Experience the Cultural Heritage of Niigata, Japan – Part 1

This four-day journey explores Japanese culture through craftsmanship, island life, and regional food traditions. Moving from a center of traditional manufacturing to a remote island shaped by the sea, and finally to a riverside town defined by salmon culture, the itinerary reveals how environment, labor, and food have shaped everyday life and cultural identity.

From precision handcrafts and fermentation techniques to maritime culture and seasonal cuisine, this journey traces how skills, beliefs, and knowledge were refined over generations—connecting people to nature and sustaining communities across land and sea.

Day 1

Morning:
Begin with a hands-on metalworking experience, where participants try tsuiki (hammered copper) techniques under the guidance of experienced instructors, adding rhythmic hammered textures to a pure copper tumbler to take home.After the workshop, explore galleries featuring outstanding tsuiki copperware, along with mokume-gane works presented through the collection of Living National Treasure Norio Tamagawa.

lunch:
Wappa-style rice is a traditional Japanese dish prepared by placing rice and a variety of seasonal ingredients into a round wooden container made from thinly bent cedar boards. The meal is gently steamed, allowing the natural aroma of the wood to enhance the flavors of the ingredients. This cooking method brings together simplicity and craftsmanship, reflecting a long-standing food culture rooted in the thoughtful use of natural materials and local culinary wisdom.

Afternoon:
Visit one of Japan’s most venerable shrines, with a history that stretches back over 2,400 years and is celebrated in ancient poetry. The shrine is dedicated to a deity long revered as a source of life, vitality, and prosperity, who according to tradition taught people essential skills such as fishing, salt production, and sake brewing—foundations of regional industry and culture. Surrounded by sacred forest and ancient trees, the site offers a profound sense of continuity between spiritual practice, daily life, and the development of Japanese food and brewing traditions.

Evening:
Enjoy an authentic kaiseki dinner showcasing the elegance of seasonal Japanese cuisine. While dining, experience a live performance by geisha, featuring graceful dance, traditional music, and refined conversation. Guests will also have the opportunity to interact closely with the geisha, offering rare insight into this living cultural tradition. This intimate evening brings together culinary artistry and classical performing arts, where refinement and warmth coexist in a uniquely Japanese setting.

Day 2

Morning:
Travel by ferry from the mainland to a remote island across the open sea. During the crossing, enjoy expansive views of coastline and ocean, reflecting the historical importance of maritime routes in trade, communication, and cultural exchange. Arrival on the island marks the transition from mainland craftsmanship to a way of life shaped by the sea. Lunch

lunch:
Enjoy a seafood lunch overlooking the ocean, featuring a generous assortment of seasonal fish and shellfish delivered directly from local fishermen. The meal highlights the freshness of island ingredients and includes a traditional seaweed specialty unique to the region. This lunch offers an authentic taste of island food culture, deeply connected to fishing and coastal life.

Afternoon:
Experience a ride on a traditional wooden tub boat once used for coastal fishing. Gently drifting across calm waters, the scenery and atmosphere are often associated with the dreamlike world of Spirited Away. Continue with a walk through a historic port village, where preserved wooden houses tell the story of maritime trade and island life from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Day 3

Morning:
Explore a historic gold mining site recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walk through underground tunnels and former ore-processing facilities to see how gold and silver were extracted in the past. This experience reveals traditional mining techniques, working conditions, and the ingenuity behind gold production from the early modern period to modern times.

Lunch:
Enjoy a simple local meal featuring island udon noodles made with seaweed harvested from surrounding waters, offering a taste of everyday island cuisine.

Afternoon:
Take part in a traditional drum performance experience deeply connected to prayers for good harvests and community well-being. Through rhythm and movement, gain insight into local belief, festival culture, and the spirit of the island.

Evening:
Return by ferry to the mainland, concluding the island chapter of the journey.

Day 4

Morning:
Begin the day at a grand historical residence built in the late 19th century by a prominent farming family. Through its preserved architecture, beautifully landscaped gardens, and art collections, gain insight into regional traditions, aesthetics, and ways of life shaped by agriculture and wealth in the modern era.

Late Morning:
Continue with an introduction to a town long known for its deep connection to salmon. For over a thousand years, salmon migrating upriver have shaped local livelihoods and seasonal customs. Learn about traditional preservation techniques, such as salt-curing and air-drying, and discover how salmon became central to everyday life, food culture, and regional identity.

Lunch:
Enjoy a traditional salmon-focused meal at a long-established local restaurant. Prepared using time-honored methods, the dishes highlight the depth and variety of salmon cuisine, offering a fitting conclusion to the journey through craftsmanship, island culture, and regional food traditions.