Kansai, where you can “Experience the Real Japan” that you have been looking for.
The Kansai region is a “treasure house of Japanese culture” with a rich cultural resource remaining from its history as a former prosperous capital. There is a new, high-quality cultural tour that offers multiple cultural experiences in special settings with top-notch people who have mastered culture, art, or faith rooted in the Kansai region. Here are some travel reports from actual tour participants. Take part in this tour that is sure to become a once-in-a-lifetime precious trip.
Osaka
A trip filled with the charms of Osaka, an area rich in diversity and unique characters.
Experience the unique character of Osaka by watching Noh performance at the main shrine of Osaka Temmangu Shrine and strolling through Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Arcade.
Tour highlights
Enjoy a private viewing of a Noh play by Noh actors Tomoyoshi Ueno (an intangible cultural property) and Tomohiko Ueno from the Kanze-ryu school of Noh at the exclusively chartered main shrine building of Osaka Temmangu Shrine.
Kyoto
Experience the essence of an enduring culture in the 1200-year-old ancient capital of Kyoto.
The ancient capital of Kyoto is one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations. You will experience the “authentic” tea ceremony and Noh performance that have been nurtured over 1,200 years of history, and meet the people who have inherited them.
Tour highlights
The Shobikan, a building in the Heian Jingu Shrine that is usually closed to the public, will be exclusively chartered for you to take part in a tea ceremony in the style of Oribe-ryu. During the ceremony, you will experience "futatsugashira," the oldest method of tea preparation that is rarely performed today.
Fukui
Visit a Zen temple with a 770-year history and an old village of washi paper.
Spend some quality time in the hometown of Echizen washi, meeting traditional craftsmen with distinguished skills, and having an extraordinary experience of spiritual Zen practice in peace.
Tour highlights
Visit the workshop of Echizen Washi artisan Ichibe Iwano (a living national treasure) and observe how washi paper is made. This exclusive tour allows you to hear directly from the artisan himself about his passion for making washi.
Hyogo
Feel Hyogo’s unique culture, generated by the coexistence and blending of old and new.
Kobe is a port city that was established early in Japan. Enjoy the unique culture of Hyogo, where tradition and modernism are interwoven. The tour highlight is a private Takigi Noh performance at a shrine overlooking the night view of Kobe.
Tour highlights
The Hall of Worship at Kitano Tenman Shrine, which offers panoramic night views of Kobe, will be converted into a Noh stage for you to enjoy a Takigi Noh performance in a magical atmosphere evoked by torches lit in the night.
Mie
Meet the “Traveling Lion” in the spiritual home of the Japanese people.
In the past, visiting the Ise Shrine (Oise-mairi) was the greatest entertainment for people, but for those who were not able to make it, the Ise Daikagura has traveled all over Japan, praying and performing entertainment arts for them. You will witness their finely honed skills and spirit.
Tour highlights
Charter a room in the important cultural property Hinjitsukan and enjoy a private performance by the Ise-daikagura Kosha Kandayu Yamamoto troupe.
Nara
Meet the people who have passed down prayers for over a thousand years.
You will visit ancient shrines and temples, and encounter the original scenery of nature and prayers in the ancient capital of Nara. The words of monks who have practiced the rigorous training of Shugendo will be spiritual nourishment for your life.
Tour highlights
Yoshino, Nara is one of the centers of religion in Japan — a place where the practice of Shugendo continues to thrive to this day, with practitioners devoting themselves to a life of prayer, repeatedly training in the heart of nature. By special invitation of the priests, we will be allowed to pay homage at the Kinpusen-ji Temple, the konpon dojo (head temple) of the Shugendo religion.
Shiga
Visit Shiga, a place that flourished as a neighbor of the ancient capital of Kyoto, with its unique culture cultivated by the rich natural environment.
You will visit Miidera Temple, an ancient temple that houses 64 national treasures, to experience Zen meditation in an area that is normally closed to the public, and stay at a Shukubo, a lodging house in the temple’s precinct. You will feel the temple’s long history and enjoy the precious cultural assets to your heart’s content.
Tour highlights
Take part in a special Zen meditation session at Kangakuin, a national treasure that is usually closed to the public. You will also encounter many invaluable temple treasures, including 64 national treasures and 720 important cultural properties at Miidera Temple.
Tokushima
Experience Tokushima’s culture, brought by the sea, mountains, and rivers, and meet the people who have protected and passed it on.
Traveling to the east and west of Tokushima will allow you to trace the rich nature and culture of each region. A special performance of “Awa Ningyo Joruri” (Japanese traditional puppet show), a folk performing art unique in the world, will be held in an outdoor theater with the support of local residents.
Tour highlights
Enjoy a special Ningyo Joruri private puppet theater performance at the Inukai Noson Theater, which is held only once a year. This show will be performed by Tomowaka Takemoto (an intangible cultural property) in the style of Gidayu-bushi.
Tottori
Visit Tottori, a place loved by a world-renowned white porcelain artist.
Tottori’s environment is said to be ideal for craftsmanship because it is away from the bustle of big cities. You will meet Akihiro Maeda, a living national treasure who has been creating white porcelain for many years, to learn his thoughts about the local area and his work.
Tour highlights
Sit down for a talk by Akihiro Maeta, a white-porcelain ceramics artist, at the important cultural property Ishitani Residence, where you can experience the beauty of natural lighting that makes exhibitions held there so special.
Wakayama
Regenerate as a new you by visiting the “sacred place of rebirth”.
Since ancient times, Kumano has been referred to as a “sacred place of rebirth”. It is believed that this sacred place deep in the mountain, where the gods are enshrined, will revive the spirit and give new vitality to the visitors. You will walk the former pilgrimage route, Kumano Kodo, and make a special visit to the Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine.
Tour highlights
Walking along an ancient pilgrimage route called the Kumano Kodo, we arrive at Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture, a destination that has been visited by many people. We will pay a special pilgrimage to the Kumano Hongu Taisha, the souhongu (head shrine) of Kumano shrines, of which there are over 4,700 throughout Japan.
Summary
Kansai is filled with the places where you can experience the real Japan. For more information on each tour, please click the link in the text to the individual tour pages.