Sat., March 12 – Sun., March 13, 2011
* From and to Kansai
One-night stay with four meals.

Meet at Itami Airport in Osaka and/or JR Shin-Kobe station (transfer to the airport via courtesy bus)
Whirling waves of Naruto tour.
Seafood of Naruto Strait.
Viewing ningyo joruri

Dinner at “Ihawa”, a Japanese restaurant.
“Konjyaku-monogatari-gumi” a group of Awaodori dancers will perform in the parlor of the restaurant.

“Ryozenji temple” the first site – “Gokurakuji temple” the second site – “Konsenji temple”, the third site pilgrimage tour on foot (about 5 km)

Lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Tokushima city.

Tour participation fee (per person): 48,000 yen
Only dinner　meal with Awaodori dancer(March 12th）JPY 28,000-

Additional charge for single use of a room: 3,000 yen

Note: The tour will only operate with over 15 people .

・ One-night hotel stay in a standard-twin room.
・ Meals (One Breakfast at the hotel), (Two lunches at Japanese restaurants), (One dinner in the parlor of a Japanese restaurant with a group of Awaodori dancers, about 1 hour)
・ There will be no tour conductor present.

Co-organizer: Zenkoku Ryoriryotei Kumiai（National Association of Cuisines and Traditional Japanese restaurants）, Tokushima Ryoriseikatsu Eiseidougyou Kumiai (Niigata Traditional Japanese Cuisine Restaurants Association), Tokushima Ryorigyo Kumiai Rengokai (Tokushima Food Business Association), Ifys Co., Ltd., Adventure Japan Inc.

Tour Leaflet PDF >>

Kanazawa Maimon-Zushi Tama-Plaza Branch

• 2-19-3,　Utsukushigaoka Aoba-Ward Yokohama
• Tel.: 0120-106-195（Toll-free）
• Open hours:
  11：00-15：00, 17：00-22：00（Monday to Thursday）
  11：00-15：00, 17：00-22：30（Friday）
  11：00～22：30（Sat. Sun. and holidays）
  ＊L.O. 15 min. before closing time
• http://www.maimon-susi.com/

In 1907, The Kirin Brewery Company Limited was established to take over Japan Brewery Company Ltd. run by German brew masters that produced beer made of ingredients from Germany. The company operated its business at the site of the Spring Valley Brewery, which had operated in Yokohama from early the Meiji era. But that factory was damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake. The new factory was constructed in Namamugi in 1926. At Kirin Beer Village, visitors can participate in the free brewery tours, as well as to learn the history of beer and the breweries in Yokomaha Yamanote area. Exhibits include rare, historical beer mugs and steins as well as vintage photographs featuring the marketing innovations of the beer industry, which used advertising-wrapped cars to drive through the cities when few people had automobiles.

KIRIN Yokohama Beer Village

• c/o Yokohama factory, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd.
• 1-17-1, Namamugi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama
• TEL:045-503-8250（for Brewery tour reservations）
• Reservation hour　10：00-17：00
• Closed on: Monday (When the Monday is a national holiday, closed on the next day), New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
• Will be closed from Dec. 25, 2010 Feb. 7, 2011 due to remodeling.

When Japanese started to eat bread in the mid 19th century, British-style breads made into mounds dominated. It is believed that Yokohama Bakery, opened by Englishman Robert Clark, was the first bakery in Japan. That first generation bakery was succeeded by Uchikipan, also known as the Yokohama Bakery Uchiki Shop. The bakery moved to Motomachi in 1888 and has been in continuous business ever since. There are more than 100 different kinds of breads and pastries including the British-style mound bread and the popular apple pie. The shop attracts not only locals but visitors from other cities.

Uchikipan

• 1-50, Motomachi Naka-ward Yokohama
• TEL: 045-641-1161
• FAX: 045-641-1162
• Hours Open: 9：00-19：00
• Closed on: Monday (When the Monday is a national holiday, closed on the next day)
• http://www.uchikipan.com/

Janomeya

• 5-126, Isezakicho Naka-ward Yokohama
• TEL: 045-251-0832
• Hours Open: 17：00-L.O.21：15（Tue.-Fri.）, 12：00-L.O.21：00（Sat., Sun., and national holidays）
• Closed: Every Monday＊ No fixed closing dates in Dec. and Jan.

Thus., February 17 – Fri., 18, 2011 * From and to Nagaoka, Niigata prefecture
One-night stay with three meals.

Lunch at “Kobayashi-ro”, a Japanese restaurant that was established in the Taisho Era, which boasts a modern Japanese atmosphere.

Follow the tracks of Ryokan, Introduction to Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy), etc.

Dinner at “Kamogawakan”, a Japanese restaurant in Nagaoka city.
The dishes served use Nagaoka and local ingredients accompanied by local sake tasting.

Visit a brewery town, visit several soy-source and sake breweries.

There will be several events held in the city and local towns / Individual guides are available * with separate charge.

Tour participation fee (per person): 40,000 yen
Additional charge for single use of a room: 3,000 yen

・ One-night hotel stay in a standard-twin room.
・ Deluxe rooms are available with a extra charge of 10,000 yen (per person)
・
・ Meals (One breakfast at the hotel), (Owo lunch at “Kobayashiro” Japanese restaurants), (One dinner at “Kamogawakan” Japanese restaurant with sake tasting set plan)
・ Admission fee
・ The tour conductor will not be present.

Tour conductor: Iitabi Co., Ltd. （The commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency authorized travel agency No. 1737） Person in charge: Yoshida / Yanaze
2F Eagle Hamamatsucho Bldg. 2-7-17, Hamamatsu-cho Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0012

TEL: 03-5405-4053 Open hour: 9:15 – 18:15, (Closed at Sat. Sun and national holidays)

Hotel: Hotel New Ohtani Nagaoka or equivalent class hotel 2 persons per room.

Co-organizer: Zenkoku Ryoriryotei Kumiai（National Association of Cuisines and Traditional Japanese Restaurants）, Niigata Ryoriseikatsu Eiseidougyou Kumiai (Niigata Traditional Japanese Cuisine Restaurants Association), Niigata Ryorigyo Kumiai Rengokai (Niigada Food Business Association), Ifys Co., Ltd., Adventure Japan Inc.

Tour Leaflet PDF >>

Tour content & meals

Sat. Nov. 6 .2010

11：00
Meet at JR YAMAGATA　station
Walk through the town with “Jyokamachi Tankentai (the castle town expedition team)” – Yamagata Castle ruins, Bunshokan to a local specialty restaurant
12:30
Lunch at “Maruhachi”
Enjoy local specialty at Maruhachi, well known for its Tsukemono-zushi (Japanese Pickles Sushi)
Also enjoy the old atmosphere and the local flavor of the restaurant which has been designated as an important cultural property
15:30
Tea party at Momiji (maple leaf) Park
＊ Have tea while enjoying the Japanese garden in fall
17:00
Walk through Teramachi
18:00
Dinner at “Nonomura”, an exclusive Japanese restaurant.
＊ It serves dishes using locally produced ingredients including Yamagata beef and Tsuyahime rice.
＊ Watch a dance performance by Yamagata Geisya
Ca20:30 Day 1 program ends, transfer to the hotel individually
＊ One-day tour participants to depart here

Meal: Lunch & Dinner / Stay in Yamagata city

Sun. Nov. 7 .2010

6:30-8:30
Breakfast at hotel
9:00
Walk around Yamadera temple / or coffee break at Bashokan.
11:45
Rest at Dainome-onsen spa or a spa in the city.
13:00
Lunch at a restaurant C-F
＊Appearance of Yamagata Maiko
Ca15:00
To depart after Lunch
＊ Dinner at a resturant A-F is available upon request (optional)

Meal: Breakfast &Lunch

* Please note that the above mentioned time is subject to change do to road traffic condition

Hotels & Related facilities

＜Stay＞
■11/6 in – 11/7 out　 Name of the Hotel:
＜Meal＞
A) Chitose-kan Established in 1876. While it was destroyed by fire, the second generation re-established the restaurant in 1911. There are still some remains of the old days in its western-style rooms, garden and tea-ceremony room.
B) Nonomura　 Established in 1873. It is a massive three-story wooden house. They have been in the restaurant business for over 120 years. In season delicacies made from Yamagata ingredients are fully used and carefully served in their beautiful dishes.
C) Agetsume　　Established in 1782. It is located in Teramachi and it keeps with the traditions of the castle town. It serves various freshwater fish cuisine including its famous eel dishes and Yamagata’s local in season dishes.
D) Chogetsu 　 Established in 1895. It is an exclusive Japanese restaurant with a sense of the seasons and also a historic ambience. It has a 1000-tsubo (3300 square meter) silent garden that, blocks out the noise of the city, and changes with the seasons.
E) Kishokaku　 Established in 1889年. Surrounded by a beautiful garden, people can enjoy Kyoto cuisine. Cuisines that fuse the tastes of Yamagata and Kyoto are highly evaluated.
F）Shisanro　 Established in 1873. It is said that the restaurant name was created by Mr. Hirobumi Ito, the first prime minister of Japan after he looked at the surrounding mountains from a backroom on its second floor. It has a splendid back room with an air of substance and a garden.
G）Maruhachi　Established in 1885. The company has been brewing soy beans and soy sauce as its main business and started Japanese pickles processing as a byproduct. It also runs a restaurant in a renovated storehouse from the Taisho era.

Tour conductor:

Iitabi Co., Ltd. （The commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency authorized travel agency No. 1737）
2F Eagle Hamamatsucho Bldg. 2-7-17, Hamamatsu-cho Minato-ku, Tokyo

TEL: +81-3-5405-4053 (Person in charge: Yoshida / Kurosaki )
Open hour: 9:15 – 18:15, except Sat. Sun and national holidays

Japanese sake has been said as “Sake is the chief of all medicine” from ancient times. Properly warmed sake becomes much tastier and can also be quickly absorbed into the body. The proper temperature is about 35-48 degree, called “Hitohada kan (body temperature)” “Nuru kan (warm)” and “Jyo kan (warm to hot). How to heat sake , first pour some sake into the sake bottle, put the bottle into a pan/pot of boiling water. In order not to increase the temperature of sake too much, it is key that the once the water is boiled the fire is turned off. Once the sake is bubbling and the liquid level increases to the top of the sake bottle, then it is reaching the proper temperature.

“As people become more health conscious, Japanese food gets attention from people all over the world. And one of the reasons may be that Japanese food uses a lot of fermented ingredients and seasonings. In Western countries, cheeses and wines are typical fermented foods. In the case of Japan, a nation with sea and mountains, our fermented foods are created in the nature of Japan and they change with the four seasons. “Every ingredient is deeply connected with its birth place and people” said Ms. Kyoko Shiokawa, head of Shoku-no-gakko (School of food). For example, Miso soup, which the Japanese drink almost everyday, has different tastes depending on the region. And each family uses different kinds of miso such as aka-miso and shiro-miso, and a variety of fillings. Ms. Shiokawa also said” it used to be common that each family made their own Miso at home” it used to be hand-made by each family.”

How to make Miso

Put soybeans into water for about 8-hours, and boil them slowly for about 5-6hours.Then mash the boiled soybeans while they are still warm. Pour the liquor into another vessel, and put malt , salt and the liquor into the soybeans and make them into fine paste. Throw the paste into a reserve barrel, cover it with gauze and a drop lid and keep it for one year. (The gauze will be damp in about 10 days)

＊ Photo shooting cooperation Dremia Club http://dreamiaclub.jp/

Profile:Ms.Kyoko Shiokawa

Head of Shoku-no-gakko (School of Food). She was the person in charge of the “Food and Living” section of a women’s magazine, while working at a publishing company. During motherhood, she participated in the establishment of a collaborative purchase group under the theme of “Foods that cultivate healthy life” as her child was in poor health. In 1996, she founded “Shoku-no-gakko” aiming at bridging the gap between food producers, distributors and consumers to deliver “tasty and safe food” to people. Born in Aomori pref. http://shokunogakkou.com/

The “Rice cooker,” is an up-and-coming product among hot-selling electric appliances for foreign people. We can say that “Sushi” is a byword of the Japanese Cuisine, the world’s greatest pride, and “rice” plays an important role in the taste of sushi. 　Every electriconics manufacturer has been working hard to make a fuss-free product which lets people easily cook tasty rice, as if it was cooked by Kamado (a traditional Japanese cooking method using a large earthen oven with a metal pot that was horizontally inserted then heated from the bottom using wood for fuel)
There is a healthy following of high performance, multi-function models that are usable overseas. The made-in-Japan electric rice cooker has superb thermal conduction to the rice kettle; therefore it makes tasty boiled rice. It also has a great thermal insulation feature, so the taste will remain the same, even after hours.

The shop has highly recommend a model that is usable overseas
A new model that is obsessed with the taste of cooked rice
“ZOJIRUSHI NP-HLH10-XA（5.5 cups）”

It is a rice cooker that adapts IH and has a thick kettle that is rare among overseas models. Since it conveys heat all over the inner kettle, it almost boils the rice evenly. You can choose nine rice cooking modes including, white rice, rice with added ingredients, sushi rice, sprouted rice and others.

Other recommended models
A multi-function model that can cook steamed vegetables and cakes
“HITACHI RZ-VM10Y（5.5 cups）”

The model can do steam cooking using accessories. It can also cook various kinds of rice such as sticky rice and jasmine rice.

Sofmap Akihabara head store

Among “Sofmap town,” which consists of12 shops in Akihabara, the Akihabara head store deals with a variety of electric appliances , home electronics is its main product line. They have a varity of watches which are popular among foreign tourists and products that can be used overseas as well as duty free products which are sold on the 2nd floor. English and Chinese-speaking interpreters are also available in the store. The shop accepts the Discover card. It also offers an additional 5% discount when people use the Ginren card.

• Address:　 4-1-1, Soto Kanda, Chiyoda-ku（5 min. walk from JR Akihabara station）
• Tel.:　03-3253-1111
• Opening hours:　10:00-21:00

Photo by : Nozomi Takahashi