Satoyama Food & Crafts in Nasu, Mashiko, Nikko

Recommended Season

All year round, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

Meeting Point

Tokyo

Destination

Mashiko, Nasu, Karasuyama, Nikko

PRICE

Please Ask

Duration

3-Days, 2-Nights

Slow down in Nasu: Temple Meditation, Countryside Cycling, Volcanic Views, and Onsen

From just over an hour from Tokyo, trade skyscrapers for mountain air, hidden temples, and steaming hot springs. Ride Experience Inc. designed this three-day itinerary for travelers who want to experience Nasu’s nature and culture at its most authentic, meditative, and flavorful form.

Day 1: Clay, Indigo, and Vintage Beer

Accommodation:

Luxury Ryokan (Japanese-style hotel) with onsen hot spring baths

Meals:

Lunch & dinner provided

At 9:00 AM, meet your private guide and depart your Tokyo hotel, enjoying a serene two-hour drive to the artisan heart of Mashiko. Your first intimate experience is a visit to a historic pottery studio, complete with its towering climbing kiln. Watch as an English-speaking potter employs the traditional kick-wheel to masterfully shape clay into bespoke pots and jugs. After a relaxed lunch and a short walk for unique artisan shopping, you’ll be captivated by a 200-year-old thatched indigo dyeing studio to see natural dyeing, spinning, and weaving. After this, we will drive to Nasu for a rare tasting of vintage beers in the Nasu highlands, then check in at the luxury Nasu Bettei Kai.

Highlights of the Day

Visit a Mashiko pottery studio with a traditional climbing kiln (English-speaking artist)
200-year-old thatched indigo dyeing studio and see Japan’s traditional natural dyeing techniques
Vintage beer tasting in the Nasu Highlands
Overnight at luxury onsen retreat Nasu Bettei Kai

Experiences

Private car from Tokyo with guide, depart 9:00
Mashiko studio visit, kick-wheel demonstration, artist talk in English
Lunch and shopping walk in Mashiko town centre
Indigo dyeing studio visit with spinning and weaving
Drive to Nasu, craft beer brewery, vintage tasting
Overnight stay at luxury Nasu Bettei Kai

What makes this day special:

You meet the makers in their own spaces, from clay and kilns to indigo vats, then close the day with a tasting that collectors speak about.

Day 2: Zen Calm, Silk Cords, and Forest Cuisine

Accommodation:

Luxury Ryokan (Japanese-style hotel) with onsen hot spring baths

Meals:

Breakfast, lunch & dinner provided

Your day of cultural immersion begins at Daiouji, a venerable 600-year-old Zen temple. Once linked to the Kurobane lords, you’ll find serenity beneath its thatched roof, a true wabi-sabi atmosphere. Next, at a traditional house with a garden, you’ll learn to hand-twist four silk threads, creating Oozeki Kumihimo (the arrow-feather pattern once used for samurai armour), which makes a perfect souvenir. Next, we will enjoy a private sushi lunch in Kurobane before travelling to Karasuyama to meet a washi artisan. Here we’ll learn the ancient paper making process and craft your own postcard. The day ends with a multi-course Kaiseki at a Japanese restaurant set deep within the forest, after which we’ll return to Nasu Bettei Kai.

Highlights of the Day

Daiouji Zen temple with 600 years of history
Make Oozeki Kumihimo silk cords, a hands-on craft session
Private sushi lunch
Washi making in Karasuyama, create your own postcard
Forest-surrounded kaiseki dinner.
Overnight at Nasu Bettei Kai

Experiences

Depart the Ryokan at 9:30 AM
Daiouji temple visit
Oozeki Kumihimo workshop at a traditional house with garden
Private sushi lunch in Kurobane
Washi artisan visit and postcard making in Karasuyama
Kaiseki dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the forest

What makes this day special:

You twist silk, lift washi from the vat, and savour sushi and seasonal Kaiseki, actively engaging with ancient Japanese culture and cuisine.

Day 3: Cedar Avenue, World Heritage, and moss-covered Jizo statues

Accommodation:

No accommodation for this day

Meals:

Breakfast & lunch provided

Depart Nasu at 9:30 AM, heading toward the historic mountains of Nikko.
Our day begins with a tranquil stroll along the Nikko Cedar Avenue—the world’s longest tree-lined road and a historic pilgrimage route. Next, we will immerse ourself in history at the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Nikko Toshogu Shrine, and explore the surrounding collection of shrines and temples.
Lunch will be a refined experience savouring yuba Kaiseki (Nikko’s famous cuisine) at a historic wooden restaurant.
The afternoon introduces the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, where moss-covered Jizo statues stand in silent rows beside a clear mountain stream, a truly atmospheric site. Around 15:00, you will depart Nikko and be returned to the comfort of your Tokyo hotel.

Highlights of the Day

Nikko Cedar Avenue pilgrimage walk
UNESCO World Heritage Nikko Toshogu Shrine
Yuba kaiseki lunch at a historic wooden restaurant
Kanmangafuchi Abyss with Jizo statues and clear stream

Experiences

Drive Nasu to Nikko, about 1 hour
Cedar Avenue walk
Toshogu visit and nearby shrines and temples
Yuba kaiseki lunch
Kanmangafuchi Abyss visit
Afternoon drive back to your Tokyo hotel

What makes this day special:

Craft and countryside flow into heritage. You end where history, belief, and nature meet.

Satoyama Food & Crafts in Nasu, Mashiko, Nikko

Recommended Season

Meeting Point

Destination

PRICE

Duration

Slow down in Nasu: Temple Meditation, Countryside Cycling, Volcanic Views, and Onsen

Day 1: Clay, Indigo, and Vintage Beer

Accommodation:

Meals:

Highlights of the Day

Experiences

Day 2: Zen Calm, Silk Cords, and Forest Cuisine

Accommodation:

Meals:

Highlights of the Day

Experiences

Day 3: Cedar Avenue, World Heritage, and moss-covered Jizo statues

Accommodation:

Meals:

Highlights of the Day

Experiences

From custom trips to trade support, our team is happy to assist. Get in touch and we will follow up with next steps.

The Operator for this Tour

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