The moment we secured our tour to Fukui with Yoshie was the moment when my most stressful part of our travel itinerary became or LEAST stressful! My cousin and I were on a quest to visit the less touristy area of Fukui to do some family ancestry research, but neither of us wanted to drive and with the areas we were to visit being so rural, we were at a loss as to how to even begin. As soon as Yoshie responded, she heard our wishes and began to create a travel plan that was perfect for us. She went over and above our expectations, going so far as reaching out to distant relatives we didn’t even know existed. She arranged for us to meet with them and to take us to the memorial grounds of our family and even made certain we came with incense and the appropriate flowers to place at both memorial grounds; something we certainly would never have been able to navigate without her service. She offered us a two day itinerary that included visiting two villages; one where my grandfather was born and another where my great-grandmother was born. She made arrangements for us to learn how to make washi paper, because Echizen is where the majority of Japan’s washi paper is made; we visited Takefu Knife Village, famous for where some of the best knives in Japan are forged; we took a soba-making class where we learned to make soba and then got to have a soba lunch using our own soba we just made, while overlooking a lovely Japanese Garden. She took us to the famous Vine Bridge in Shizuhara. I requested to buy rice to bring home because Shizuhara is well known for being a wonderful rice-growing area on account of its cold and clear running water, so we visiting a local grocery to buy rice. She also took us to two beautiful shrines and taught us proper protocol for visiting shrines. Last, but certainly not least, she suggested a farmhouse inn for us to stay at that was amazing, where we even woke up to wild Japanese monkeys outside our bedroom window! The icing on the cake!!

Tobias G.

5 / 5

Nov 17, 2025

Tour of Eiheiji Temple

Nov 17, 2025

Fukui

5 hours

“Great Guide!”

Hiro was very kind and helpful. He had good communication coordinating the trip and arranging train and bus tickets for us ahead of time. He was knowledge about local culture, history and geography.

Tatsuhiro N.

Hi Tobias-san, Thank you very much for your favorable comment. I am really encouraged and inspired by it. I now understand why you chose Eiheiji temple deep in the mountains: because you are a pious Buddhist, for which I pay a great respect to you. I wish you a good luck in learning more about Buddhism. By the way, I was unable to explain to you what the yellow flour on the lunch table was. It is called "kinako" in Japanese, rich in protein and made by griding parched soybeans. Good health. Good day. Regards, Hiro

Jami N.

5 / 5

Nov 13, 2025

Touch the Craftsmanship: Washi Paper making in Echizen

Nov 13, 2025

Fukui

4 hours 30 mins

“Half Day in Echizen: Washi, Knife Making & Laquerware”

This was our 1st trip to Echizen and we had limited time. Megumi picked us up from the train station and graciously transported all of our luggage too! She listened extremely well to our interests and customized a tour that was perfect- she even was able to fit in a quick lunch in a nice park. The washi tour was incredibly moving - and the history and connection will stick with us; Aki, our 80 yr old tour guide is an absolute gem. Megumi was also able to pivot quickly during our visit to the Takafu Knife Center, we were able to visit an artisan in his shop and purchase one of his handmade knife’s. The lacquerware and temple stops were also wonderful. We highly recommend you book a tour with Megumi. She will make your day unforgettable.