Lovers of Japanese food – and Japanese culture – won’t want to miss the small-group Cuisine & Culture of Japan Tour (May 16-29, 2019) from Esprit Travel. From sushi to Kobe beef, Michelin-starred kaiseki meals to humble train station bentos, this popular tour offers insider perspectives of Japan’s UNESCO-honored cuisine through cooking classes, market and farm visits and meals by top chefs. 

 

Now in its third year, the small-group tour (up to 15 people) covers the gourmet hubs of Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe, including: 

  • meals at some of Japan’s best-known restaurants for elegant kaiseki cuisine,9009320059?profile=originaltempura,9009320468?profile=original
  • Kobe beef and more farm-to-table experienceshttp%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F140930103747-wagyu-oita-bungo-beef.jpg?width=700
  • market districts for gourmet foods, tableware and kitchen supplies1868.jpg?width=700
  • a famed depachika, department store food hall depachika-takashimaya-tokyo-3.jpg?w=800&width=700
  • a lesson from a master of the Way of Tea (tea ceremony)9009320099?profile=original
  • countryside excursions to a farm village and a green tea plantation9009321872?profile=original
  • a sake brewery with museum and tasting9009322271?profile=original
  • educational visits to galleries for knives and ceramics, with shopping opportunitiesjapanese_pottery_gallery_zoom_10.jpg?width=700
  • cooking classes for sushi, noodle-making and everyday home cooking9009322868?profile=original
  • a guided walk through a Japanese supermarket.

 

The tour also explores Japan’s unique culture, including: 

  • specially arranged visits to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines9009323065?profile=original
  • famous gardens of Kanazawa and Kyoto9009323658?profile=original
  • textiles at one of the country’s most innovative studios and a dye workshop which grows its own natural pigments9009323091?profile=original
  • classical and Pritzker-prize-winning modern intersect_hero_dt_1.jpg?width=700
  • natural beauty in a country villa and bamboo forestArashiyama-Featured-Bamboo-Forest-Elliott-Kallen.jpg?width=700
  • bright lights and big city energy of Tokyo and Osaka9009324493?profile=original

 

The tour is led by noted travel and food writer Andrew Bender. Over decades living or working in Japan, Andy has contributed to over a dozen Japan guide books for Lonely Planet and Frommer’s and written numerous articles about Japan and food for other publications, including the closely-watched annual food and restaurant trends list for Forbes

 

This tour is offered by Esprit Travel & Tours, a specialist in insider, small group tours to Japan  for over 25 years Japan.
  

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