Hands-on lessons on centuries-old woodworking techniques. Sake tastings and gourmet rambles through old post towns. Guided walks through the region’s history. Shinrin-yoku—forest bathing—to refresh both mind and body.
Whatever your interest is, we can find something that you’re bound to love. And while it’s certainly possible to book an experience tour by itself, many of them can be combined with a nearby walking tour for a full, varied day.
Our Pricing:
Our prices are separated between our busy seasons:
– Spring (March, April, May)
– Autumn (October, November, December)
and our quieter seasons:
– Summer (June, July, August, September)
– Winter (January, February)
Spring & Autumn Pricing:
(March, April, May, October, November, December)
– Full-day tours:
1-2 people: ¥50,000
3-4 people: ¥55,000
5-6 people: ¥60,000
7+ people: from ¥65,000
– Half-day tours:
1-2 people: ¥40,000
3-4 people: ¥45,000
5-6 people: ¥50,000
7+ people: from ¥55,000
*parents with children – please get in touch. We generally don’t count children towards tour pricing.
Summer & Winter Pricing:
(June, July, August, September, January, February)
– Full-day tours:
1-2 people: ¥46,000
3-4 people: ¥50,000
5-6 people: ¥55,000
7+ people: from ¥60,000
– Half-day tours:
1-2 people: ¥36,000
3-4 people: ¥40,000
5-6 people: ¥45,000
7+ people: from ¥50,000
*parents with children – please get in touch. We generally don’t count children towards tour pricing.
Accommodation
Luggage Transfer
& Cancellations:
– Please be aware that we cannot legally reserve accommodation for you. However, you can find our accommodation recommendations by area here.
– If you are planning to bring more than a backpack with you, we strongly recommend making use of one of the luggage transportation services listed here.
– Our full cancellation policy, as well as other information, can be found here.
Nagiso Traditional Woodworking Tour
(Full-day Course or Half-day Course)
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Area: Southern Kiso (Nagiso)
Hidden away in the mountains just a short distance from Tsumago post town, the Kijishi-no-Sato neighbourhood of Nagiso town is the perfect place to a visit if you’re interested in learning more about traditional crafts, or are looking to pick up a unique memento to take home with you. (also a perfect choice for when the weather’s taken a turn for the worse and you don’t particularly fancy a 4-hour hike in the pouring rain!)
This tour includes visits to some of the Kiso valley’s most impressive woodworking workshops, as well as a laid-back stroll through this charming, picturesque mountain community. Fashion your own plate on a woodworker’s lathe; weave strips of fragrant cypress wood into delicate works of art; visit artisan workshops and see the masters at work.
Natural Indigo Dyeing Tour
(Full-day Course or Half-day Course)
Spring
(weekends
only)
Summer
(weekends
only)
Autumn
(weekends
only)
Area: Southern Kiso (Nagiso)
If you’ve taken a tour with us in the past, you may notice that we tend wear a lot of blue. That’s thanks to our good friends in Nagiso, who is an expert at natural indigo dyeing. She ferments her own dye, and makes a variety of clothes, drapery, and accessories in her home workshop. The resulting colours are beautiful in all their various shades, and the process of dyeing things for yourself is also great fun, and a great way to explore a mostly forgotten part of Japanese culture.
On this tour you’ll learn all about indigo dyeing from a friendly, knowledgeable expert, who will then guide you through the dyeing process. You’ll get to pick something to dye yourself, which you’ll be able to take home that very day, as a memento of your time in Kiso.
Washi Paper-Making Tour
(Full-day Course or Half-day Course)
Winter only
(December-March)
Area: Southern Kiso (Nagiso)
Paper-making was historically an important cottage industry in the Tadachi neighbourhood of Nagiso town. Traditionally, local farmers would engage in paper-making during the winter when their fields were fallow.
Paper-making has long since disappeared as a local industry, but luckily a group of dedicated volunteers help keep the tradition alive. They offer hands-on paper-making workshops to tourists, and we interpret to ensure smooth communication.
This tour includes a visit to the paper-making workshop, as well as the chance to make your own Japanese washi paper completely by hand. There are two options for what to make:
(1) 3-4 sheets of A3-sized paper
(2) 6-8 postcards
In either case, the finished products have to be dried overnight in the workshop. They can be posted to whatever hotel you will be staying in the next day (or any other future accommodation on your itinerary)
Extra fees:
+¥2,500 per person for the hands-on washi paper-making workshop
+¥200-500 per person for postage of the finished product
*please note that prices may increase slightly for smaller groups
Kiso Sake Tasting Tour
(Half-day Course)
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Area: Northern Kiso (Yabuhara/Kiso Village)
The Kiso valley is home to a proud sake-making tradition, with a variety of local sake breweries producing some genuinely world-class drinks*. On this tour we’ll visit Yukawa Sake Brewery—a local family-run brewery with a history reaching back over 370 years—for an in-depth sake tasting session (and discussion of all things sake) run by the brewery’s owner.
Alongside tasting a number of their delicious sakes (including one that is only sold in their brewery bar and shop), you’ll get the chance to learn about their unique approach to making sake – one that preserves history and tradition while remaining forward-thinking, and that is deeply committed to producing sake in a sustainable, eco-friendly way that benefits the local community.
*and that’s not just our opinion: in 2023 Yukawa Sake Brewery was awarded the IWC Champion Sake award (regarded as perhaps most prestigious international award for sake)
Kintsugi & Lacquerware Tour
(Full-day Course or Half-day Course)
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Area: Northern Kiso (Kiso-Hirasawa)
Located a comfortable 20-30 minute walk from the ever-popular Narai post town, Kiso-Hirasawa has long been famous throughout Japan for its artisan lacquerware. And despite the boom in international tourism in recent years, this sleepy town has very much stayed off the radar, remaining one of Kiso’s best hidden gems.
On this tour you’ll wander the streets of this artisan town, and learn all about the history and techniques of a craft more embedded in Japanese culture than perhaps any other. You’ll visit the workshops of family businesses who have passed on skills and knowledge down the generations, and you’ll also have the chance to shop for the perfect keepsake (or massive fully lacquered dining table, if that’s more your thing).
And while a hands-on activity is by no means necessary to enjoy what Kiso-Hirasawa has to offer, those looking to really get a feel for this ancient craft have a choice of two traditional activities run by local artisans: a private hands-on session learning the Japanese art of kintsugi—the art of repairing broken pottery using lacquer and powdered gold—or a hands-on session painting with lacquer.
Akasawa Forest Relaxation Tour
(Full-day Course or Half-day Course)
Spring
(from late April)
Summer
Autumn
(until early Nov)
Difficulty: Easy
Area: Central Kiso
(Agematsu)
The birthplace of Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing‘ – Akasawa Natural Recreation Forest is one of Kiso’s best-kept secrets (and in my personal opinion, one of Japan’s best-kept secrets). Bursting with new life in the spring and home to some of Kiso’s most beautiful autumn leaves, it’s also one of the absolute best places to escape the heat during the summer months.
This, more so than any of our other tours, is a chance to relax and take a well-earned rest. Alongside a qualified forest guide or forest therapy instructor, we’ll take a laid-back stroll through this peaceful forest, and learn all about its history, culture, and deep connections to Japanese religion and spirituality.
We’ll also get the chance to explore the world of forest bathing—a therapeutic practice focusing on relaxation and sensory immersion in nature. So, if you’re feeling drained by the modern world (or by your action-packed trip across Japan), Akasawa might be just the place for you to take a break, rest, and recharge.
Yabuhara Traditional Woodworking Tour
(Full-day Course or Half-day Course)
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Area: Northern Kiso (Yabuhara/Kiso Village)
Nestled in a narrow valley between two imposing, richly forested mountain ranges, the Kiso area has long been home to many expert carpenters and woodworkers. Among them, the Oroku comb artisans of Yabuhara post town—who make hand-sawn, almost unbelievably intricate wooden combs—are some of the most impressive.
This tour starts with a stroll around Yabuhara post town, where you’ll learn all about its history, culture, and its role as a vital stop along the Nakasendo trail. Then, you’ll visit an Oroku comb workshop, talk with one of the skilled artisans who work there, and get the chance to try your hand at this centuries-old craft.
Traditional Soba-Making Tour
(Half-day Course)
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Area: Southern Kiso (Nakatsugawa or Okuwa Village)
or Central Kiso (Kiso Town)
A perfect way to learn about Japanese food culture, this half-day experience lets you get stuck in making soba noodles—the Kiso area’s signature dish—the old-fashioned way. With a local and knowledgeable instructor guiding you, you’ll learn every step of the soba making process in a fun, approachable environment, before sitting down and enjoying the results of all your hard work.
This tour is perfect for a morning activity before another half-day tour (see our suggested matchings on the full tour page). It’s also perfect for families with kids of all ages.
Uncharted Nakasendo 