清真 美食之旅(21)

We had the pleasure of Hiro giving us a tour of the Nishiki Market. Unfortunately we had a tight schedule and Hiro went out of his way to accommodate our timeline. Not only did we learn so much about local cuisine we were also provided several suggestions on tips on other things to do in the area. Hiro is very interesting and a great conversationalist. We will definitely take his evening tour next time we are in Japan. Thanks Again Hiro.

Akito is very knowledgeable and professional. He showed us a local farm and explained the leaf picking process. At the factory, he explained the tea production process. We tasted tea prepared different ways, and we gained understanding of what made the teas so different. It was a very educational and enjoyable tour. The view from the mountain was incredible!

Despite the rainy and foggy weather, Akito-san was capable to light up our day! He picked us up at the station and let us have a small tour of the tea plantation (we just discovered the Camelia plants bloom in November!) explaining all the details of the harvesting (timing, methods, etc). Later we had a tea tasting session right inside the farm were the tea leaves are dried and rolled. Akito-san explained every detail from the tea refinement process to the chemical composition and how it might influence the taste. The very informal environment made us feel like home and it was such an amazing experience thanks to our host kindness and availability. Akito-san is very knowledgeable and definitely an expert in the tea sector: he was able to answer any question we might have (and we had many...thanks for the patience!). I won’t go in the details to avoid spoilers, but everything was both delicious and interesting. If you’re into tea (or just into exploring and learning), take this opportunity to discover this remote location and what the (japanese) tea actually is. We are tea lovers and we already knew more than a thing, but it turned out that we were missing huge pieces of the picture. Totally worth the money; the landscapes, the information and the tastes will be an highlight of our 3-weeks trip. Note: Akito-san definitely speaks a very good English!

We really enjoyed this tour! David could tell us a lot about wasabi and he is clearly very passionate about it. We were allowed to grind the wasabi ourselves and of course eat it. I would definitely recommend this tour. The area is very nice as well.

Akito was a knowledgeable and engaging tour guide. He provided clear instructions on where to meet him and how to get back to the station after the tour. A great relaxing experience!