Private Tour & Vinegar Experience in Uchiko, Ehime (Shikoku)

It's rare to find a Japanese meal without tsukemono (pickled foods): their uses are plentiful, ranging from decorative garnish to taste enhancer to palate cleanser. Indeed, pickling was initially just a way to preserve foods but its creative possibilities gave way to countless pickling methods and a wide variety of pickled foods being enjoyed today.

In this town tour and gastronomic experience, you’ll dive deep into the history of Ehime's Uchiko town, and get a taste of the vinegar legacy that lies at its core. Vinegar is used widely to prepare tsukemono, and its subtleties and features are fascinating. You'll enjoy a vinegar tasting, prepare vinegared foods, visit a theater and a local brewing museum, shop for regional goods at a local market, and finish the day with a leisurely walking tour. Uchiko remains relatively undiscovered by tourist crowds and still preserves a quaint, nostalgic atmosphere today.

Experience flow:

-Meet your host at JR Uchiko Station.

-Participate in a sensory vinegar-tasting workshop, tasting and smelling different vinegar varieties and noticing the subtleties of naturally-crafted vinegar.

-Prepare 5 vinegared Japanese foods, learning to season different ingredients to achieve the ultimate taste, in a 1-hour class. The main dish will be tofu dumplings with black vinegar sauce.

-Visit the traditional Uchikoza Kabuki Theater, built over 100 years ago. Thanks to the efforts of local residents, this historical building was renovated a few decades back and has been restored to its former glory.

-Tour the Moribun Brewing Museum, which preserves historical artifacts used to make vinegar, and take part in their vinegared egg-making workshop as you deepen your knowledge of fermentation.

-Explore the Uchiko roadside station, where you can find regional goods and fresh produce.

-Enjoy a walking tour of the town, which maintains its traditional and nostalgic townscape.