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.

Discover the People of Okitama

Three days of local food, sake, culture, and genuine human connections in rural Yamagata.

Just 2.5 hours from Tokyo Station by the direct Yamagata Shinkansen, Okitama feels like a different world. We’ll meet you at Akayu Station, where your journey into local life begins.

Surrounded by mountains and shaped by heavy winter snows, Okitama is home to sake brewers, farmers, potters, matagi hunters, and families whose lives remain deeply connected to the land.

Throughout the journey, you’ll step into workshops, homes, farms, and mountain villages that most visitors never experience. Share meals around the same table, raise a glass with local sake brewers, and discover everyday life through the people who proudly call Okitama home.

This is more than a journey through rural Japan. It’s an opportunity to become part of the Okitama family and leave with friendships that last long after your journey ends.

Where This Journey Fits into Your Japan Itinerary

Many travelers visit Tokyo, Sendai, or Yamagata, but few take the time to discover the rural communities of Okitama, where everyday life is shaped by deep winter snows, mountain water, and generations of local tradition.

Okitama fits naturally into a wider journey through Tohoku. Spend three nights meeting sake brewers, farmers, artisans, matagi hunters, and local families while experiencing a side of Japan that most international visitors never see.

Just 2.5 hours from Tokyo Station by the Yamagata Shinkansen (Tsubasa), Okitama is surprisingly easy to reach, making it an ideal addition to a journey through northern Japan.

One Example of a Tohoku Itinerary

Tokyo

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Yamagata Shinkansen (Tsubasa)

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Akayu Station (Okitama)

(3 Nights with Kanpai Meets Japan)

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Yamagata Shinkansen (Tsubasa)

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Continue your journey through Tohoku

This is just one example of how this journey can be included in a wider trip through Tohoku. You’re welcome to start or end your journey wherever it best fits your travel plans.

Perfect for Travelers Who…

• Are planning a 10–14 day trip to Japan
• Want to discover rural Tohoku beyond Japan’s major tourist destinations
• Enjoy meeting local people through food, sake, craftsmanship, and meaningful conversations
• Prefer immersive, small-group journeys over traditional sightseeing

Why You’ll Love This Journey

Raise a glass with sake brewers, farmers, potters, matagi hunters, and the people who make Okitama feel like home

Share meals around family tables and discover the warmth of everyday life in rural Yamagata

Experience local traditions through pottery, food culture, festivals, and stories passed down through generations

Leave with the people you’ll remember long after your journey ends

Meet the People of Okitama

Bringing People Together Around the Family Table

Chie Kanno
Owner, Nōka Restaurant Nagomian

Listen to the gentle crackle of charcoal as you gather around a traditional irori hearth and enjoy seasonal dishes prepared with vegetables lovingly grown by Chie Kanno herself. The meal features local home cooking and regional specialties that have been passed down through generations.

More than a meal, this is a chance to experience the warmth of everyday life in rural Japan. Many guests say it feels less like visiting a restaurant and more like returning to a family home in the countryside.

As you sit together around the hearth, conversations naturally drift from farming and family life to the changing seasons and the rhythms of life in rural Yamagata. It’s these simple moments of connection that many guests remember long after the journey ends.

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About Chie Kanno

Born in Shirataka Town, Yamagata Prefecture, in 1947, Chie married into a farming family in Nagai City and spent decades working in agriculture. While raising pigs, cultivating shiitake mushrooms, and growing cherries, she continued taking on new challenges. In 2007, she opened Farmer’s Restaurant Nagomian. Today, she continues farming while sharing local cuisine and regional traditions with visitors.

Brewing Hope Through Every Glass

Daisuke Suzuki
Owner & Master Brewer, Suzuki Brewery

Step behind the scenes of a working sake brewery with Daisuke Suzuki, owner and master brewer of Suzuki Shuzoten. As the aromas of steamed rice and koji fill the air, you’ll gain a firsthand look at the craft of sake brewing and the people who keep it alive.

With a glass of local sake in hand, hear the remarkable story of how Daisuke rebuilt his brewing life after losing his family’s brewery in Namie, Fukushima, during the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. Despite losing everything, he continued brewing in Nagai, Yamagata, determined to preserve both his family’s legacy and the spirit of his hometown.

More than a brewery tour, this is an opportunity to understand the human stories behind every bottle. Through conversation, shared drinks, and time spent together, you’ll discover how sake connects people, communities, and generations.

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About Daisuke Suzuki

Born as the eldest son of Suzuki Shuzoten, a sake brewery founded during the Edo period in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture. After the brewery was destroyed in 2011, he restarted production in Nagai City, Yamagata, under the name Suzuki Shuzoten Nagai Brewery. In 2021, brewing was successfully revived in Namie as well.

Connecting People One KANPAI at a Time

Tsuyoshi Murata
President, Chuo Kaikan

Step into a side of Nagai that few visitors ever experience. Accompanied by Tsuyoshi Murata, you’ll spend an evening sharing drinks, stories, and laughter with the people who call this town home.

Murata is one of those rare people who seems to know everyone. From sake brewers and restaurant owners to the beloved hosts of local snack bars, he has spent years building connections throughout the community. Thanks to his introductions, what begins as a night out quickly turns into a gathering among friends.

As the evening unfolds, you’ll raise glasses of local sake, exchange stories with residents, and discover the welcoming spirit that makes Okitama special. Filled with conversation, laughter, and unexpected encounters, this is often one of the most memorable nights of the journey.

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About Tsuyoshi Murata

Originally from Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture, Murata moved to Nagai after marrying into the family that operated the long-established restaurant Chuo Kaikan. In 2013, he helped establish the Okitama Five Breweries Association and continues working to strengthen the community through food and sake culture.

Sharing the Spirit of the Mountains

The Yokoyama Family
Hosts, Minshuku Okukawairi

Spend an unforgettable evening with the Yokoyama family at Okukawairi, a family-run inn nestled deep in the mountains of Oguni Town.

Gather around the glowing irori hearth and enjoy a meal featuring traditional bear soup, seasonal mountain vegetables, and freshly harvested local produce. As you share dinner together, you’ll hear stories of life in the mountains and the traditions that have been passed down through generations.

The Yokoyamas are part of the matagi tradition, a centuries-old culture of mountain hunters in northern Japan. More than hunting, matagi culture is rooted in respect for nature, gratitude for life, and living in balance with the surrounding environment.

The inn is run by fourth-generation matagi hunter Ryuzo Yokoyama, his wife Naomi, and their son Taku, who represents the fifth generation. Alongside welcoming guests, the family farms rice, raises chickens, hunts, and continues the everyday traditions of mountain life.

By the end of the evening, you’ll feel less like a guest staying at an inn and more like a temporary member of the family. Through shared meals, conversation, and time spent together, you’ll experience a side of rural Japan that few travelers ever have the chance to see.

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Preserving Okitama’s Pottery Tradition

Toshiyuki Kaneda
Potter, Miyama Kobo Tsuchi Dango

Visit the workshop of potter Toshiyuki Kaneda and discover the story behind Miyama-yaki, a local pottery tradition that has been passed down through generations in Okitama.

Behind the workshop stands a treasured noborigama, a traditional climbing kiln inherited from Kaneda’s late teacher. After the kiln collapsed during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, many believed it might never be used again. Yet with the support of friends, neighbors, and people who cared about preserving local culture, it was carefully restored and brought back to life.

As Kaneda shares his story, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the patience, dedication, and community spirit that sustain traditional craftsmanship in rural Japan. More than a pottery workshop, this is a chance to experience the quiet rhythms of Okitama and the human connections that continue to shape life here.

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About Toshiyuki Kaneda

Born in Shirataka Town in 1966, Kaneda discovered pottery while working in the corporate world. He later left his career to apprentice at Miyama Kobo and continued his training in Mashiko, one of Japan’s most famous pottery towns. In 2003, he inherited Miyama Pottery and Miyama Kobo Tsuchi Dango. He restored the kiln damaged in the 2011 disaster and continues producing pottery using traditional wood-firing methods today.

Meet More Local Hosts on This Journey

A Young Farmer Raising Award-Winning Yonezawa Beef
Sho Yakubo
Yakubo Livestock Farm

Sho Yakubo is a young cattle farmer producing Yonezawa Beef, one of Japan’s most celebrated wagyu brands, in Nagai City.

After studying animal husbandry at an agricultural college, he returned home and now raises cattle alongside his mother. Despite his young age, Sho has already earned top honors at livestock competitions and is dedicated to producing high-quality Yonezawa Beef through careful breeding and daily care.

His work reflects both the traditions of local agriculture and the next generation’s commitment to preserving them.

A Fourth-Generation Maker Preserving Yamagata’s Fu Culture
Daisuke Saito
Saito Seifusho

Daisuke Saito is the fourth-generation owner of a long-established fu maker in Nagai City. Fu is a traditional Japanese food made from wheat gluten. Throughout Japan, it’s commonly enjoyed in soups and hot pots. In Okitama, however, it is also crafted into light, crispy sweets that have become a beloved local specialty.

After graduating from university, he trained at a renowned fu workshop in Kanazawa before returning home to take over the family business. Today, he also operates Saito Fuya, where he introduces new ways to enjoy fresh fu through creative Japanese sweets and modern interpretations of traditional foods.

Through his work, he continues to preserve Okitama’s unique fu culture while sharing it with visitors and a new generation alike.

A Guardian of Local Traditions and Community Prayer
Yoshitomo Abe
Chief Priest, Somiya Shrine

Born into a family that has served as Shinto priests for generations, Yoshitomo Abe now serves as the chief priest of Somiya Shrine in Nagai City.

In addition to overseeing local festivals and religious ceremonies, he is deeply involved in preserving the region’s unique Kurojishi culture, a traditional form of lion dance that has been passed down for centuries. Through his work, he helps keep local traditions alive while ensuring that the shrine remains a welcoming place for the community.

His stories offer a deeper understanding of the spiritual traditions and cultural heritage that continue to shape life in Okitama today.

About the Okitama Region

Okitama, Yamagata Prefecture

Nestled among the mountains of southern Yamagata Prefecture, the Okitama region is shaped by deep winter snows and the abundant water they bring each spring. As the snow melts, it nourishes the rice fields, farms, and communities that have sustained life here for generations.

For centuries, people in Okitama have lived in close harmony with nature. They have brewed sake, cultivated rice, gathered around shared meals, and built strong connections with their neighbors and the land.

You won’t find famous tourist attractions or crowded sightseeing spots here.

Instead, Okitama offers something far more meaningful: the opportunity to experience everyday life in rural Japan through the people who continue to call this place home.

Sample Journey

Day 1 | Meet the People of Nagai

Your journey begins at Akayu Station, where you’ll be welcomed and driven into the heart of Nagai City.

Gather around the table at Nōka Restaurant Nagomian with Chie Kanno, whose warm hospitality makes many guests feel as though they are visiting family. Enjoy a seasonal home-style lunch while learning about rural life in Okitama.

In the afternoon, visit Suzuki Brewery with owner and master brewer Daisuke Suzuki. Explore areas of the brewery normally closed to visitors before enjoying a private sake tasting together.

As evening falls, the people of Okitama begin to gather. Share local sake, regional dishes, and lively conversation with Daisuke, Tsuyoshi Murata, and local residents before experiencing Nagai’s welcoming nightlife.

Day 2 | Slow Down and Experience Local Life

Enjoy a relaxed morning before meeting a local producer dedicated to raising award-winning Yonezawa Beef. Learn about the care and craftsmanship behind one of Japan’s most celebrated wagyu brands before enjoying a premium Yonezawa Beef lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants.

Later, visit the pottery workshop of Toshiyuki Kaneta and discover the traditions of Okitama’s ceramic culture through conversation and craftsmanship.

The evening is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Explore Nagai’s quiet streets, revisit your favorite local restaurant, or simply relax and soak in the atmosphere of rural Japan.

Day 3 | Into the Mountains

Explore Somiya Shrine with Chief Priest Hiroshi Abe, see the impressive Kurojishi lion masks up close, and hear how this centuries-old tradition continues to shape life in Okitama today.

Your destination is Minshuku Okukawairi, home of the Yokoyama family, who continue the traditions of modern-day matagi culture.

Gather around the irori hearth, enjoy seasonal mountain cuisine, share local sake, and spend the evening listening to stories of life in the mountains.

Day 4 | A Morning with the Matagi Family

Wake to the peaceful sounds of the mountains and enjoy breakfast with the Yokoyama family.

Depending on the season, you may gather wild plants, help with daily mountain life, or simply enjoy a quiet walk through the surrounding forests while learning about the relationship between people and nature.

After lunch, you’ll return to Akayu Station, bringing home not only memories of beautiful landscapes, but also lasting friendships with the people of Okitama.

Please Note

This itinerary is provided as an example. Each journey is individually designed according to guest interests, seasonal conditions, and the availability of local hosts.

Additional experiences or overnight stays can also be arranged for travelers who wish to explore Okitama at a slower pace.

Make This Journey Your Own

Practical Information

Price	Indicative price From ¥290,000 per person (based on 2 guests) Final pricing varies depending on the season, itinerary, accommodation, and experiences selected.
Journey Style	Private, fully customized journey Recommended duration: 4 days (flexible) Available year-round 2–6 guests
Accommodation	Night 1 & 2 TAS Park Hotel Nagai (Twin Room) A comfortable hotel in the heart of Nagai, providing a convenient base for exploring the town and getting to know the people of Okitama. Night 3 Minshuku Okukawairi (Traditional Japanese-Style Room) A family-run mountain inn where you’ll experience the warmth of rural hospitality. Gather around the irori fireplace, enjoy seasonal mountain cuisine, and spend the evening with the Yokoyama family, who continue the traditions of modern-day matagi culture. More than simply a place to stay, this is where you’ll experience one of the most memorable evenings of your journey.
What’s Included	・Three nights’ accommodation ・Meals (3 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners) ・Private transportation for all scheduled experiences ・English-speaking interpretation support during scheduled experiences ・All scheduled experiences and entrance fees ・Exclusive access through KMJ’s local relationships ・Dinner, drinks, and shared time around the table with Chie Kanno and local residents ・Coordination with local hosts before and during your journey ・WhatsApp support before and during your trip ・Domestic travel accident insurance
Not Included	・Transportation to and from the meeting point ・Personal expenses ・Optional food, beverages, and activities not specified in the itinerary
Meeting Point	JR Akayu Station or JR Yonezawa Station Meet your driver and English-speaking guide at JR Akayu Station or JR Yonezawa Station, where your journey into the people and everyday life of Okitama begins.
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.
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. If you’d like to arrange transportation during your free time, we’re happy to discuss the available options. Self-Drive Option (Available on Request) A self-drive version of this journey can also be arranged upon request.
Before You Travel	Comfortable walking shoes are recommended for your visit to the mountain village. We’ll provide detailed seasonal clothing recommendations before your journey.