Trip Overview
This four-day intimate Japanese tour is truly like any other. You'll start in Nagoya and head out to Inuyama, this is where your swordsmith training will begin. Over two days you'll learn the art of sword-making, it's importance in Samurai and Japanese culture, its origins and the training behind it.
You'll start in a temple, where you'll learn the meditative practices that prepare the masters for their craft, then you'll hop between the workshops that create the katana sword. Your trip will finish at the beautiful Seki mountain where you will visit the temple that is dedicated to the god of the katana.
You'll start in a temple, where you'll learn the meditative practices that prepare the masters for their craft, then you'll hop between the workshops that create the katana sword. Your trip will finish at the beautiful Seki mountain where you will visit the temple that is dedicated to the god of the katana.
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Itinerary
Day 1
Travel to Inuyama
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This Japanese tour starts in the morning at Nagoya station where you'll be taken to Inuyama. After lunch and a 30-minute orientation tour with a brief explanation of the history of Samurai, we'll take to Inuyama Castle for a tour outside and inside. The castle was built 500 years ago and is considered one of Japan's five national treasures. Your day will end by checking into your hotel and having dinner.
Accommodation
Meitetsu Komaki Hotel★3 star
Activities
Inuyama Castle
Transportations
Private Driver from Nagoya to Inuyama
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Destinations
Inuyama
Komaki
Day 2
Introduction to Samurai Culture
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Rise early to make your way to Seki-Zenko-Ji Temple where you'll spend the morning practising Zen meditation and Okaidan Meguri, a Buddhist tradition of walking in the underground tunnel that goes beneath the temple. These practices will assist in your preparation for laido, the art of welding and cutting the katana sword. Tonight, you will stay in a ryokan in Gufo, a town known for its Edo period architecture.
Accommodation
Okasen Ryokan
Activities
Sekizenko-ji Temple
Fujiwara Kanefus Sword-Making
Gifu Nagara River Cormorant FishingOptional Activity
Transportations
Private Driver from Inuyama to Seki Zenko-ji Temple
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Destinations
Komaki
Seki
Mino
Gifu
Day 3
Meet the Sword Artisans
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Meet with katana artisans in their own ateliers and see their crafts practised firsthand. Learn their history, and you may even get a glimpse of their personal antique collections. You'll visit a tsukamakishi (hilt-wrapper), a shiroganeshi (habaki-maker), a sayashi (scabbard-maker), and a togishi (sword polisher). Lunch will be at a local restaurant serving unagi, a meal that has been enjoyed among swordsmiths for centuries. You'll return to your ryokan in the late afternoon.
Accommodation
Okasen Ryokan
Activities
Meet Sword Artisans
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Destinations
Mino
Seki
Day 4
Nature Walk
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You'll start your final day with a leisurely walk through the Kabusugi Giant Cedar Forest. Spend about thirty minutes on a low-impact hike and encounter over 70 pine trees aged 400-500 years old! Next, visit a picturesque spot next to a turquoise lake that locals say is like something out of a Monet painting. After lunch, you'll visit Kasuga Shrine, home to the god of the katana, and the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum. Before returning back to Nagoya, you'll have time to shop for souvenirs.
Activities
Seki Mountain Hiking
Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum
Kasuga Shrine
Transportations
Private Driver from Gujo to Nagoya
Meals
Breakfast and lunch
Destinations
Mino
Seki
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What’s included?
- 3 nights accommodation
- 7 activities
- 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners
- Ground transportation
- Licensed English speaking guides
What’s not included?
- Airport transfer
- Alcohol beverages
- Domestic flights
- Entrance fees
- Entry visas / airport departure tax
- Gratuities
- International flights
- Laundry
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- Trekking permits
Starting From
AU$ 7,725/ per traveller sharing
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Benefits of this trip
Japan in 4 days
3-star accommodation
24/7 in-destination support from your local designer
Unique local experiences you can’t find elsewhere
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