Eat Like a Shogun in Saitama-Kawaguchi -November 2024 to January 2025
A new tour held at Shakujoji Temple, in the city of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture,allows visitors to experience a day in the life of a shogun, traveling on the ancient Nikko-onari-kaido highway (The road Tokugawa shoguns used to visit Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine) Road to pay their respects at Toshogu Shrine in Nikko.
The event is being hosted by the Honmachi 1-chome Town Planning Council, which is working to revitalize the local area in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, and several other companies, including Two Links Co., Ltd. We spoke with the event organizers to learn more, reported by Tourism Media Service.
While the temple dates back to 740, it particularly flourished throughout the Edo period (1603-1868) thanks to the patronage of the Tokugawa shogunate, as often the temple was their first stop on the procession from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Nikko. During the tour, guests are welcomed by a guide who takes them through the history of both the temple and the Tokugawa shoguns. This is followed by a blessing by the Buddhist priest, as would have been done for the traveling ruler, to pray for a safe journey along the ancient highway.
An additional unique experience is that of trying on a kimono sewn in a style that was all the rage in the inner chambers of the court during the Edo period, and dyed using the now extremely rare Takasagozome style, which features intricate layered designs inspired by pine trees. Most people in Japan have never seen, let alone worn, one of these elaborate kimono.
But the true highlight of the tour is getting a real taste of the Edo period, by enjoying the same lunch that shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune ate during his visit to the temple on April 13, 1728. The menu was recorded in a historical chronicle, and an Edo food expert has recreated each individual dish in the smallest detail, based on important recipe books from the period. Experience the flavors of Japanese cuisine from the early 1700s, and see how cooking styles have changed over the centuries.
Just a 30 minute train ride from the central Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station or 20 minutes from popular Ikebukuro, experience a welcome worthy of a shogun in Kawaguchi, and feel like a noble stopping to rest during their long journey along the Nikko-onari-kaido highway.
▼For more information on the event and book this tour，please click here: https://www.kkday.com/en/product/259464
The price is 10,000 yen per adult.
-BreakingTravelNews
