The Shonai region, the spiritual heart of Tohoku
2025
"The Northern Heart of Japan″ to take you on a journey to the heart of Japanese culture
Since 2010, this travel agency run by a Japanese publishing house has been publishing magazines and culinary and tourism reviews specific to the Shonai region (the sea side of Japan in Yamagata prefecture). This region of northern Japan is encircled by mountains and their age-old spiritual paths, and crossed by the rice-growing plains of Shonai and the Mogami River. "The Northern Heart of Japan" is dedicated to providing travellers with unique experiences where they can discover this mountain culture and the gastronomy of the Japanese countryside, driven by mountain vegetables and the delicious rice of Shonai and its resulting sake.
Highlights of the trip
During your stay you can enjoy the following highlights: Culture / Heritage, Off the beaten track, Luxury Travel, Culinary stay / Wine route, Local stay.
Best months to go
The best time(s) to go is/are : Janvier, Février, Mars, Avril, Mai, Juin, Juillet, Août, Septembre, Octobre, Novembre, Décembre.
You can go all year round.
How to get there?
You can get there by Plane, Train, Tourism bus.
YAMAGATA
From 2000€ à 4600€ / person
Travel suitable for :
Detail of the stay : The Shonai region, the spiritual heart of Tohoku - 3 days
Visit to the sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan
Arriving from Shônai Airport, linked to Haneda Airport by 4 daily one-hour flights, your private driver will arrive with his interpreter to guide you to Mount Haguro, to meet a Yamabushi priest and discover the spirituality of Dewa Sanzan: the three sacred mountains that form one of the three pillars of Shugendo in Japan.
Official Dewa Sanzan website: https://thedewasanzan.com/
Samurai silk
After sleeping in a shukubo on Mount Haguro and experiencing the yamabushi culture of Dewa Sanzan, you'll head off to the Samurai Silk (Japan Heritage), a collection of post-Boshin War (1868) sericulture farms, a gift graciously granted by Saigo Takamori, a leading figure in the war between the shogunate and the imperialists.
After touring the region by e-bike, we'll dine at Al-che-cciano, an Italian/Japanese fusion-food restaurant run by chef Okuta Masayuki, one of the "1000 world chefs" chosen by Terra Madre in 2006 and 3rd in The Vegetarian Chance vegetarian competition in 2016.
Geisha culture in northern Japan
On this tour of Sakata, we'll attend a geisha performance, with whom we'll chat to understand the ins and outs of their passionate lives.
Next to the Somaro teahouse, we'll visit an oiran courtesan's house, where erotic shunga drawings are stored, recounting the daily lives of these women concentrated in the port villages.
We'll also visit two sokushinbutsu mummies at Kaikoji temple.
The Northern Heart of Japan has plenty more surprises in store for travellers eager for unique experiences in the "Japan of the Upside".
For more information on their services :
https://northernheartjapan.com/
