Oku Japan Launches New Culinary-Focused Winter Tour

Oku Japan has unveiled its latest offering: a nine-day “Japan’s Culinary Heritage: Winter Warmth” tour.

Taking inspiration from its popular “Japan’s Culinary Heritage” tour, this adventure focuses instead on the cozy traditions of the colder months. Inclusive of a hands-on cooking class, visits to traditional markets, sake-tasting at a brewery that has been passed down through 16 generations and more, the tour will give travelers a taste of “the many traditions that have sustained communities through the harshest season.”

The adventure starts in Tokyo, before transferring to the city of Kanazawa, where a visit to a local market with a culinary expert will be followed by a cooking class that focuses on seasonal specialties using the ingredients the group just picked up. It is then on to the village of Toga to sample rare unfiltered doburoku sake and specially fermented winter fare, before traveling to Takayama, home to preserved traditional architecture.

After traveling along parts of the Nakasendō Trail, including through the post-town of Tsumago and tasting the specialties there, the tour will arrive in Osaka, the “street food capital of Japan” and a place historically known as tenka no daidokoro or “the nation’s kitchen.” Here, there will be a visit to Doguyasuji Shopping Street, an arcade with an array of cooking tools. Travelers will also visit a depa-chika, the underground maze of gourmet shops found here, before taking a local train to Sakai City, revered since the Edo period for the quality and craftsmanship of its knives. The tour will visit two workshops to learn about the forging process, as well as how to properly maintain these knives, and finally a chance to purchase a souvenir.

Kyoto is the last stop along the tour, with a visit to Nishiki Market, a bustling covered shopping area that has a reputation as “Kyoto’s Kitchen.” Here, travelers will find a wide array of traditional foods common in winter and local specialty items such as seafood, pickled and dried Japanese vegetables, tea, sweets and ceramics, as well as enjoy a lunch of Kyoto’s famous tofu cuisine—a showcase of just how versatile this key ingredient can be.

A few other highlights include:

A visit to a sake brewery in the Kiso Valley that was founded in 1650 where the group will learn about the brewing process, commonly started in winter, followed up by a special tasting.Exploring Takayama’s morning market with a local guide who will share information about fermenting and storing produce—an essential part of winter food preparation.A chance to join in mochitsuki, the pounding of rice with a wooden hammer and mortar to make rice cakes, a winter favorite.Sampling seasonal specialties, such as a hearty seasonal winter hotpot, a flavorful broth perfect in cold weather, as well as koicha, a special type of thick matcha green tea.

To learn more, visit www.okujapan.com.