Stops: Tokyo — Tsukiji & Old Tokyo
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transport: Private van and train
Accommodation: Lyf Shibuya Tokyo (or similar)

• Breakfast: At your hotel

• Explore Japan's legendary Tsukiji Outer Market and get a behind-the-scenes tuna cutting demonstration like no other, with one of the few (if only!) female fish cutters (99% are male in Japan)

• Sushi-making class with a master sushi chef

• Mystery culinary gift

• Lunch: Your own specially crafted sushi

• Enjoy a free afternoon to relax or explore

• Dinner: It's time for a ramen tour! Join a local ramen expert through Tokyo’s backstreets on a steamy noodle crawl — discovering the soul (and soup) of Japan, one slurp at a time.

Stops: Tokyo — Asakusa & Kappabashi
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, *Optional extra: Michelin star dinner
Accommodation: Lyf Shibuya Tokyo (or similar)
Transport: Private van

• Breakfast: A guided street-food walk through Asakusa brings you face to face with the flavors of Old Tokyo — from sizzling bites to a centuries-old spice shop dating back to the 1600s. Here, you’ll discover shichimi, Japan’s beloved seven-spice blend. A sprinkle ignites the senses — fiery chili warmth, citrusy yuzu brightness, earthy sesame, and a whisper of seaweed

• Late morning stroll through Kappabashi 'Kitchen Town' - feast your eyes (or your wallet!) on cooking equipment, kitchen tools, and pottery shops

• Afternoon goshuin-style recipe book workshop to collect your Salt Caravan recipes and mementos

• Lunch: Bento lunch together (stay and explore or drop back at hotel)

• Evening free with our curated dining recommendations — or *optional add-on of dinner at a Michelin star restaurant (we'll let you know when and how to confirm your seat)

Stops: Tochigi Prefecture — Nakagawa-cho
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Transport: Private coach from Shibuya to Tochigi
Accommodation: Hotel Iizukatei (or similar)

• Breakfast: At your hotel

• Morning checkout and travel from Tokyo to Nakagawa-cho, a hidden gem in the tranquil countryside of Tochigi Prefecture

• Visit the famous sake and pottery town of Mashiko, where the owner of a the Tonoike brewery will lead you through a tour and tasting. Love what you try? Go ahead and treat yourself to a few bottles to take home with you...Tonoike offer shipping all the way to the US!

• Lunch: Sake shines most when paired with food, lunch is served on brewery grounds by a local chef.

• Continue with a scenic arrival at Iizukatei, a restored Edo-era residence where you and your 7 fellow travelers will be the only guests

• After a light welcome snack, you're welcome to visit nearby temples and shrines, stroll the village, or simply relax and enjoy the sauna.

• Dinner: seasonal, served in intimate groups across the peaceful Iizukatei grounds. A taste of the countryside, crafted with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Stops: Tochigi Prefecture — Nakagawa-cho
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transport: Private coach
Accommodation: Hotel Iizukatei (or similar)

• Breakfast: a catered meal made with locally sourced ingredients brought to you at the hotel

• Late morning hands-on soba-making class

• Lunch: carefully prepared and served by yours truly.

• Take your pick of local, family-run workshops. Try your hand at pottery or traditional washi paper making — or simply kick back and soak up the slow charm of your countryside stay

• Dinner: we’ll share a home-cooked meal at a local farm, where the family welcomes us to their table. Expect seasonal, homegrown dishes made with heart and stories that bring each bite to life

• Nightcap: Sip on homemade plum wine as you cozy-up for another evening in the countryside
  

Stops: Tochigi Prefecture — Nikko
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Transport: Private coach
Accommodation: Candeo Utsunomiya (or similar)

• Breakfast: at your hotel

• Morning checkout and transfer to Nikko

• At Nikko, freely explore this UNESCO World Heritage site and discover the hidden Moss Buddha Haven, which is also the memorial site of the first Shogun

• Continue with an afternoon transfer to Utsunomiya, Japan’s gyoza capital — famous across Japan for its delicious grilled, fried, and steamed dumplings

• Dinner: gyoza tour as you savor the flavors, colors, and aromas of Utsunomiya

• Enjoy an evening of jazz and locally inspired award-winning cocktails before heading to Kyoto tomorrow

Stops: Kyoto

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Transport: Bullet Train (Shinkansen)
Accommodation: Cross Hotel Kyoto (or similar)

• Breakfast: at your hotel

• Ride the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto

• Lunch: on your own. Grab a ekiben on-board the Shinkansen if you'd like. They're the iconic lunchbox meals that locals here eat on the railways.

• Afternoon arrival in Japan’s ancient imperial city, Kyoto.

• Time to check-in and refresh, followed by a welcome drink and some small bites.

• Dinner: host-led evening casual food tour in a hidden neighbourhood
  

Stops: Kyoto — Osaka
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Transport: Train
Accommodation: Cross Hotel Kyoto (or similar)

• Breakfast: at your hotel

• Hop on board a morning train for a day trip to Osaka, AKA: “Japan’s Kitchen”

• Discover how Osaka’s food culture legacy lives on today as you explore the vibrant street food and fresh ingredients of Dotonbori and Shinsekai neighborhoods

• Lunch: tastings of Osaka’s top soul and street food icons… Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, and Kushikatsu

• In the afternoon, make your own truly unique keepsake at Osaka’s famous wax/plastic food workshop — before any last minute souvenir hunting

• Stay in Osaka or return to Kyoto (with our list of favourite eats for either, if you haven’t got anything planned!)

• Dinner: Take your pick, tonight dinner is on your own
  

Stops: Kyoto — Uji

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transport: Private van
Accommodation: Cross Hotel Kyoto (or similar)

• Breakfast: at your hotel

• Morning departure to Uji, the historic home of Green Tea

• Get ready to step into a postcard as you stroll along the Uji River with its stone paths, bridges and riverside benches

• Keep strolling to explore Byōdo-in Temple (UNESCO) and masterpieces of Buddhist architecture like the Pheonix Hall

• Satiate your taste for culture at Ujigami Shrine — Japan's oldest standing Shinto shrine, surrounded by forest paths — as your learn about The Tale of Genji.

• Lunch: bringing everything full circle with matcha-inspired dishes, sweets and snacks

• Return to Kyoto with enough time to rest up or freshen up for a dinner you won’t soon forget

• Dinner: Your final evening together will be over a traditional Kaiseki dinner —elegantly plated courses of sashimi, grilled fish, clear broth, fragrant rice, and crisp seasonal pickles… And a private Maiko/Geisha performance
  

Stops: Kyoto
Included Meals: Breakfast

• Breakfast: Your last bite of Japanese tradition with a coffee shop kissaten breakfast plus a bit of last minute souvenir shopping before we say "mata kondo" (until next time)