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Samurai Silk and History of Shonai Domain
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Joined 2023
Visit Matsugaoka in Tsuruoka City, where the entire process from sericulture to silk product manufacturing is still preserved. Tsuruoka and the surrounding Shonai region are the only areas in Japan that offer the full silk supply chain.
Learn the fascinating history of the samurai who traded their swords for hoes, planting mulberry trees to support Japan’s modernization.
Enjoy shopping for authentic, sustainable silk products made locally in the Shonai region.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
JR Tsuruoka Station or your hotel
- -JR Tsuruoka Station: In front of the ticket gate at JR Tsuruoka Station (there is only one gate). Hotel: Lobby *For guests coming from the Yamagata City area by highway bus, the meeting point can be changed to the Shonai-Asahi bus stop.
Matsugaoka Craft Park
Visit Matsugaoka Crat Park. Take a look at the old silkworm houses, Cultivation Memorial Hall, and enjoy a nice walk around the buildings from 150 years ago.
Lunch
Enjoy lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant with an attached winery, featuring spectacular views of the three mountains of Dewa.
If you have any dietary restrictions, such as vegetarian, vegan, or allergies, please notify the guide at least 3 days in advance.
Silk Miraikan
Visit Silk-Miraikan to see silk industry exhibition. Enjoy shopping in Kibiso Shop where genuine and authentic silk products made in Shonai are available.
Depart from Matsugaoka
Get in the car and head back to JR Tsuruoka Station or your hotel.
For guests traveling to the Yamagata City area by highway bus, the drop-off point can be changed to Shonai-Asahi bus stop.
Ending Point
Drop-off at JR Tsuruoka Station or your hotel by 2:00 PM at the latest.
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
-Guide fee
-Gasoline fee
-Transportation (via TOYOTA Roomy)
-Lunch - Please pay at the restaurant for both the guide’s and your own meal.
-Admission to Matsugaoka Cultivation Memorial Hall (300 yen) – Please pay upon entry.
-Toll fees - This tour does not normally use toll roads; however, if the itinerary changes and toll roads are used, please cover the cost.
-For vegetarian/vegan diets or any food allergies, please notify the guide at least 3 days in advance.
Tour Important Information
Please take out travel insurance
Car used for this tour is TOYOTA Roomy
The facility is closed on Tuesdays.
The facilities are closed on Wednesdays.
Important message from the supplier
**For my Car Tours**
Please note that I set the maximum number of guests at 2, to ensure comfort and allow space for luggage, as my car is not very large. However, if there are 3 people with minimal luggage, it may be possible to accommodate all three. In that case, please consult with me in advance before booking.
**Akita tour available**
I can guide you in Akita prefecture if you pay my public transportation fee to Akita.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2023
About Tour Guide Hiromi O.
I'm a National Licensed Guide Interpreter with over five years of experience, having guided more than 1,000 guests from around the world. Based in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, I offer tours that connect travelers with the rich nature, culture, and history of the region.
Before becoming a guide, I worked at global investment banks in Tokyo, where I communicated daily in English with colleagues around the world. I later returned to my hometown to embrace a slower pace of life and reconnect with the natural beauty of this area.
Yamagata is a wonderful destination for those who appreciate nature and rural charm. Tsuruoka and its surrounding area, nestled between the Sea of Japan and scenic mountain ranges, offer cultural experiences you won't find anywhere else. Highlights include visiting temples of Sokushinbutsu (self-mummified monks), climbing 2,446 stone steps to the summit of a sacred mountain, encountering the mystical world of jellyfish, enjoying a rich culinary heritage, exploring local crafts, and much more.
I truly love my hometown and am passionate about helping visitors create unforgettable memories here. I look forward to meeting you and sharing the beauty and culture of Tsuruoka!
<How to get Tsuruoka from Tokyo>
By JR - Take the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo to Niigata, then transfer to the Limited Express Inaho bound for Tsuruoka. The total journey takes about 4 hours from JR Tokyo Station.
By bus - Overnight buses depart around 10 PM from Shinjuku and Shibuya in Tokyo, arriving in Tsuruoka around 6 AM. Please check the bus company’s website for details.
By air - ANA operates direct flights between Haneda Airport and Shonai Airport approximately five times a day.
$258/ per group
More tours by Hiromi O.
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Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps & Shojin Ryori Vegetarian Lunch
Mt. Haguro, located in Tsuruoka City, is one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa and a historic pilgrimage site surrounded by nature and spirituality. Climb an ancient stairway of 2,446 steps through beautiful cedar forests and discover a place rich in culture and tradition. With background knowledge of the history and local culture, you'll enjoy the hike to the fullest. Highlights include the Five-Storied Pagoda (National Treasure), a cedar-lined path with over 400 years of history and more!
Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps & Shojin Ryori Vegetarian Lunch
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Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps (no lunch)
Mt. Haguro, located in Tsuruoka City, is one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa and a historic pilgrimage site surrounded by nature and spirituality. Climb an ancient stairway of 2,446 steps through beautiful cedar forests and discover a place rich in culture and tradition. With background knowledge of the history and local culture, you'll enjoy the hike to the fullest. This tour does NOT include lunch.
Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps (no lunch)
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Mystical Journey to Mt. Yudono and the Self-Mummified Monks of Tsuruoka
You will visit Ryusuiji Dainichibo Temple, home to an actual Sokushinbutsu (self-mummified monk) who underwent an extraordinary path of ascetic practice and devotion. You will also explore the sacred grounds of Mt. Yudono Shrine, a deeply revered site that has been worshipped since ancient times. Mt. Yudono is known for the ancient belief "Do not speak of Mt. Yudono." This long-held tradition has kept detailed information about the mountain scarce, even today.
Mystical Journey to Mt. Yudono and the Self-Mummified Monks of Tsuruoka
Other Popular Car Tour (driving guide) Tours in Yamagata
Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps & Shojin Ryori Vegetarian Lunch
Mt. Haguro, located in Tsuruoka City, is one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa and a historic pilgrimage site surrounded by nature and spirituality. Climb an ancient stairway of 2,446 steps through beautiful cedar forests and discover a place rich in culture and tradition. With background knowledge of the history and local culture, you'll enjoy the hike to the fullest. Highlights include the Five-Storied Pagoda (National Treasure), a cedar-lined path with over 400 years of history and more!
Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps & Shojin Ryori Vegetarian Lunch
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Sakata Maiko Dance, Prosperous Merchant House, and Beautiful Zen Temple's Garden
Sakata is a gorgeous harbour town along the Sea of Japan, rich in nature, culture and tradition inherited from prosperous era in 16~18th century by sea trade with Edo(Tokyo), Osaka, and Kyoto. It left top-class restaurants where Maiko/Geisha dance to accommodate the merchants from Osaka/Kyoto, and the gorgeous house and garden of the rich Sakata merchant Honma family. We also visit to inland Zen temple Gyokusenji beautiful garden at foot of holy Hagurosan Shrine.
Sakata Maiko Dance, Prosperous Merchant House, and Beautiful Zen Temple's Garden
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Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps (no lunch)
Mt. Haguro, located in Tsuruoka City, is one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa and a historic pilgrimage site surrounded by nature and spirituality. Climb an ancient stairway of 2,446 steps through beautiful cedar forests and discover a place rich in culture and tradition. With background knowledge of the history and local culture, you'll enjoy the hike to the fullest. This tour does NOT include lunch.
Mt. Haguro Pilgrimage Hike via 2,446 stone steps (no lunch)
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Trekking holy mountain Gassan Midagahara Marsh and Beautiful flower temple "Gyokusenji" on its foot
Yamagata Prefecture, blessed with beautiful nature of mountains, seashore, waterfalls, has been deemed holy place and object of worship from ancient time. And temples and shrines at the foot of such mountains are full of lush green, or autumn foliage and beautiful flowers.
Trekking holy mountain Gassan Midagahara Marsh and Beautiful flower temple "Gyokusenji" on its foot