Living Traditions on the Plate —An Interactive Gastronomy Journey

Set in the very heart of Japan, Kansai has flourished since antiquity as a cradle of culture and faith. Here, food culture—deeply linked to daily life—nurtures both body and soul. Every grain of wisdom handed down through generations makes full use of gifts from sea and mountains, turning ingredients into stories of the land itself. Visitors are invited not merely to taste, but to walk, talk, and create alongside local producers—adding their own heartbeat to the rhythms that keep Kansai’s food culture alive.

DAY 1

EXPO 2025

Osaka

Provided by: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition

DAY 2

The Mystique of Wild Game (Gibier)

Osaka

A restaurant owner–and professional hunter–guides you through tracking, snare-setting, and every step from field to table.

By honoring the life taken and engaging in each stage of the hunt, you discover the truest, most flavorful side of wild game.

A one-day trip that starts and ends at your Osaka hotel leads you deep into the mountains with a professional hunter to explore the true meaning of gibier—wild game. Tracking and setting snares, you confront firsthand the reality of taking life for food and learn the age-old skills that let people live in tandem with nature. The day culminates in a full-course feast of game you helped procure yourself, an unforgettable way to feel the profound link between life and the meal on your plate.

A trip where you can feel the mystery of game “from the reality of hunting to an exquisite full course”

DAY 3

Ise–Shima

Mie

Uji Bridge at the entrance to Ise-Jingu Shrine’s Inner Sanctuary—said to span the divide between the everyday and the sacred.

From Osaka, it’s just under two hours by limited-express train to the doorstep of Ise-Jingu Shrine. With a 2,000-year history, Ise-Jingu Shrine is Japan’s most venerated sanctuary—often called the spiritual “home” of the nation—and it buzzes year-round with pilgrims.

Thirty minutes’ drive from the Inner Shrine brings you to Ama Hut Hachiman Kamado, a rustic hut in the town that hosts Japan’s largest community of female free-divers. Gather around a charcoal hearth as the ama grill abalone, spiny lobster, and other seafood caught that very morning, all while sharing tales of life beneath the waves.

Back in Ise, step into a venerable pearl workshop and open a live Akoya oyster to pluck out your own gleaming pearl.

Interior of an ama hut, where women divers warm their chilled bodies beside a crackling fire after free-diving for seafood.

Your freshly harvested pearl is immediately set by a veteran artisan into the accessory of your choice, ready to take home that very day.

Hachiman Kamado Ama Diver Hut Experience

From Ise-Shima! Akoya pearl retrieval experience

DAY 4/5

Kumano Kodo & Temple-Stay Experience

Wakayama

Moss-cloaked Daimonzaka, its cobbled steps hemmed by 800-year-old cedars and steeped in mystery.

From behind Seigantoji Temple’s main hall on Mt. Nachi, the vermilion three-tier pagoda and Nachi Falls align in one iconic shot.

Travel onward by private car to Wakayama and the Kumano Kodo, a pilgrimage route that holds both UNESCO World Heritage status and the Michelin Green Guide’s three-star rating. The ancient paths once linked Kyoto, Ise, and Mt. Koya to the three grand Kumano shrines. One of the most iconic sections is the Daimonzaka approach: follow its mossy stone steps through towering cedars to Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine, neighboring Seigantoji Temple, and the dramatic Nachi Falls. The out-and-back walk takes about three hours—watch your footing, breathe the hush of the forest, and feel centuries of devotion in every step. With many shrines, temples, and soothing hot springs nearby, plan to stay overnight and explore at an unhurried pace.

For lodging, try a temple stay at Daitaiji Temple, founded over 1,200 years ago. Beyond its treasured Buddhist statues, the temple invites guests to join zazen meditation, trace sutras with brush and ink, and greet dawn with a simple bowl of ceremonial rice porridge—an immersive way to rest, reflect, and recharge after a day on the sacred trail.