Miyazaki Michelin Dinner, Shrine Tour & Kagura Dance

Connected to the mainland by a small strip of sandbar, Aoshima Shrine is one of the holiest sites in Miyazaki Prefecture —up until 1737, the island was deemed so sacred that only priests were permitted to visit it. It’s also one of the most beautiful, with its blazing orange facade and dramatic sloping roofs, surrounded by thick jungle standing between it and the sea.

While the shrine is usually closed by 5:30 pm, on this experience you’ll receive exclusive after-hours access. After registration at Aoshima Beach Park, the evening starts with a traditional kagura performance — a ceremonial dance to summon the gods that often involves the reenactment of certain Japanese legends and folktales.

Then it’s a tour through the shrine at dusk with the chief priest himself, Nagatomo Yasutaka. The priest will personally take you through the grounds where only holy men once trod, explaining the mythos and history of the sacred site as you bow through torii gates and step over thresholds. From holy ground, gaze up at the Milky Way in the cool night breeze, lulled by sounds of the rolling surf.

The experience concludes with a gourmet dinner by Chef Kashiwada Kojiro, the recipient of a Michelin star in 2011. For an extremely limited time, Chef Kashiwada returns to his native Miyazaki to prepare a seven-course menu at this after-dark dining experience at Aoshima Shrine. It promises to be a beautiful fusion of both his immaculate technique and Miyazaki’s most premium ingredients, including Miyazaki wagyu beef, local Miyazaki caviar and the coveted ise-ebi spiny lobster.

The menu comes paired with four cocktails from the mind and shaker of one of Japan’s leading mixologists: Nagumo Shuzo, the founder of Memento Mori, one of the World’s 50 Best Bars. Mr Nagumo promises to redefine participants’ conceptions of what a cocktail is and can be, incorporating fresh Miyazaki fruit into his recipes and turning it into something never before tasted.