Day 1 – Heli Cruising & Japanese Knives Making with the professionals

9:30, you will meet your private guide at the hotel in Osaka city and transfer to Yao airport by private car for the helicopter cruising over the Mozu Tumuli that was built in the early fifth century. From an altitude of 300 meters, a 360-degree view of the Keyhole-shaped Daisenryo tumulus will be exclusive sky-cruising.

After the sky cruising, your helicopter will go back to land at Yao airport, and you will go to the MICHELIN restaurant, Spanish Innovative Fusion cuisine that has run since 1935.

After lunch, you will visit Sakai city, famous for its Japanese knives. Sakai city is one of the three great knife and bladed tools producing regions in Japan. 98 % of domestic professional chefs use Sakai knives for their quality. The techniques used for making Sakai knives and Japanese swords are the same, and Sakai knives are sharp enough to cut without damaging the cells of cooking ingredients. You will experience a few steps of the knife’s making process that sharpen your chosen Japanese knives and attach them o the handle with the craftsmen.

After the blade has sharpened, the final process is to attach the handle. After suitably heating the inside of the handle, the tang will insert into the handle. You will tap the bottom of the handle with a wooden mallet causing the blade to go into the handle. As it can be tricky to insert the blade perpendicular to the handle with a perfectly balanced center of gravity, the Craftsmen will help you complete the task. Here are your original handmade Japanese knives with your name on them!

With 20,000㎡ width lands and only a few groups per day, The Satoyama Landscape will welcome you for your luxury & relaxed stay. All rooms have an open-air bath and telescope. The millions of stars and your private Onsen (a hot spring) will comfort your night.

For dinner, a dish that combines Japanese and Western cuisine using Wakayama’s seasonal ingredients such as tuna, Longtooth grouper, boar meat, and Kumano beef will be served. The beauty of the cuisine’s appearance will also entertain you.

Night in landscape’s villa

Inclusions: Accommodations, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Private Guide, Private Car, and Fees.

Day 2 – Zero Waste Craft Invention Traditional Craftsmen

9:00, you will visit the scenic spot “Aragijima Island”, which was designated as a national important cultural landscape in 2013. It has been selected as one of the 100 best rice terraces in Japan. It is a beautiful model created by nature and is said to be a symbol of Aridagawa Town. The highlight is the scenery that changes beautifully with the seasons.

Next, you will visit Kuroe, a village of Kishu lacquerware, which boasts a history of more than 400 years as one of the four major lacquerware producing areas. Enjoy the storyteller’s company while exploring the town. After sightseeing the historical spots, you will go to a restaurant loved by the locals, serving first-class classic French cuisine.

After superb lunch, you will continue to visit a traditional certified craftsman of Kishu lacquerware. He has inherited the skills from generation to generation. His unique and original products show his characteristics and spirits for his passion for crafts. This stunning work will allow you to ponder the traditional beauty of Japanese dedicated work.

He will focus on using organic materials such as Wakayama prefecture’s massive production, oranges. He surprises people by producing various unique crafts that blend into modern life. You can take a look at the magic transformation from natural materials such as gourds and citrus peels into the table as vessels. His consistency is easy to use in our current lives, and that will remain in the next generation that people tend to use them. Why won’t you try drawing on the tray or chopsticks with a true lacquer as he will teach you how?

After the experience and receiving your original Japanese craft, you will return to Osaka city and end the tour at your accommodation in Osaka by Private Car.

Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Private Guide, Private Car, and Fees.