About this experience
Get ready for a stroll through an oasis of tranquility in the stress-filled metropolis. In Kagurazaka district, you will find a blend of traditions and modern life of Tokyo residents, and savor the best dishes of exquisite kaiseki cuisine.
Kagurazaka
One of the central residential areas of the city with a high density of Michelin-starred establishments and Japanese-French cuisine, a magnet for everyone: for young people seeking a respite from the noise of business districts, for affluent and stylish elderly Japanese women in kimonos, and for expats from Europe. This is one of the few areas in Tokyo where tea houses have been preserved, although the geishas of Kagurazaka are unlikely to rival the geikos of Kyoto (I will tell you about this when we meet). The level of restaurants in Kagurazaka district can compete with the Gion district in Kyoto. I suggest checking this out at the very beginning of our walk.
Program
- First and foremost, we will have a light but hearty lunch of kaiseki cuisine dishes prepared by a Japanese chef. I will accompany the serving of dishes with explanations of what we are eating and how the dish is prepared.
- Then we will visit a couple of stylish cafes to admire the visitors and the interior, or a couple of shops with traditional sweets to taste or buy seasonal wagashi sweets.
- Afterwards, we will stroll deeper into Kagurazaka and see how antiquity and ancient beliefs fit into modern life through small Shinto shrines that we will inevitably encounter along the way.
- Then the street with numerous shops will give us the opportunity to appreciate some of Japan's traditional crafts, local sweets, or the assortment of a tea shop... Or, disregarding the crafts and local tea, you may choose to spend an extended period in a drugstore-style store or linger in a 100-yen shop, admiring the ingenuity of the Japanese and the power of the Chinese polymer industry. If the duration of the tour allows, I will assist you in choosing purchases or explain in detail how to get back to the hotel, providing a metro map or the phone number of a taxi company.
Organizational Details
- The cost of public transportation for guests and guide is not included and will range from 600 to 1,000 yen per adult per day if you limit yourself to just the Kagurazaka area.
- If your hotel is within the JR Yamanote Line, I will pick you up. If not, we will discuss how you can get to the meeting place, which we will determine together.
- Please book as early as possible - to ensure I have available time and the restaurant accepts our reservation. Also, please note that if you are bringing a child to the restaurant, I need to know their exact age - some establishments do not allow children below a certain age. Rooms with infants usually come with additional charges, as the child may disturb other patrons at the counter or in the common hall.
- I will pay for my own lunch if its cost does not exceed 6,000 yen.
