Japanese food appears to have taken the world by storm in recent years. Certainly, the phenomenal increase in international tourism to Japan, and the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage recognition of 'Washoku' or the 'Japanese Cuisine' have helped. More and more Japanese restaurants are opening up outside of Japan, and many popular Japanese dishes are a part of the everyday menu around the world. The health benefits of the Japanese cuisine have become something of a mantra. However, do we really know what traditional Japanese food is? Is Japanese food really that healthy?    

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Much of the Japanese food experienced by visitors to Japan, as well abroad, no longer resembles the traditional diet followed by the Japanese over the centuries, or has the 'superfood' qualities of the traditional diet. Many Japanese dishes popularly considered to be 'traditional' are actually quite recent introductions. On the other hand, there are many healthy food traditions with truly ancient origins, some of which can be traced to prehistoric times. Japan is home to one of the most diverse fermented food traditions in the world, health benefits of which are now becoming widely recognised.

 

Regional Japan is the best place to experience these 'real' traditional Japanese foods. Here, artisans continue to handcraft food using age-old methods and local ingredients. In many regions, there is a growing organic and 'real' food movement, arising from environmental and health concerns over modern farming and dietary practices. Regional Japan also offers a variety of experiences in creative and fusion cuisine that marry local produce and traditions with new ideas from abroad.

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We invite you to experience 'real' Japanese food in regional Japan. By joining one of our guided tours, you will be directly supporting individual artisans, family-run businesses and farming communities who pride themselves in producing food of the highest quality while caring for the environment, and in keeping regional food traditions alive.