- Days
- 5
- Participants
- 10 to 30 participants
- Cities
- Osaka · Kyoto
Objectives
- Reward a small, demanding group with access to hard-to-book tables
- Show the culinary differences between Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto
- Combine tasting with craft: sushi, knives, sake, kaiseki
- Keep a comfortable pace with only two hotels
Participant profile
Leadership teams, top clients, partner circles or winners of a premium challenge with a strong interest in food and wine. Suits guests who already know Tokyo and want to discover western Japan.
Day by day
- 1
Day 1
Day 1 — Arrival in Osaka and the Kitashinchi counters
- Meet-and-greet at Kansai Airport, private vehicle transfer to The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka in Umeda (about 60 to 75 min)
- 4:00 pm — Check-in, presentation of the program and of the dietary needs collected in advance
- 7:00 pm — Dinner at the counter of one-Michelin-star Sushi Shigenaga in Kitashinchi, a few minutes from the hotel; above 12 guests, the group is split with Empathie (French, Temma) and Hachi (Japanese, Uehonmachi)
- 9:30 pm — Regroup at the hotel bar
Osaka - 2
Day 2
Day 2 — Pressed sushi, Sakai knives and kappo
- 9:00 am — Kuromon Market with a chef: seafood, Naniwa vegetables, tastings
- 10:30 am — Private sushi class: nigiri then oshizushi, Osaka's pressed sushi made in a wooden mold, eaten as lunch
- 2:00 pm — Drive to Sakai (about 40 min): visit of a knife workshop, whetstone sharpening demonstration and personal engraving of a knife each guest takes home
- 5:00 pm — Return to the hotel
- 7:30 pm — Kappo dinner: two-Michelin-star Teruya for 7 guests at the counter, and Hachi for the rest of the group; each chef presents a seasonal menu
Osaka fish market - 3
Day 3
Day 3 — Kobe, Kobe beef and arrival in Kyoto
- 9:00 am — Check-out, luggage sent straight to Kyoto
- 9:30 am — JR special rapid train from Osaka to Sannomiya (about 25 min), or private vehicles
- 10:15 am — Guided walk through the former foreign settlement and the harbor, the story of Kobe's opening in 1868
- 12:00 pm — Private lunch in a function room at THE ORIENT, heir to the hotel founded in 1870: certified Kobe beef (Tajima cattle from Hyōgo), menu set with the hotel's kitchen; alternatively, the teppanyaki counters of Mouriya Honten, serving Kobe beef in Sannomiya since 1885 (18 seats per floor)
- 2:30 pm — Kitano district and its former foreign residents' houses, or free time in Motomachi
- 4:00 pm — JR special rapid train from Sannomiya to Kyoto (about 50 min), check-in at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, built around an 800-year-old garden
- 7:30 pm — Dinner at the counter of two-Michelin-star Kikunoi Roan, where all the cooking happens in front of guests
三日目 · Kobe Port Tower - 4
Day 4
Day 4 — Fushimi sake, tea and kaiseki
- 9:30 am — Private visit of a historic Fushimi sake brewery (20 min from the hotel): rice polishing, tanks, pressing, then a guided tasting of several sake styles
- 12:00 pm — Light lunch in the sake warehouse district along the canal
- 3:00 pm — Private tea ceremony in a tea pavilion led by a master, with an explanation of the gestures and the wagashi
- 5:00 pm — Free time at the hotel, spa
- 6:30 pm — Kaiseki dinner in a private tatami room at three-Michelin-star Kikunoi Honten, with a briefing on ryotei etiquette beforehand
Fushimi canal - 5
Day 5
Day 5 — Nishiki Market and departure
- Breakfast and check-out
- 9:30 am — Nishiki Market with a food guide: tsukemono, yuba, fine grocers, and a historic knife shop to complete the Sakai purchases
- Transfers to Kyoto Station (Shinkansen to Tokyo, about 2 hours 15 minutes), Itami Airport (about 50 min) or Kansai Airport (about 80 min)
Nishiki Market
Budget
From €7,400 per person, excluding flights
Indicative rate based on 16 participants in double rooms, 2 nights at The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka and 2 nights at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto. Included: private vehicles, reserved train seats, luggage shipping, all meals in the program including the starred dinners (sake pairing optional), sushi class, engraved knife, sake brewery, tea ceremony, guides and interpreters. Not included: flights, accommodation tax, wines and sake beyond the menus. Starred counters seat 7 to 12 and are booked 3 to 6 months ahead. For a group under 20, Four Seasons can be replaced by an 18-room buyout of Marufukuro.
Quick estimate
1030
€148,000
i.e. €7,400 per person, excluding flights
Indicative estimate based on the per-person rate shown for this programme. The exact quote follows your brief.
Frequently asked questions
How do you book 7 to 12-seat starred restaurants for 30 people?
We split the group across two or three tables of the same level on the same evening, then bring everyone together at a bar. Seats are requested 3 to 6 months ahead, and we hold confirmed alternatives in case of refusal.
Can these restaurants handle dietary restrictions?
Allergies and no-pork or no-alcohol requests are usually handled well if flagged early. Vegetarian and vegan diets remain difficult in Japanese cuisine, as dashi often contains bonito: we handle them case by case with each chef.
Can the Sakai knives be taken on a flight?
Only in checked luggage. We provide suitable packaging; for guests traveling with cabin bags only, the workshop can ship the knife home.
Why not stay overnight in Kobe?
Kobe is 25 minutes from Osaka and 50 minutes from Kyoto by train: a day is enough and avoids a third hotel. For a slower pace, we can swap one Osaka night for a night at THE ORIENT, with harbor views, and add a Cantonese dinner in a private room at Betsukan Botanen, on the edge of Nankinmachi.
