Every journey is privately arranged and tailored to your interests, preferred travel dates, and the season. Rather than following a fixed schedule, each itinerary is carefully planned around the daily lives of the local people you will meet. This allows every journey to feel natural, personal, and connected to the rhythm of everyday life. Tours are available for groups of two or more guests. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your ideal journey.
From Fields and a Sake Brewery to a Sacred Shrine and Shared Tables
A Journey into Everyday Life in Nihonmatsu
Walk through the fields with local farmers, hear the stories behind what they make, and experience everyday life in the satoyama countryside.
This private three-day journey introduces you to the people who call Nihonmatsu home: an organic farmer, the farmers behind a locally founded winery, a seventh-generation sake brewery owner, a chef who brings out the best in local ingredients, a shinto priest carrying forward more than 1,200 years of history, and a sixth-generation wagashi maker.
Each is deeply connected to this region. They value what has been passed down to them while continuing to explore new ideas and possibilities for the future.
Get your hands in the soil, taste wine and sake made in Nihonmatsu, work alongside local people, and gather around the table to share food and conversation.
Spend your first night at a family-run farmhouse inn. On the second night, stay at Okitsushima Shrine’s sanshukusho, a traditional lodging within the shrine grounds.
Farming, food, sake, and culture—each becomes more meaningful when you meet the people behind it.
Walk with them. Eat with them. Hear their stories.
Come and meet the people of Nihonmatsu.
The transfer at Koriyama Station is straightforward, and we can provide detailed directions before your journey.
Where This Journey Fits into Your Japan Itinerary
Many travelers journey between Tokyo and Sendai, but few stop to discover the farming communities, small producers, and sacred places found in the countryside along the way.
Nihonmatsu fits naturally into a wider journey through the Tohoku region. Spend two nights meeting farmers, winemakers, a sake brewer, a local chef, a shinto priest, and a wagashi maker whose lives and work are deeply connected to this land.
Around two hours from Tokyo by train, Nihonmatsu is easy to include between Tokyo and Sendai or as the beginning of a longer journey through Tohoku.
The journey begins and ends at Nihonmatsu Station. A private vehicle will be waiting when you arrive and will take you between each destination throughout the three-day tour.
One Example of a Tohoku Itinerary
Tokyo
↓
Tohoku Shinkansen
↓
Koriyama
↓
JR Tohoku Main Line
↓
Nihonmatsu
(2 Nights with Kanpai Meets Japan)
↓
JR Tohoku Main Line
↓
Sendai
This is just one example of how this journey can be included in a wider trip through the Tohoku region. You’re welcome to begin or continue your travels wherever it best fits your plans.
Perfect for Travelers Who…
- Are planning a 10–14 day trip to Japan
- Value shared meals, conversations, and stories over simply visiting places
- Want to experience rural Japan beyond the major tourist destinations
- Are interested in farming, local food, sake, and traditions
- Enjoy meeting the people behind the places they visit
- Prefer immersive, privately arranged journeys over traditional sightseeing
Why You’ll Love This Journey
Stay at a family-run farmhouse inn and spend a night in the traditional guest lodging of a shrine with more than 1,200 years of history
Meet an organic farmer, local winemakers, a seventh-generation sake brewery owner, a chef, a shinto priest, and a sixth-generation wagashi maker
Experience everyday life through farm visits, hands-on activities, shared meals, and conversations with local people
Discover how the people of Nihonmatsu preserve generations of tradition while taking on new challenges for the future
Only Through KMJ
Our journeys are built on relationships with the people who live here. These connections open doors to experiences that are rarely available to ordinary visitors.
Meet the Farmer Who Connects It All
Spend time with Motohiro Seki in his fields and small craft brewery. Through farming, craft beer, and community projects, he connects many of the people and places you’ll encounter throughout this journey.
A Pairing Lunch Inside a Historic Sake Brewery
Prepare traditional dishes with local residents, then take them to a seventh-generation sake brewery. Sit down with the brewery owner and discover how the flavors of Nihonmatsu’s food and sake come together.
An Evening Around the Farmhouse Table
Stay with the Yamazaki family and share a home-cooked dinner around the same table. Local farmers and producers may also stop by, offering a glimpse into the warmth of everyday community life.
Where Farmers, Wine, and Food Come Together
Taste wines born from the shared dream of local farmers, paired with seasonal dishes prepared by a local chef. Hear how the land, its ingredients, and the people behind them are connected.
A Shrine After the Visitors Leave
Spend the night within the grounds of a 1,200-year-old shrine. Experience the stillness of the evening and morning—a side of the shrine that ordinary daytime visitors rarely encounter.
Meet the People Who Call Nihonmatsu Home
A Sake-Loving Farmer Shaping the Future of Local Agriculture
Motohiro Seki
Organic Fukushima Adachi / Nanakusa Farm
When Seki talks about farming, he is completely serious.
But mention sake or craft beer, and his eyes light up.
Seki moved from Tokyo to Nihonmatsu and has been farming in the Towa area since 2006. He grows vegetables and rice organically, working with nature rather than relying on pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
His focus extends far beyond his own fields. Always thinking about how farming in the community can continue, he has created a produce collection system that reduces the burden on local farmers, helped launch a winery with fellow farmers, and brought people together to take on new challenges.
His love of sake and craft beer eventually led him to obtain his own brewing license. He is now pursuing an ambitious goal: creating a craft beer made entirely with ingredients from the local area.
For Seki, organic farming, connecting local farmers, and brewing beer are all part of the same challenge—keeping agriculture alive in this community.
During this journey, walk through the fields with him and talk about vegetables, organic farming, the future of the community, and, of course, beer.
As the conversation unfolds, you will begin to see why the word “farmer” only begins to describe who Seki is.
From fields to beer, and from beer to people.
Your journey through Nihonmatsu begins with Seki.
See More Through Photos
Seki’s Life and Your Time Together
Discover the many sides of Seki’s life, along with moments from the experiences you may share during your visit.
Carrying Forward the Farmers’ Dream
Kazumi Honda
President, Fukushima Farmers’ Dream Wine
“Couldn’t we do something interesting here in our community?”
That simple conversation among local farmers over drinks became the beginning of Fukushima Farmers’ Dream Wine.
Eight farmers planted grapevines in abandoned mulberry fields and built a winery together. One of those founding members was Honda’s father.
Today, Kazumi Honda is carrying their dream forward.
Wine was not always Honda’s path. After many years in the corporate world, he entered the world of wine in his forties. Today, as the winery’s second-generation president, he works alongside local grape growers to create wines that express the character of this place.
During the journey, you’ll walk through the vineyard with Honda before visiting the winery. Along the way, hear not only how the wines are made, but also why a group of farmers decided to start a winery and what growing grapes has come to mean for the community.
You’ll then taste the wines with food prepared especially for the occasion.
Winemaker Yamazaki will introduce the character and story of each wine, while chef Yoko Higuchi creates dishes using local vegetables and seasonal ingredients. With a background in French cuisine, she designs the menu to complement the wines produced here.
A dream first shared among farmers over drinks is still growing today.
Meet Honda, walk through the place where it began, and taste the next chapter of that dream.
See More Through Photos
A 1,200-Year-Old Shrine for Today
Akimasa Abe
63rd Negi (Shinto Priest), Okitsushima Shrine
Okitsushima Shrine has watched over this community for more than 1,200 years.
While preserving its history and traditions, Akimasa Abe is also finding new ways to make the shrine part of everyday life—organizing markets with local residents and opening a café within the grounds.
During this journey, walk through the shrine with Abe and hear about its history, beliefs, relationship with the community, and hopes for the future.
This is more than a daytime visit.
Spend the night at the shrine’s sanshukusho, a traditional lodging within the shrine grounds. As the visitors leave and evening settles in, experience the stillness of the shrine after dark. Then wake to the quiet atmosphere of a new morning.
Through time with Abe, you may begin to see this 1,200-year-old shrine not simply as a historic place, but as a living part of the community.
See More Through Photos
Local Food and Seven Generations of Sake
Begin by preparing two of Nihonmatsu’s traditional dishes with local residents: ika-ninjin, made with carrots and dried squid, and zakuzaku-jiru, a soup filled with finely diced vegetables.
As you cook together, hear when these dishes are traditionally served, how recipes vary between families, and what they reveal about everyday life in Nihonmatsu.
Then take the finished dishes to Hinomonoya Sake Brewery, where seventh-generation owner Kazuya Saito will welcome you.
Walk through the brewery with Saito and hear how his family has carried its history forward through seven generations, while learning about Nihonmatsu’s rich sake culture.
After the tour, gather around the table for lunch and enjoy the dishes you prepared with locally brewed sake. Saito will introduce the character of each sake and explain how it complements the food.
Learn local recipes from the people who cook them and discover sake through the person carrying a family brewery into the future.
This is where your three-day journey through Nihonmatsu begins.
See More Through Photos
Seasonal Sake Brewing at Hinomonoya
At Hinomonoya Sake Brewery, sake is generally brewed from December through February. Depending on the timing of your visit, you may have the opportunity to observe part of the brewing process in action. Outside the brewing season, you can still explore the brewery, see its tools and equipment, and learn how sake has been made here for generations.
A Night Around Tomoko’s Farmhouse Table
Seihōen is a family-run farmhouse inn in Iwashiro, a peaceful satoyama area of Nihonmatsu. Your hosts are Kiyonori and Tomoko Yamazaki.
Tomoko has long played an important role in bringing people in her community together. Working alongside local farmers, she helped establish a small farmers’ market called Sakura no Sato and developed it into a place where local produce could reach the wider community.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear accident, local farmers faced uncertainty and reputational damage surrounding their produce. Through those difficult years, Tomoko continued working alongside local farmers and helping people in the community stay connected.
She later renovated her family home and opened Seihōen, where she now welcomes travelers.
A stay here is about much more than having a place to sleep.
Join Tomoko in preparing dishes with local ingredients, then sit down together to enjoy what you have made. Kiyonori will be there too, and depending on the day, neighboring farmers or other local residents may stop by and join the table.
Cook together, eat together, raise a glass, and share stories.
People naturally gather around Tomoko because she has spent so many years connecting them.
It feels very different from staying in a hotel.
This is a night spent around the same table with people who call the satoyama countryside of Nihonmatsu home.
See More Through Photos
Wagashi Traditions of a Castle Town
Make seasonal wagashi with artisan Fumie Watanabe of Tamaya Gyokushindo, a traditional confectionery that has been passed down through six generations in Nihonmatsu.
Nihonmatsu flourished as a castle town. During the Edo period, the local domain encouraged confectionery making, and that culture remains part of the city today.
With Fumie’s guidance, you’ll shape your own seasonal wagashi by hand.
Rather than simply visiting a shop to buy Japanese sweets, you’ll work alongside an artisan, ask questions, and discover the care behind each piece.
Learn from a sixth-generation wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) maker in the setting of a shrine with more than 1,200 years of history.
It is a morning that feels distinctly Nihonmatsu.
See More Through Photos
Make Soba from Iwashiro-Grown Buckwheat with a Local Artisan
Surrounded by mountains and farmland, Iwashiro has cultivated its own buckwheat for many years, bringing previously unused farmland back into cultivation.
At Sakura no Sato, the local roadside station, the soba is made from Iwashiro Kogen Soba buckwheat grown by farmers in the area. The buckwheat is purchased directly from local producers and transformed by local artisans into juwari soba—handmade noodles made entirely from buckwheat flour, without wheat flour as a binder.
On this journey, you will do more than simply taste Iwashiro’s soba.
With guidance from a local soba artisan, add water to the flour, knead the dough, roll it out, and cut it into noodles.
The process may look simple, but getting each step right takes patience and skill.
Once your noodles are ready, they will be cooked and served for lunch.
Learn from someone who lives here, make soba from buckwheat grown here, and then sit down to enjoy what you have created.
It is a hands-on way to experience the farming traditions and food culture of Iwashiro—and a fitting final taste of your journey through Nihonmatsu.
Sample 3-Day Journey
This three-day itinerary is just one example. Whether you have one night or several days, every journey is tailored to your interests, travel schedule, and the local people you’ll meet along the way.
Day 1 | From Local Flavors to the Satoyama
Arrive at JR Nihonmatsu Station, where your private driver and guide will be waiting.
Begin by preparing traditional dishes with local residents. Then visit Hinomonoya Sake Brewery, where seventh-generation owner Kazuya Saito will guide you through the brewery.
Sit down together for lunch, pairing the dishes you made with locally brewed sake.
In the afternoon, travel into the satoyama countryside of Towa. Walk through the fields with organic farmer Motohiro Seki, hear about his vision for local agriculture, and taste craft beer made with ingredients from the region.
Later, arrive at Seihōen, the farmhouse inn of Kiyonori and Tomoko Yamazaki. Spend a little time cooking with Tomoko before gathering around the table for dinner.
Local farmers and producers may stop by to join you. As food and drinks are shared, stories unfold—and strangers begin to feel like friends.
Day 2 | Wine, Food, and a 1,200-Year-Old Shrine
Begin the morning with breakfast at Seihōen before visiting Fukushima Farmers’ Dream Wine.
Walk through the vineyard and winery with Kazumi Honda and hear how local farmers came together to turn abandoned mulberry fields into a new future for the community.
At lunchtime, taste the winery’s wines alongside seasonal dishes prepared by local chef Yoko Higuchi, who has a background in French cuisine.
In the afternoon, continue to Okitsushima Shrine. Walk through the grounds with Akimasa Abe and learn about the shrine’s history, its connection with the community, and how its traditions are being carried forward.
Later, check in at the shrine’s sanshukusho. Set down your bags and take time to enjoy the grounds as the shrine grows quiet with the fading light.
In the evening, gather around the table for dinner and reflect on the people, stories, and flavors you encountered throughout the day.
Day 3 | A Quiet Morning, Made by Hand
Begin the morning in the stillness of Okitsushima Shrine with a quiet seated practice led by Abe.
After breakfast, meet sixth-generation wagashi artisan Fumie Watanabe and make seasonal Japanese sweets together inside the shrine lodging.
Then travel to Michi-no-Eki Sakura no Sato, where Tomoko welcomes you again—this time as the roadside station’s chairperson.
With guidance from a local soba maker, knead, roll, and cut your own noodles. Sit down together and enjoy the freshly made soba for lunch.
After one final meal with the local community, return by private vehicle to JR Nihonmatsu Station.
Your three days may be over, but the people you met may give you a reason to return.
Notes
- This is a sample journey and may change depending on the season, weather, and the availability of local hosts.
- As a private and customized experience, every journey is tailored to your interests, preferred travel dates, and travel pace.
- Specific hosts, activities, and locations may vary throughout the year, allowing each visit to reflect the season and the everyday rhythm of life in Nihonmatsu.
Make This Journey Your Own
Not much of a drinker?
We can place more focus on organic farming, local cooking, wagashi, shrine traditions, and time with the people of Nihonmatsu.
Love food and meeting the people who produce it?
Spend more time with farmers, local cooks, and artisans, with seasonal dishes and hands-on experiences shaped around your visit.
Interested in history, culture, and quiet moments?
We can shape your journey around Okitsushima Shrine, traditional wagashi, the history of Nihonmatsu, and the peaceful rhythm of the satoyama countryside.
Tell us what interests you most. We’ll shape the journey around you.
Practical Information
| Price | Indicative price From ¥230,000 per person (based on 2 guests) The per-person price is lower for groups of three or more, as certain costs are shared among the group. Final pricing varies depending on the season, itinerary, accommodation, transportation, and experiences selected. |
|---|---|
| Journey Style | Private, fully customized journey Recommended duration: 3 days (flexible) Available year-round 2–6 guests |
| Accommodation | Seihōen Farmhouse Inn — 1 night A family-run farmhouse inn in the satoyama countryside of Towa, hosted by Kiyonori and Tomoko Yamazaki. Sanshukusho at Okitsushima Shrine — 1 night A traditional lodging within the grounds of the 1,200-year-old Okitsushima Shrine. |
| What’s Included | – Two nights’ accommodation – Private transportation for all scheduled experiences, beginning and ending at JR Nihonmatsu Station – English-speaking interpretation support throughout the journey – All scheduled experiences and entrance fees – Two breakfasts, three lunches, and two dinners – Traditional local cooking experience – Tour and sake tasting at Hinomonoya Sake Brewery – Sake pairing lunch featuring the dishes prepared by guests – Farm visit and craft beer tasting with Motohiro Seki – Farmhouse mini experience at Seihōen – Vineyard and winery visit at Fukushima Farmers’ Dream Wine – Wine tasting and seasonal meal prepared with local ingredients – Guided visit and morning seated practice at Okitsushima Shrine – Seasonal wagashi-making experience – Soba-making experience – Domestic travel accident insurance |
| Not Included | – Transportation to and from JR Nihonmatsu Station – Personal expenses – Optional food and beverages not included in the itinerary – Admission and bathing fees for an optional hot spring visit – Transportation or activities outside the confirmed itinerary |
| Meeting Point | JR Nihonmatsu Station Meet your private driver and English-speaking guide at JR Nihonmatsu Station, where your journey begins. The journey also ends at JR Nihonmatsu Station. |
| Cancellation Policy | 20–11 days before departure: 20% of the tour price 10–1 days before departure: 50% of the tour price Same-day cancellation or no-show: 100% of the tour price |
| Payment | Credit card (Visa and Mastercard) Detailed payment instructions will be provided after booking. |
| Additional Information | Each journey is individually designed. Your final itinerary will be confirmed after your consultation and booking request. Bookings must be made at least 20 days before your preferred departure date. A shorter one-night journey may also be arranged depending on your interests and the availability of local hosts. |
| Language Support | Most experiences are hosted in Japanese. A professional English-speaking interpreter accompanies the journey to support communication while allowing conversations with local people to remain natural and authentic. Italian-language interpretation is also available upon request. |
| Getting Around | Private Transportation (Included) Private transportation is provided for all scheduled experiences included in your itinerary, allowing you to relax and enjoy the journey without worrying about driving or navigation. If you’d like to explore the area during your free time, we’ll be happy to recommend local transportation options or arrange a taxi upon request. Self-Drive Option (Available on Request) A self-drive version of this journey can also be arranged upon request. |
