This is not a fixed-schedule group tour. Each journey is privately arranged based on your interests and preferred travel dates. To respect the daily lives and work schedules of local hosts, brewers, farmers, and artisans, the itinerary is customized for every booking. Tours are available for groups of two or more guests. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your travel plans.
Three days of local food, sake, culture, and genuine human connections in rural Yamagata.
Spend three days discovering the people, culture, and everyday life of the Okitama region in Yamagata Prefecture.
Shaped by deep winter snows and abundant mountain water, Okitama is a place where traditional ways of life and strong community ties remain part of everyday life.
This journey is not really about sake breweries, matagi hunters, or local crafts. It is about the people behind them.
Share meals with local hosts, raise a glass with sake brewers, and spend time with farmers, hunters, potters, and other local characters. Along the way, you’ll experience a side of Japan that most visitors never see—and become part of everyday life in Okitama, even if only for a few days.
Experience Highlights
・Raise a glass with sake brewers and local residents
・Share home-cooked meals with farming and matagi families
・Learn about traditional pottery, local festivals, and regional culture
・Stay in places where genuine connections happen naturally
・Experience everyday life in rural Japan beyond the usual tourist route
Meet the People of Okitama
Chie Kanno
Local Host and Home Cook
Host of the Irori Hearth Lunch Experience
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.
Daisuke Suzuki
Sake Brewer and Community Leader
President, Suzuki Sake 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.
Tsuyoshi Murata
Local Connector and Community Host
Nagai Resident and Cultural Guide
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.
The Yokoyama Family
Matagi Family Keeping Mountain Traditions Alive
Oguni, Yamagata
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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Toshiyuki Kaneda
Potter and Ceramic Artist
Kaneda Pottery Studio
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 and has been an important part of local cuisine for generations.
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 share the unique food culture of Yamagata with a new generation.
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 in Okitama, where you’ll be welcomed at Akayu Station and driven into the heart of Nagai City.
Meet local craftspeople and food producers, including a fourth-generation maker preserving Yamagata’s unique fu culture. Later, enjoy a home-style lunch around an irori hearth with Chie Kanno, whose warm hospitality makes many guests feel as if they are visiting family.
In the afternoon, explore Suzuki Shuzoten Brewery with owner Daisuke Suzuki and hear the remarkable story of rebuilding after the 2011 disaster. As evening falls, share local sake and regional dishes with residents before experiencing Nagai’s lively local nightlife alongside community connector Tsuyoshi Murata.
Day 2 | Culture, Community, and Mountain Traditions
Meet a young producer dedicated to raising award-winning Yonezawa Beef and enjoy lunch featuring one of Japan’s most celebrated wagyu brands.
In the afternoon, discover the history of Okitama’s unique Kurojishi lion culture at Somiya Shrine before traveling into the mountains of Oguni. The evening is spent with the Yokoyama family, who continue the traditions of matagi hunting culture. Gather around the irori hearth and enjoy a memorable dinner featuring seasonal mountain foods and stories of life in the Japanese countryside.
Day 3 | Everyday Life in the Mountains
Start the morning with breakfast alongside the Yokoyama family and experience daily life in a mountain village. Depending on the season, activities may include gathering vegetables, chopping firewood, or helping with winter snow clearing.
After lunch, visit the workshop of potter Toshiyuki Kaneda and learn about the restoration of a traditional climbing kiln that survived the challenges of the 2011 earthquake. The journey concludes in the afternoon at Akayu Station.
Please Note
This itinerary is provided as an example. Each journey is customized according to guest interests, seasonal conditions, and the availability of local hosts. Activities and timing may vary.
Practical Information
| Travel Period | Available year-round |
|---|---|
| Price | From ¥340,000 per person (2 guests) Special rates available for groups of 3–6 guests. Please contact us for a customized quotation. |
| What’s Included | ・Two nights accommodation ・Meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners) ・All-you-can-drink at the local snack bar on Day 1 ・All experience and admission fees listed in the itinerary ・Private transportation during the tour ・Travel accident insurance |
| Not Included | Drinks during dinners (unless otherwise specified) Personal expenses |
| Meeting Point | Akayu Station (approximately 2.5 hours from Tokyo Station by Yamagata Shinkansen) |
| Group Size | Minimum: 2 guests Maximum: 6 guests |
| What to Wear | Comfortable clothing suitable for walking and outdoor activities. During winter, waterproof outerwear, warm clothing, gloves, and winter boots are highly recommended. |
| What to Bring | ・Pajamas or sleepwear ・Toothbrush and personal toiletries ・Sunscreen and insect repellent (recommended during warmer seasons) |
| Accommodation | Night 1 TAS Park Hotel Nagai (Twin Room) Night 2 Minshuku Okukawairi (Traditional Japanese-Style Room) |
| Booking Deadline | Bookings must be made at least 20 days before departure. |
| 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. |
| Good to Know | Your second night will be spent at a family-run mountain inn where rice farming remains part of daily life. Depending on the season, you may encounter a few shield bugs, which are common visitors in rural Japan. We like to think of them as unofficial members of the Okukawairi family, and we hope you’ll welcome them with the same good humor as the locals do. |
