2019 Award-Winners | EAT! MEET! JAPAN

In Iiyama’s enchanting village of kamakura snow huts, share a warming noroshi-nabe hot pot made with local Shinshu miso, Miyuki pork, vegetables, and mushrooms.

Experience the relaxed pace of rural life at a charming farmhouse in Odate with Ishigaki-san, a local farmer’s mother, who will teach you how to make kiritampo hot pot, a beloved local dish.

Eat like a local during this market-to-table cooking class in Tokyo, beginning with a 1-hour tour of the Tsukiji Outer Market to pick up the freshest ingredients of the day.

In Kyoto’s Wazuka-cho, home to gorgeous tea fields that have been declared a Scenic Property of Kyoto Prefecture, join a tea tour for a refreshing and immersive encounter with Japanese tea culture.

With nearby local attractions such as the rare moor hot springs and activities like cow milking, this glamping retreat at Tokachi Shinmura Farm is an unforgettable experience.

Experience the spiritual culture of Japan with a Yamabushi mountain ascetic as your guide, climbing a holy mountain and tasting the cuisine of Japanese monks.

After a tour of Otokoyama Sake Brewery, board an oyster fishing boat to retrieve the local Japanese sake that sleeps in the sea of Kesennuma!

Join a local mushroom foraging expert and trek through the snow-blanketed mountains, hunting for wild mushrooms; then, return to a traditional Japanese house and share a meal around the hearth.

Explore Omicho Market, known as “Kanazawa’s Kitchen.” Learn about local food culture and Japanese cooking techniques, like how to prepare seafood and assemble a balanced Japanese meal.

Experience the refined matcha tea, complemented with traditional sweets, in Nishio City, one of Japan’s premier matcha producing areas.

Stay overnight at a farmer’s inn and prepare a meal with the family. Harvest vegetables, cook rice the traditional way, and indulge in sukiyaki made with luxurious Matsusaka wagyu.

Experience udon in Kagawa, the prefecture that is said to be the birthplace of udon, where udon shops are twice as large as convenience stores!

In Miyazaki Prefecture’s stunning palm tree-dotted Tsuno, discover the delights of Japanese wines made with 100% local grapes, paired with a sumptuous 5-course gourmet meal.

In sunny Makurazaki, discover how katsuobushi (dried skipjack tuna), the crucial ingredient in dashi soup stock, is indispensable to Japanese food culture.