Day 1: Sunday, April . 2016
Highlight of the day:
- Nagoya Regional Foods in Nagoya
- Picnic under the Sakura, cherry blossom trees & Miso Brewery Tour in Okazaki
- The 383rd Inuyama Night Festival
- 10:00 Meeting at Nagoya Station, Golden Clock by Takashimaya department store (Map will be provided once you registered)
- 10:10 Take-out foods shopping at the department stores in Nagoya station. We'll buy popular regional foods such as Ten-musu (shrimp tempura in a rice ball), Nagoya style double-fried chicken wings marinated with garlicky teriyaki sauce and white pepper, and some popular sweets for lunch. You can also buy foods from streets vendors at Okazaki castle festival.)
- 11:34 Leaving Meitetsu Nagoya Station [Train ride for about half an hour.]
- 12:03 Arriving Higashi Okazaki Station [Walk to Okazaki Castle Park, About 1 km/0.6mile, Less than 15 minutes walk.]
- Picnic lunch under the Sakura trees. There are over 1,000 varieties of Someiyoshi cherry blossom trees in and around Okazaki Castle Park.
- 14:15 Leaving for Miso Brewery [Distance: 800m/0.5mile, less than 15 minutes walk]
- 14:30: Maruya Haccho Miso Gura, The tour lasts for half an hour.
- 15:40 Walking back to the Higashi Okazaki station [Distance: 1.6 km/1 mile, 25 minutes walk]
- 16:22 About 30 minutes train ride to Nagoya
- 16:51 Arriving Meitetsu Nagoya Station
- [Walking to the restaurant, 800m/0.5mile, 10 minutes walk]
- 17:00 Dinner at Miyakagi. We'll have some shared appetizers, Miso chicken Sukiyaki and Unagi hitsumabushi. Miyakagi is one of the oldest restaurants in Nagoya established in 1899. Since then they are known for their chicken and eel dishes prepared with locally renowned ingredients and seasonings, including Mikawa red hen and haccho miso. Hitsumabushi is a regional donburi, rice bowl dish. It offers 3 different ways to enjoy grilled teriyaki eels with rice. First you eat the grilled eel just as it is, the second round is with some aromatic garnishes and the last round is eaten as a soup.
- 18:40 Walking back to Nagoya Station
- 18:59 Leaving Meitetsu Nagoya Station
- 19:30 Arriving Inuyama Station
- Walking through the old town of Inuyama where the 382nd festival will take place. 2.2 km/1.5 mile walk from Inuyama station to the next station. As it will be crowded, walking time will vary 45 to 60 minutes. At this night festival, each local district parades their historical wooden floats with lanterns lit by candles. Each town maintains their own float decorated with a total of 365 lanterns. These wooden floats are only pushed and pulled by men and making turns are the most difficult part, therefore you'll see people cheering and applauding. This is called a "Donden" moment - a highlight of the festival.
- 21:00 Taking taxi to the accommodation [Approximately 30 minutes car ride]
Day 2: Monday, April 4th. 2016
Highlight of the day:
- Minoyaki pottery & Chestnuts Sweets
- Historical Road & Inn "Magome" Station on Nakasendo
- Gero Hot Spring
- 7:30 Breakfast
- 8:30 Departing for Kawabe [Approximately half an hour car ride]
- 9:00 Hakusen Shuzo [Mirin/Sweet Sake Brewery] [Sake & Mirin Brewery]
- Yoko's long-term favorite, 3 years aged Hon-Mirin is made here.
- 9:30 Departing for Toki [Approximately half an hour car ride]
- 10:00 Shino-Oribe Pottery Market & Cafe [Free Time for about 90 minutes]
- Suggestion: Ena-Kawakamiya shop & cafe. Sweet varieties using chestnuts.
- Oribe Hills: A dozen of ceramics shops are located within walking distance with local potters selling their handmade products.
- 11:30 Departing for "Magome". [About 1-hour car ride]
- Downhill hike (2.4Km/1.5mile) along the historical Nakasendo-road & along Magome Inns & shops (0.6Km/0.4mile)
- Suggestion: Hinoki, Japanese cypress, products are the most well known in this region. Wooden cookwares such as Hangiri/sushi rice bowl are sturdy and will last longer than the similar products available online.
- 13:30 Lunch at Hagino offering a regional course meal.
- 15:00 Departing for Gero hot spring [Approximately 1-hour car ride]
- Suggested dessert before the hot spring: A hot spring egg & soft served ice cream
- 16:30 Taking a bath at Suimeikan (If you want a private bath, please let us know as we need to make a reservation. Extra fee will be charged separately. )
- 18:00 Dinner at Kabaya [5 minutes drive from the Gero hot spring central area]
- The local favorite! Panko fried shrimp, crab meat-filled cream croquette, fried wakasagi fish, tonkatsu, etc. If you're still craving for Unagi, they are known for that, too.
- 19:30 Heading back to the accommodation [About 1-hour car ride]
- 20:30 Arriving at the accommodation
Day 3: Tuesday, April 5th. 2016
Highlight of the day:
- Usuzumi Sakura, let us feel like an infant again at the foot of 1500 years old tree.
- The City of Gifu, walking (food) tour from old district to Modern part of town.
- 1 km/0.6mile-long Nagara River Sakura light-up
- 7:30 Breakfast
- 8:30 Departing [About half an hour car ride]
- 9:00 Daruma Masamune [Sake Brewery known for their aged sake. We'll buy a bottle to toast under the sakura tree]
- 9:30 Leaving for Neo Village, Usuzumi Sakura. [About 45 minutes car ride]
- 10:15 Usuzumi Sakura Park [Learn the long history of this tree which was believed to be planted in the 5th century by the Japanese emperor.]
- 11:00 Departing [About 1/2 hour car ride]
- 11:30 Kegonji Temple [1,200 years old temple, 0.6miles of Sakura tree boulevard]
- 12:20 Departing for Gifu [About 40 minutes car ride]
- 13:00 Lunch at Restaurant Satoshi F, Japanese-French
- 14:30 Walking tour part 1: Urban Gifu [about 1.5 to 2 miles walking]
- BentenDou- 100 years old wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop
- Alaska Stationery -Simple stationery shop loved by Gifu locals
- Wagasa, Japanese traditional umbrella shop
- Mega discount store Don Quixote, a brief tour just in case you've never been.
- Gifu Gift Shop, where you can find 'Made in Gifu' products
- 16:00 Departing for Old town Gifu [about 10 minutes car ride]
- 16:10 Walking Tour Part 2: Old Gifu [About 2-3 miles walking]
- Yubayu- Yuba (tofu skin) shopping for the following morning breakfast
- 18Rou Nagara-Hot Spring (If this hotel happens to be open for the public, we should arrange a bath time since the bathroom here is gorgeous! The hotel only announces their availability a month in advance.)
- Old town shops & cafe [Wagashi & Matcha]
- Gifu park & Sakura Festival
- 19:00 Dinner at Senryu [Classic Teppan-Yaki Steak Dinner or Shabu Shabu/Sukiyaki]
- 20:30 Departing [Driving through Sakura trees street]
- 21:00 Arriving accommodation
Day 4: Wednesday, April 6th. 2016
Highlight of the day:
- Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture
- Sagawa Art Museum, the Art Work of Ikuo Hirayama
- Taneya Sweets & Canal Boat riding at OmiHachiman
- 7:30 Departing [50 minutes to Yoro service area]
- 8:20 10 minutes break at Yoro Service Area on Meishin Highway
- 9:30 Arriving at Sagawa Museum
- 11:00 Departing for Ohmi Hachiman [About 30 minutes car ride]
- 11:30 Pick up Lunch [We'll eat on the boat]
- Saba Bo Sushi(traditional/regional sushi): Hisago Sushi
- Seasonal & Regiona Deli: Sanmatsu (instagram name: sanma2san)
- 12:30 80 minutes boat ride. Experience what the famous Samurai, such as Oda Nobunaga took as a mean of de-stressing! [5 minutes car ride to next destination]
- 14:00 Ohmi Hachiman Canal Area
- Taneya (Japanese sweets) Shop & restaurant, and Club Harie
- Borderless Art Museum
- 16:00 Departing for La Collina [About 5 minutes car ride] - A famous sweet sanctuar with factory tours and taste-testing - Let's get inspired!
- 16:40 One hour car ride along Lake Biwa
- 17:30 Hikone Castle Sakura Festival
- 18:30 Heading back to Seki [1 hour car ride]
- 19:30 Dinner at Sushi Konno [Sushi Kaiseki Dinner]
- 21:30 Heading back to home by foot [10 minutes walk]
Day 5: Thursday, April 7th. 2016
Highlight of the day:
- Cooking class
- 8:00 2-Hours cooking class (Menu TBD)
- 10:00 Brunch
- 11:30 Departing, We'll help you get to the next destination.
For the single reservation: USD 1,600/Person