Satoyama Experience Incorporating Nature’s Blessings into Daily Life

Enjoy picking wild vegetables, harvesting seasonal vegetables, and cooking with a grandmother living in the Satoyama countryside. The vegetables and wild plants harvested by the guests themselves in the morning are cooked with the grandma at a 100-year-old private house for dinner. Learn how to make tempura, miso soup, and “aemono” salad, and cook rice in a traditional kitchen with a kamado (clay pot).

Chinkin Art Decoration Experience Taught by a Renown Craftsman

Witness the entire process of Wajima-nuri, Japan most famous lacquerware renown for its quality.
Visit the workshop at the home of a Wajima lacquerware craftsman, who uses a blade to carve patterns into the lacquer surface and incrust gold powder.

• Chinkin is a decorative technique in which a chisel is used to engrave a patterns or designs on the surface of lacquerware and gold leaf or gold powder is pressed into the engraved areas, requiring a high level of skill and delicacy.
• Be guided to their workshop and witness the meticulous work applied by the craftsmen.

Wajima morning market and Ama divers’ life tour

The Wajima morning market is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area, but it attracts not only tourists but also locals. The market is lined with many stalls selling fresh seafood and other food products, but also local craft items such as wajima lacquerware, and souvenirs.

• Walking tour led by an English-speaking guide
• Enjoy local food culture and interact with the locals selling the products at the market.
• Able to taste the fresh seafood or grill fish you purchased at the market.

Nigyo washi paper making workshop

Visit a washi workshop and learn about the process of making traditional washi, which is made from raw materials collected from nature, and show you how it is made.

• You will pick your own flowers and use them to make your own washi paper.
• The washi paper will be sent to you or delivered to your hotel if you are staying in Wajima the next day.

Magaki no Sato village walk

Driving along the coastline from the center of Wajima City, you will find a small village in a secluded cove. The houses along the sea are surrounded by bamboo fences called “magaki. These were built to protect the village from the seasonal winds that blow in from the sea, creating a landscape unique to this area.

• Walking tour led by an English-speaking guide and local villager
• Wander through Ozawa and hear about the life with the “magaki” that has been handed down by everyone in the village.

Shiroyone Senmaida terraced rice paddies

Terraced rice paddies near Wajima. Facing the Sea of Japan, the spectacular view of small rice paddies overlapping each other and stretching all the way to the shore has been designated as one of the most gorgeous terraced rice paddies in Japan and a national cultural asset. It is well known as one of Noto’s representative sights.

Agehama-style Salt Field

Noto is the only place in Japan where the traditional Agehama-style of producing salt from sea water is practiced now and then.

• A “Hamashi”, or salt worker, will demonstrate and talk about salt production using the Agehama style, a method that has been preserved and handed down in Oku-Noto for about 500 years.
• You can borrow the tools and try to copycat these skilled workers at sprinkling seawater.
• You can also make your original salt seasoning by blending the salt made here with different spices.

Cape Suzu nature trail walk

Kinoura, a bay guest will pass through, is a magnificent place which has been used as the main setting for a famous Japanese movie.

• Starting along the coast, walk through the forest of Japanese Camellias and enjoy the views on the coast from above the cliffs.

Charcoal-making techniques and creative Italian lunch

In the past, charcoal was referred as the black gold of Noto, as the industry was prolific. Although it has lost a value as a fuel, a need for high-grade charcoal for tea ceremonies is growing recently.

• Visit the workshop to learn about the techniques for the high-quality charcoal used in the tea ceremony, and also learn about sustainable communities by visiting a forest that has been restored by growing sawtooth oak, an essential component of the finest charcoal.
• After visit of the workshop, guests will enjoy a creative Italian Kaiseki meal using seasonal ingredients from Noto at this beautiful 100-year-old house restaurant.