Stroll through a rural village out of an old tale and whip up a traditional teatime snack with a local grannie

Have you ever wondered what life is like in the rural side of Japan - far from the busy streets of metropolitan Tokyo?
Exploring the countryside can be a thrilling adventure but, without a local friend to show you around, visiting a non-touristic destination poses a few challenges.
One option is to take part in a homestay experience. Another is to join our private walking and gastronomic tour.

The setting is a tiny hamlet in the countryside of Nagano that looks out of an old Japanese tale.
The guide is a local grandpa who can get you exclusive access to the village's best-kept secret spots. And of course, for the food-related part, you will be under the care of the best in the field - a local grannie.

It will be like a treasure hunt, cruising the narrow winding alleys in search of antique architecture and funny plaster art. The guide will take you to small shrines where the locals worship nature and lead you through delightful Japanese gardens decorated with well-trimmed pine and yew trees. Some villagers may invite you inside their houses, built centuries ago by skillful artisans. He will also show you the traditional take on street art, relief drawings made of plaster that decorate the antique earthen warehouses.

Now that you are familiar with the village lifestyle, pay a local grannie's house to sample some mouth-watering traditional treats.
In the region, every season is characterized by traditional farming tasks, such as preparing drying persimmons in autumn or foraging in spring. Our grannie will guide you through one of these fun activities so that you experience the season. After getting a taste of farming life, it is time to start cooking. You will use genuine locally-grown ingredients and prepare a typical seasonal delicacy to go with your tea. Perhaps you will cut summer vegetables into slices to decorate a colorful agar cake, or maybe you will mash some steaming rice to make rustic mochi to go with an edamame or perilla paste. Once everything is ready, sit at the table with the grannie and enjoy the fruit of your work while sipping some tea.

*An English-speaking guide will be with you all the time, so you can ask the locals any question that comes to your mind.