Some journeys are best measured in miles. This one is best measured in bites. Over eleven unhurried days, Japan Real Food Adventure carries a small group of up to twelve travellers from the sushi counters of Tokyo to the food halls of Osaka, cooking, tasting and shopping alongside local hosts the entire way. If your idea of a well-spent holiday means lingering over a market stall rather than rushing past it, this is a trip we'd love to help you book.

A route built around the table

The itinerary reads like a menu of Japan's finest regions. In Tokyo, mornings begin at the Tsukiji Outer Market before a hands-on sushi-making class. From there, the bullet train carries the group to Kanazawa for a home cooking class and a wander through Kenroku-en Garden, then on to Kyoto, where the Nishiki Market food tour and a sake brewery tasting sit alongside the quiet beauty of Fushimi Inari's torii gates. A day trip to Uji brings a green tea farm visit and tasting, and the journey closes in Osaka with an okonomiyaki cooking class and a stroll through the neon glow of Dotonbori.

A night unlike any other, at Koya-san

Between Kyoto and Osaka, the group spends a night at a mountain temple, sleeping on futons in traditional shukubo lodging and sharing a shojin ryori meal, the delicate plant-based cuisine of Buddhist monks. It's the kind of experience that's genuinely hard to arrange independently, and one of the reasons we love recommending this itinerary to clients who want their travel to go beyond the usual sights.

Thoughtfully looked after, every step

Ten breakfasts, six lunches and three dinners are included, along with welcome and farewell dinners to bookend the trip. Accommodation covers nine hotel nights plus the temple stay, and all the bullet train and local transport between cities is taken care of. With a maximum group size of twelve and a locally based leader throughout, it's an itinerary that feels personal rather than packaged.

Why book this one with us

This trip is currently priced from NZD $7,361 per person, with a sample departure on 11 October 2026 (other dates are available, and pricing can shift, so we'll always confirm the latest before you commit). As your YOU Travel & Cruise Consultant, we can build your flights, any pre or post-touring, and travel insurance around this itinerary, and we're the person you call if anything needs adjusting along the way, wherever you are in the world.

Let's meet and start planning your Japan food adventure together.