Buddhist Temple Cooking and Immersive Brewery Town Walk Near Lake Biwa

KANSAI Tourism Bureau and JTB Australia presents

Buddhist Temple Cooking and Immersive Brewery Town Walk

Near Lake Biwa

Private 1-day food culture tour

Experience the essence of rural Japanese life! Join our day‐long adventure near Kyoto, exploring hidden corners of the countryside.

Led by a local guide, dive into a world of Buddhist food culture and centuries‐old breweries.

Uncover Japan’s history, culture, and cuisine through immersive experiences.

Highlights include a cooking workshop at Myorakuji Temple, mastering Otoki Ryori (Buddhist cuisine) served at ceremonies, led by the head priest’s wife.

Then, a leisurely walk to Kinomoto reveals historic sake and soy sauce breweries. Engage with locals, explore their heritage, and savor sake tastings.

Discover rural Japan’s charm and traditions with us‐truly an exceptional journey!

Join an unforgettable day exploring less traveled parts of the charming Japanese countryside near Kyoto, where you’ll discover a rich Buddhist food culture and beloved centuries-old breweries. Led by a knowledgeable local guide, this tour offers an immersive experience of rural Japan’s history, culture, and cuisine, preserved for centuries in this area.

The highlight of the tour is a cooking workshop at Myorakuji Temple, where you’ll learn to make Otoki Ryori, a type of Buddhist cuisine, traditionally served at various ceremonies, particularly of the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land sect). Under guidance from the head priest’s wife, you’ll gain hands-on experience preparing seasonal ingredients and learn about the significance of food in Buddhist practices.

Starting at JR Maibara Station (bullet trains stop here), our guide will take you on a 24-minute train ride north to JR Kinomoto Station, and walk to Myorakuji to start the cooking. The temple buildings are registered as a national tangible cultural heritage, providing a uniquely special setting for our activities.

In Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, Otoki is a term used to refer to the meals that people prepare and share during Buddhist memorial services. While it is based on Shojin Ryori, or Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, Otoki Ryori is more varied and adaptive to contemporary life, often including some animal products. The true goal of this dietary practice is to appreciate the importance of receiving the gift of life through eating. Ingredients used are fresh locally-grown vegetables, many of which are given as offerings by local temple visitors, as well as the temple’s homemade fermented products such as miso and pickles, soy sauce and sake from local breweries.

The flexible nature of Otoki Ryori allows us to cater to vegetarians, vegans, or any special dietary needs upon request. Please feel free to inform us of any such needs, and we will be more than happy to accommodate them.

After enjoying the meal made at the workshop, we’ll go on a walking tour, visiting 1 or 2 sake breweries, both among the 5 oldest operating in Japan, as well as a traditional soy sauce brewery. You may see some of the same ingredients that were used in the cooking workshop.

Kinomoto is a charming old brewery town blessed with an abundant local freshwater source.

As a former lodging stop along a historic Edo period trail, the town has retained much of its original charm without catering heavily to tourism, but rather by sustaining its local family-run business community that has thrived here for centuries.

Whereas many sake tours in Japan cater to large groups and teach sake-making basics, our tour is focused more on the actual community and history of these local brewers.

So we can meet the staff of these family-owned operations, try samples at a couple of the stops (note: sake and alcohol samples restricted to guests age 20 or older), and aside from the winter brewing season, guests are usually invited to take a peek behind the storefront at the actual brewing areas at two of our stops (Yamaji Shuzo & Daiko Shoyu)

We’ll also visit the area’s other interesting spots, such as a large local Buddhist temple at the heart of local culture,

and local shops such as traditional confectioneries and bakeries. Your guide will help you discover all of the local charm of this small,

yet bustling traditional community.