Tour overview
First, we will take you to a Japanese restaurant called “Kobanten” where you will enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine for lunch. This Japanese cuisine uses Hatcho miso to bring out the umami flavor.

Afterwards, you will visit the miso brewery where Hatcho miso is made, listen to an explanation about Hatcho miso, and then have a tour of an actual miso brewery, experiencing firsthand how traditional miso is made.

After the miso brewery tour, you will cook your own stewed udon noodles using Hatcho miso. You will experience how anyone can bring out the flavor of Japanese cuisine by using Hatcho miso.

The tour will conclude with a speech from the miso brewery owner.

Description of destination

Kobanten
This is a long-established Japanese restaurant that has been in business for over 100 years and was featured in the Michelin Guide Aichi, Gifu, and Mie 2019. This Japanese restaurant in Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture, is well-known for its Japanese eel dishes and is bustling with gourmets who come from far away to try its cuisine.

Hatcho Miso Village
Hatcho miso is a traditional Japanese bean miso made in Hatcho-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. This miso is made without modern manufacturing methods or additives, using only soybeans and salt as ingredients, and is aged for over two years in a wooden barrel. Many professional Japanese chefs use Hatcho miso to bring out the umami flavor that is the essence of Japanese cuisine.

・tour schedule

Nohgaku is a traditional performing art that represents Japan, and is a collective term for Noh and Kyogen. It was perfected by Kannami and Zeami during the Muromachi period, and has a history of over 600 years. Noh is a musical and dance drama based on song and dance, performed while wearing Noh masks. Nohgaku is mainly performed according to stories created from Japanese classical literature, and the way it conveys human psychology through a small number of movements reflects Japanese culture, but on the other hand, this can also make it difficult for viewers to understand.
On this tour, the Kashokaku Noh Theatre in Kyoto will be exclusively reserved for one group. From Nagoya Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto Station in 45 minutes. After arriving at Kyoto Station, you will be guided to the Kashokaku Noh Theatre and will receive a briefing of about 1.5 hours, covering everything from the history of Noh to the story of the Noh performance. Afterwards, there will be a break for a chat with the performers and you will be able to ask them any questions you may have about the upcoming Noh performance.
For lunch, you will enjoy Kyoto cuisine in a bento box delivered by a long-established Kyoto restaurant.
After the meal, it’s finally time to watch today’s Noh performance. While moving freely around the spacious seats, you can enjoy about an hour of Noh performance from your favorite program, choosing a place where you can easily see the performers. After the performance, there will be another social time with the performers, and we will answer any questions you may have. You will then put on the Noh masks and costumes used in the performance and go up onto the Noh stage, experiencing what it’s like to move around on stage as if you were a performer, and we will also take you backstage. Please feel free to take photos as well. If you wish, you can also purchase the Noh masks and costumes on the spot.
The Noh performance will be by Master Inoue Hirohisa, a Noh performer designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government. Here, you will be able to truly enjoy the mysterious world of Kanze-style Noh.

Tour highlights (estimated number of participants: 2 to 4 people)
1. Learn basic knowledge of Noh and the content of the programs to be performed directly from the performers
2. Enjoy a 30-minute Noh performance at the Kanze School Noh Theater “Kashokaku”
3. Try on a Noh mask and costume used in Noh and experience a Noh performance on stage.
4. A cameraman will film the participants performing and edit the video.
5. You can also choose the option to try out playing the taiko and drums used in the chanting.

・tour schedule

Inuyama Castle is said to have been built by Oda Nobunaga’s uncle, Nobuyasu, around 1537 during the Muromachi period.
The castle tower is the oldest surviving castle tower in Japan. The view from the top floor of the tower is truly spectacular.
Every April, the Inuyama Festival is held in the Inuyama Castle area. At the festival, floats carrying Karakuri puppets are paraded around and Karakuri puppet performances are dedicated to the local Haritsuna Shrine. Karakuri puppets are like medieval Japanese robots that can dance, transform, and fly in the air without the use of any power source. The advanced techniques for making Karakuri puppets have been passed down from generation to generation, and are currently carried on by the ninth generation, Tamaya Shobei.
On this tour, participants will make parts for a Karakuri doll under the guidance of the 9th generation Tamaya Shobei. Through this experience, you will learn about some of the advanced techniques used in Karakuri dolls, which became the foundation of modern Japanese manufacturing industry.
In the castle town, honeysuckle wine has been brewed since ancient times as a medicinal drink with health benefits. On this tour, you can stay at an inn that was renovated from part of a sake brewery where honeysuckle wine was brewed. Enjoy the relaxing experience of a genuine Japanese inn stay, unique to a Japanese house that you cannot get at a hotel.

Tour highlights (estimated number of participants: 2 to 4 people)
1. Take a stroll around the national treasure Inuyama Castle and the Japanese garden Urakuen, and experience matcha tea at the national treasure teahouse Joan.
2. Learn about the history of Karakuri puppets and watch demonstrations at the Inuyama Karakuri Museum
3. Learn how to make doll parts under the guidance of the 9th generation Karakuri puppeteer, Shobei Tamaya
4. Participants will operate the Karakuri puppet and experience a puppet demonstration.
5. A cameraman will film the participants’ demonstrations and edit the videos.

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