Customise your own Kyoto countryside experience with our tour options below.
Depending on your interests and availability, we’ll plan a personalised trip
just for you.
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Minimum duration of trip: 1 full day
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A full day trip can fit up to 3-4 activities.
Keihoku Mountain Tour Options
A leisure trekking course of around 1.5 hours, along a serene nature trails. The trail goes deep into the Keihoku forests and leads you to a stunning 25 m Takimata waterfall, which you can admire, and swim in.
A great trek to go on for all seasons!
Takimata Waterfall Trekking
Giant Cedar Forest Trek
Take a walk among giants, giant cedar trees we mean. Be amazed at these ancient forest beings that have been around for more than 700 years, and learn the story of the timber trade that has been flourishing in Keihoku since 1200 years ago.
It’s a place where one can truly experience the connection between the present and the ancient past.
Miyama Thatched House Village
Tour Options and
Pricing
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A visit to the mountainous village of Miyama that is famous for its traditional 400 year-old (approx) thatched-roof houses, fully preserved as they used to be. The visit also includes a scenic walk along the Yura river. In autumn, the Miyama village is the perfect place to admire the colourful autumn foliage.
The natural environment and houses of Miyama have been kept so perfectly intact that it is as if you had travelled 100 years back in time to rural Japan.
Joshoko-ji Zen Temple Visit
As magnificent as the temples you find in Kyoto city, but without the touristic crowds. Joshoko-ji is a Zen temple with a beautiful Zen garden where you can even take time to practice meditation.
Founded by the retired Emperor Kogon in 1362, the temple grounds are a sprawling 12,000 metres square which include the temple building, garden and a mountain. It was designated as a historical and natural conservation site of Kyoto.
Local Sake Brewery Visit & Tasting
Experience the spirit of Japan with a visit to Keihoku’s 120 year-old local Sake brewery. By using self-cultivated rice and pure water from the Keihoku mountains in its production, the brewery’s Sake quality is one of the best in the region. Best of all, the visit includes a tasting of 4 to 5 different kinds of Sake.
There will also be an opportunity to visit the Sake production facilities, subject to the availability of the brewery.
Sake Tasting Extra Cost: JPY 500
Art Gallery Crawl
Keihoku has attracted many artists thanks to its natural surroundings and cultural inspirations. On the art gallery crawl, we will drive around Keihoku to visit various art studios and galleries such as those involved in woodcraft, natural dyeing, leather work, iron work, furniture making, aromatic oils making and glasswork.
You will also get the chance to interact with the artists themselves and watch them at work. The good art quality to be seen and uniqueness of this excursion makes it one of our guests’ favourite tour options.
Keihoku Cooking Class
A cozy Japanese home cooking class that starts with a trip to the vegetable farm (depending on seasonal availability) to pick seasonal ingredients, followed by an instructive class on cooking classical Japanese dishes in a traditional Japanese kitchen.
Yamaguni Shrine Visit
At the very core of Japanese people's philosophy lies Shintoism, a belief that gods exist in all natural elements in this world such as the mountains, rivers, lightning, wind, waves, trees, rocks.
The ancient Yamaguni Shinto shrine, which is set against the dramatic backdrop of giant Cedar trees is a great place to learn about the indigenous Shinto religion of Japan and the way people lived in the old days.
Sugi Sushi and Seafood Cooking Class with Chef
Take a cooking class under Chef Masakazu Hatadan, owner of Suehiro restaurant, famous for its cedar-wrapped mackerel sushi, or Sugi Sushi which is unique to Keihoku.
Learn how to make Sugi Sushi from scratch, starting from sushi rice making, to preparing the fish. You will also learn how to cook other Japanese seafood dishes such as Tempura rolls, Chirashi Sushi and Dashimaki Sushi.
Paragliding
Held by the Keihoku Sky Sports Office, paragliding is the ultimate mountain adventure where you get to enjoy vast panoramic views that the four seasons have to offer. The paragliding experience is available for total beginners to experienced paragliders.
Extra Cost: JPY 10,000 per person
Sea of Japan Tour Options
Sea of Japan Tour
(Due to the packed schedule, the Sea of Japan option will require a 1 overnight stay in one of our accommodation options)
The Sea of Japan seems to evoke images of cold, harsh seaside communities. But it is simply these strong natural elements that make the seafood from the Sea of Japan of much better quality than those of other surrounding oceans.
It’s relative inaccessibility has also kept the natural environment untouched by tourism. Our day trip to the Sea of Japan will take you to enjoy the fruits of sea in the day and finish off with a seafood cooking class.
Trip Details :
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We start with a 90-minute drive from Keihoku’s center to the Sea of Japan’s
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Shop for seafood at the fish market there. (Please prepare an extra budget of JPY 1500)
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Scenic drive to catch a panoramic view of the Sea of Japan
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Ferry ride to view Sea of Japan’s rugged coastline (Optional add-on: JPY 2000 per person)
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Dip in a local hot spring
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Visit to a chopstick museum, where you can make your own chopsticks (Optional add-on: JPY 300 per person)
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Japanese wa-shi paper making experience.
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Head back to a local’s house to cook seafood dishes OR you can take your ingredients to a cooking class under sushi chef, Chef Masakazu Hatada, who will teach you how to make his famous Sugi Sushi and other Japanese Seafood classics. (Optional add-on. Cost: JPY 3000 per person)
(For more information on the cooking class, please click here. )
Tour Pricing
Our tours are intended for a minimum of 2 people in a group.
Prices are charged according to days of the trip, and number of people in group.
The price per person gets discounted with larger number of guests in a group.
2-person group
JPY 12,000 per person / day
3-person group
JPY 11,000 per person / day
4-person group
JPY 10,000 per person / day
5-person group
JPY 9,000 per person / day
6-people group and above
JPY 8,000 per person / day
Sample Tour Itineraries
Sample 1-Day Tour
9:30 Depart from from Kyoto station
11:00 Pickup at Shuzan bus stop
11.30 Trek deep in the forest to Takimata waterfall
13:00 Lunch at local restaurant
14:00 Visit Joshoko-ji temple
15:00 Sake Brewery visit
15:30 Visit beautiful thatched houses in Miyama
17:30 Back to Shuzan bus stop
19:00 Arrival in Kyoto station
Sample 2-Day, 2-Night Tour
Day 1 - Keihoku Mountain Experience
9:30 Depart from from Kyoto station
11:00 Pickup at Shuzan bus stop
11.30 Trek deep in the forest to Takimata waterfall
13:00 Lunch at local restaurant
14:00 Visit Joshoko-ji temple
15:00 Sake Brewery visit
15:30 Visit beautiful thatched houses in Miyama
17:30 Back to the accommodation
Night 1
Stay overnight at one of our accommodation options (extra charges apply)
Day 2 - Sea of Japan Tour Experience
9:30 Depart from Keihoku and a 90-minute drive from Keihoku to the Sea of Japan
11:00 Visit the local fish market to buy seafood ingredients (Please prepare an extra budget of JPY 1500 per person)
12:00 Lunch
13:00
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Option 1: Ferry ride along Sea of Japan’s rugged coastline (Optional add-on. Cost: JPY 2000 per person)
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Option 2: Scenic drive to panoramic view of Sea of Japan
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Option 3: Artisan experience - Make your own chopsticks (Cost: JPY 900 person) and/or Japanese wa-shi paper making experience (Cost: JPY 700 per person)
15:00 Dip in a local Onsen hot spring
16:00 Head back to a local person’s house
17:30 Cook seafood dishes / make sushi
19:30
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Option 1: Seafood dinner party at local home
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Option 2: Seafood cooking class with Chef Masakazu Hatadan of Suehiro Restaurant. Click here for more information on the cooking class. (Optional add-on. Cost: JPY 3000 per person)
Night 2
Stay overnight at one of our accommodation options (extra charges apply)
Day 3 - Check Out and Back to Kyoto
10:00 Check out of accommodation
We recommend a free and easy morning, and then take a bus from Shuzan back to Kyoto in the afternoon at your convenience.