent merchants hosted guests here. The architecture and design reflect the original design and tradition, displaying the local lifestyle and traditional way of living in the port area. The entire building evokes the sense of “I am coming home”.
This 140-year-old Ryokan Inn was formerly home to Setouchi’s influential Horiuchi family, transformed by Kyoto architect Shiro Miura to blend traditional aesthetics with modern functionality. The minimal interior features traditional materials like washi paper, shikkui plaster, local granite and wood for an authentic experience.
Soak in a deep hinoki cypress bathtub after a day of travel, or visit the adjacent yubune (bathhouse) to soak or steam in baths decorated with tile artworks by Mai Miyake. Food is served in large, bright ceramic dishes that once belonged to the Horiuchi family, and the meals are organic and locally sourced with seasonal ingredients and flavours. This luxurious stay is well worth spending a couple of nights.
Sports and culture
Sumo wrestling demonstration
Japan by Marion Bunnik
Watching a sumo-wrestling match in Tokyo is a must-do — this traditional sport goes back centuries and is steeped in ritual. Be sure to stock up on Japanese snacks and select a wrestler to support during the match!
A sumo-wrestling match is a quiet and ceremonial experience, filled with ritual. Sumo wrestling is about more than sheer strength, it is a battle that blends power, strategy and ceremony. Watching the match with a guide familiar with the nuances of sumo wrestling can add extra insights into the spectacle. This experience is so much more than simply watching sports, it is an essential Japanese cultural experience.
Try for yourself
Take a samurai class
Samurai were the warriors of premodern Japan and formed the ruling military class and highest-ranking social class during the Edo period. Trained to use weapons including bows and arrows, spears and guns, the primary weapon of the samurai and their symbol was the sword.
Samurai lived according to ‘the way of the warrior’, an ethical code known as “bushido”. This ethical code emphasises loyalty to the master, self-discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. Many samurai also followed the teachings and practices of Buddhism.
A samurai class introduces you to the concepts of the samurai way of life, providing an opportunity to dress in samurai attire and learn sword techniques using a wooden sword.
Japan by Marion Bunnik
Try Japanese black ink calligraphy
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Japan by Marion Bunnik
Calligraphy (書道, shodo: “the way of writing”) is the art of writing beautifully. Japanese children learn calligraphy in primary school and many adults continue with the practice. In Japanese writing, the order of the strokes in each character is key.
There are three styles of writing, with the block (kaisho) style the easiest to begin learning. Once kaisho calligraphy is mastered, writers continue to practice semi-cursive (gyosho) style before moving to the cursive (sosho) style. This final calligraphy style takes a lot of practice.
In a Japanese calligraphy class, you will learn about the history of calligraphy before practising brush techniques under the guidance of your instructor.
A calligraphy toolkit includes:
- a soft mat (shitajiki) that forms the comfortable surface for writing
- a metal stick (bunchi) which weights the paper to hold it in place while writing
- special, thin calligraphy paper (hanshi)
- A brush or brushes (fude) for writing
- A heavy black container to hold ink (suzuri)
- Solid black material is rubbed in water in the suzuri to produce black ink for writing (sumi).;
Note: some classes may use “instant ink” in bottles.
You will usually be invited to take your calligraphy work home as a memento.
Authentic Japanese cuisine
Savour “Hell Steam Cuisine”
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Japan by Marion Bunnik
In Beppu you can savour meals cooked over mineral steam from the hot springs. “Jijoku mushi” or “steamed dishes from Hell’s kitchen” are made from ingredients cooked on a fumarole where hot spring vapour at 98 degrees C gushes up through the ‘jigoku-gama’, the traditional cooker.
Hell-steamed food is quite healthy as no oil is used in cooking, and fat in the ingredients drips off during cooking. The mineral steam naturally salts the food, enhancing the flavours. Popular dishes include steamed eggs, sweet potato, hot spring dumplings and corn.
Traditional green tea in Hoshino village
Hoshino village is famous for its green tea, arguably the finest green tea in Japan and has been producing green tea since the Muromachi period. Gyokuro (green tea) is shaded under straw mats and picked by hand to ensure the highest quality, this region has won numerous consecutive awards for its produce.
At the tea culture museum, you can be guided through the aromatic points of traditional “Shizuku tea” and learn in a hands-on experience how to make green tea from raw leaves.
Japan by Marion Bunnik
Make soba noodles
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Japan by Marion Bunnik
Soba noodles (sobauchi) are made from buckwheat and form part of many Japanese dishes. When attending a soba noodle-making lesson, dress in comfortable older clothing rather than your best outfits — the experience can be a little messy.
During a soba noodle class, you will learn to make dough by mixing buckwheat flour with water, kneading, rolling and stretching the dough before cutting it into noodles.; Best of all, you then cook and eat your handiwork. This is a skill you can practice again when you get home for fresh, delicious noodles.
Taste Chanko-Nabe (sumo hot-pot style stew)
A sumo-wrestling experience is best completed with a traditional Chanko hot pot lunch, a staple in the diet of sumo wrestlers. Chanko Nabe is a meal you can share, a hot pot filled with various meats, fish and vegetables, providing the nutrition that helps sumo wrestlers gain strength and size.
Sake tasting
Sake (sah-keh) is a traditional Japanese alcohol which can be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature or warm. It can be sweet and fruity or dry and earthy depending on how it is made, the rice it is made from and the temperature it is served at. At a sake brewery you can learn what influences the varied flavour profiles and the history of sake in Japan.
Made from polished rice, sake comes in different grades, with highly polished rice producing lighter, cleaner, fruity or floral notes. Rice is inoculated with koji spores which spread, with the penetration depth influencing the flavour.
At a sake brewery you can learn about the process in depth, from rice polishing to inoculation, brewing, pasteurisation, storing and serving, with each step playing a role in creating the sake product. Of course, this education is only complete with tasting the sake, so you can compare different flavour profiles with an appreciation of how they were created.
Discover Japanese beer making’s history
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Sapporo Beer Museum, Japan by Unsplash
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Sapporo Beer Museum, Japan by Unsplash
Beer has been made in Japan since the Dutch arrived in the 1600s, and now accounts for two-thirds of alcohol consumed in Japan. Popular brands that are exported include Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo.
At the Sapporo Beer Museum, you can delve into the history of beer-making in Japan and learn about the beer-making process of the famous brand named after the city of Sapporo. ‘Fukkoku Sapporo Bakushu’ is a unique beer brewed with methods used since 1881, served from a swing-style tap that creates a foamy head as the beer is poured into a mug. Taste other exclusive beers whilst you are here — these are only available on Shikoku Island.
Try gyutan and traditional Sendai cuisine
Sendai is famous for its food, including zunda (crushed edamame), sasakama (fish cake shaped like a bamboo leaf) and gyutan (grilled cow tongue). Sasakama symbolises the fertile fishing grounds off the Sanriku Coast, and for the adventurous, gyutan is a juicy meat that is cooked in a particular way.
Wanko Soba
Wankko soba is a lively and entertaining event, during which a server continually refills your bowl, cheering, chanting and motivating you to continue eating until you are full. This tradition dates back more than 380 years — it is said that it began when Lord Toshinao Nanbu stopped in Hanamaki on his way to Edo (now Tokyo) he offered soba to the people there to ease their travel tensions.
While there is no rule that you must eat quickly, you do eat continuously during this challenge. The meal concludes when you reach your limit and place a lid on your soba bowl.
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Japan by Marion Bunnik
Nature’s wonders
Hirosaki Castle and Botanical Garden
Constructed in 1611 by the Tsugaru Clan, Hirosaki Castle is a Hirayama-style Japanese castle and a famous cherry blossom viewing location. The castle features a three-story tower, fortified moats, castle gates and corner turrets that have survived or been reconstructed. Around the castle is a beautiful public garden.
In 1627 the original five-story castle was struck by lightning and burned, to be rebuilt in 1810 at the present three-story size. Hirosaki Castle’s three-story keep is one of only a handful not rebuilt in the modern era in the Tohoku region.
See Geibiki Gorge by boat
Geibikei gorge is spectacular, with tall cliffs and rock formations lining the calm waters of the gorge, including a special rock feature shaped like a lion’s nose, the gorge’s namesake. A peaceful 90-minute boat ride is the perfect way to enjoy the scenery. Visitors can try their luck at throwing a ‘lucky stone’ through an opening on the cliff across the river.
In autumn the wisteria blooms, transforming the gorge into an elegant wonderland. Local fauna include carps and ducks, which visitors can feed from the boat.
Art and museums
Admire art at Chichu Art Museum, Benesse House Museum and Art House Project
Chichu Art Museum, Japan
The art houses on Naoshima Island are well worth a visit, offering new perspectives and insights into traditional and modern Japanese culture.
The Chicu Art Museum reimagines the relationship between people and nature. Built mostly underground to avoid impacting the natural beauty of Seto Inland Sea, from above you see the top of the buildings as geometric shapes. The subterranean museum lets in natural light which changes throughout the day and between seasons. Tadao Ando’s architecture complements art by Claude Money, James Turrell and Walter De Maria in the permanent collection.
The Benesse House Museum, also designed by Tadao Ando and opened in 1992, integrates a museum and hotel. The permanent collections include sculptures and installations specifically designed for the space, with artworks scattered out into the nearby forest.
The Art House Project is a collection of abandoned houses on Naoshima’s eastern coast, converted into art installations and venues for contemporary art for local and international artists. Some buildings are centuries old, contrasting with modern and unconventional art held within like LED displays set in water. From warehouses to merchant homes, the dwellings are as diverse as the art they contain. Playing with the perception of light, James Turrel’s “Backside of the Moon” is an intriguing art piece on many must-see lists, located in a building by Tadao Ando.
Immerse yourself in the taste, smell and sights of Japan
Japan is truly a feast for the senses, offering flavours, smells, sights and interactive experiences that are unique to this rich and deeply reverent culture. From calligraphy to samurai lessons, food and drink to art designed for the specific location, a small group tour of Japan provides bespoke opportunities to engage with the local culture.
Frequently asked questions
What is special in Japan?
Japan is world-famous for its cherry blossoms, castles, samurai swords, and religious shrines and temples. Its vibrant history comes to life in architecture and art, with modernisation and technology evolving rapidly, anime and manga providing unique cinema and video games, and popular culture mixing with traditional art forms through theme and style.
What is beautiful in Japan?
Each changing season in Japan offers exquisite beauty, with the spring cherry blossom being the most famous. Winter snows, sparkling summer beaches and colourful autumn leaves also attract visitors in every season.
What is Japan’s biggest holiday?
With festivals at various times of the year, Japan’s biggest celebration is at the new year, with businesses closing through January 3rd. There are religious festivals throughout the year, and travellers can experience these festive events by travelling to Japan at special times.