The Hedonist
A journey for those who savour life.
Japan is often seen as minimalist, restrained, quiet. Look closer, and you’ll find a culture steeped in sensuality: the hiss of a grill, the scent of hinoki wood, the shock of yuzu on the tongue. We’ll co-create your perfect sensory escape.
The Hedonist is for those who want to feel more, to taste, touch, and breathe their way through Japan. You'll go far beyond Michelin guides and geotagged cafés. Think: grilled ayu eaten riverside, incense curling through a temple garden, sunsets from open-air hot springs, and sake poured by the hands that brewed it. This is pleasure, done the Japanese way: seasonal, ephemeral, and deeply grounded in place.
Each journey is tailored to you — these are just glimpses of what could be included.
Journey Highlights
Soak in mountain hot springs
Bare feet meet warm stone, a quiet invitation to let go. Mist gathers gently on the skin, mingling with the steam that rises from mineral-rich waters - soft and enveloping. In hot springs across Japan, this ritual unfolds beneath open skies, amidst forested peaks. Cedars stand like quiet guardians, and the murmur of snowmelt or river water weaves through the hush. Here, in the embrace of nature and centuries-old tradition, only breath and birdsong remain. Heat, air, and silence begin their slow work, unravelling what the body holds, asking nothing but presence.
Learn about sake with the best
Step inside a kura, where the air is cool and quiet, and time moves with the rhythm of craft. Here, sake is brewed with reverence, season after season, grain by grain. The rice used is no ordinary grain, but one polished with care, its starchy heart revealed to absorb and transform. Water from mountain snowmelt, the changing temperatures of the season, and the steady hands of artisans all come together in a process that is both science and spirit.
Sake holds a place of deep significance in Japan - not just as a drink, but as an offering, a symbol, a thread through celebrations and rituals alike. To taste sake here is to taste the land, the labour, and the long tradition behind it. Each sip is a quiet homage to patience, precision, and the enduring connection between people and the rice that sustain them.
Take part in a traditional incense ceremony
The ritual of kōdō - the Way of Incense - unfolds with gentle precision. This is not simply the burning of sticks, but a refined art of rare aromatic woods, poetry, and stillness. Practiced for centuries in Japan, kōdō involves a series of carefully guided steps: warming the incense, savouring its fleeting scent, and participating in fragrance games that blend intuition with memory. Scent becomes a guide, subtle and elusive, held briefly in the palms before it drifts into reflection. Each breath invites a kind of listening beyond sound, where fragrance becomes emotion, and emotion becomes place. In these moments, a single wisp of incense can carry you farther than any map ever could.
Walk among century-old forests
A silver mist settles into the moss, beading on the branches of thousand-year-old cedars. The forest stretches around you, ancient and quiet. Ferns unfurl at your feet, and the air is thick with the scent of wet bark, green earth, and a trace of salt drifting in from the distant sea. Travelling through landscapes like this is sensation in movement. Each step draws you deeper into a place shaped by time and weather, where the senses lead. Here, the journey slows and invites you to simply notice: the hush between trees, the world unfolding. In moments like these, nature can also be tasted - as in a cup of tea steeped from leaves grown in this special environment. Its warmth in your hands, its earthy fragrance, becomes another way of being present, another way of listening.
Eat fresh off the grill in a yatai
Take a seat beneath the glow of red lanterns, where the night hums with scent and sound - rich broth, grilled pork, a hint of spring onion carried on the steam that curls into the dark. At a yatai (food stall) tucked into a corner of the city, strangers gather shoulder to shoulder, drawn together by the quiet magic of Hakata ramen and the soft burn of shōchū. Laughter drifts upward, easy and unforced, as the stall owner moves with practiced grace—ladling, flipping, chatting.
Here, everything is near: the clatter of bowls, the warmth of shared space, the city pressing gently in around you. It’s a kind of communion, fleeting yet full, where travel becomes connection, and a simple meal becomes memory.
What’s included in your journey
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Japan Guide
Our Guide is packed with essential tips on public transport, local culture and traditions, language sheets, and everything you need to know for an informed and relaxed visit!
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Your itinerary
Your bespoke itinerary includes all the essential documents, personalised Google My Maps for easy navigation, tailored recommendations, and detailed day-by-day plans.
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Bookings handled
A complete list of all the bookings we’ve made for you - including workshops, hotels, and any pre-arranged plans. Plus, we’re happy to assist with restaurant reservations whenever needed.
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WhatsApp support
If you encounter any issues or have questions at any time, please feel free to reach out to our friendly Japan-based contact - we’re here to support you whenever you need.