YAMANAKA RETREAT
YAMANAKA RETREAT
YAMANAKA RETREAT
YAMANAKA RETREAT

Foodways and Craftways by Mokkei & Hanamurasaki

Each retreat welcomes just 6–8 guests for deep cultural immersion and exchange, as well as relaxation. You’ll stay at Hanamurasaki for three nights, with daytime explorations rooted in the open air garden kitchen of a 100-year-old kominka (folk house) at Mokkei, and branching out around Yamanaka.

Prepare and share meals together with local experts, using ingredients gathered and grown nearby. Visit the workshops of a craftsperson skilled in Yamanaka’s unique lacquerware. And immerse yourself in the wild and lush natural landscape. These moments invite you to reconnect with the land, with others, and with yourself.

This isn't a trip where you check things off a list, but rather a gentle opportunity to rediscover the textures of daily life. Rooted in the richness of Japan’s regional culture, this retreat proposes a new kind of travel that nurtures body and spirit through depth, not extravagance.

Yamanaka Onsen

Yamanaka Onsen

Yamanaka Onsen is a hot spring town with a history spanning 1300 years. Nestled in the mountains along a river, nature and town coexist harmoniously. A rich food culture and traditional crafts are lovingly preserved and continue to evolve.
The region is known for Yamanaka lacquerware and a cuisine shaped by the seasons, featuring locally-sourced seafood and mountain vegetables in meals that restore you from the inside out.

Hannah Kirshner
Host
Hannah Kirshner
Hannah Kirshner is the author and illustrator of a book about Yamanaka’s material culture, Water, Wood, and Wild Things. She’s spent years working alongside craftspeople, documenting how their work weaves into the local culture and community. Now she connects visitors to craftways and foodways through her kitchen studio, Mokkei, in a 100-year-old farmhouse surrounded by fields and forest. Kirshner’s journalism on nature and culture appears in The New York Times and The Atlantic, and on The World radio program.
Kohei Yamada
Host
Kohei Yamada
Kohei Yamada is the sixth-generation owner of Hanamurasaki. Born and raised in Yamanaka Onsen, he has deep affection and pride for the region, along with a broad understanding of its history and culture. With a background in art and photography, he’s leading a renovation project and collaborations with regional artists. His approach to hospitality blends a modern perspective with strong respect for local crafts and nature, inviting guests to discover the enduring charm of Yamanaka Onsen.
Mokkei
Mokkei
Mokkei
Mokkei
Mokkei

Venue

Mokkei

Mornings will be spent at Mokkei, a kitchen studio in an old farmhouse, around a big rustic table in the open-air garden kitchen. We’re sheltered from rain by a tile roof, but can feel the season and weather changing around us. Mokkei is both community space for our local friends and neighbors and an entry point for visitors to explore Yamanaka’s rich crafts and foodways.

Deeply Engage with Local Culture
Deeply Engage with Local Culture
Rural Japan can seem impenetrable and inscrutable to visitors, but Kohei and Hannah share their deep connections with the community, bringing you into the fold. They peel back layers and translate both language and culture, welcoming you to delve into Yamanaka’s deepest culture to interact with local people.
Hands-On Cooking at Mokkei Studio
Hands-On Cooking at Mokkei Studio
Gather around the big table in Mokkei’s open-air garden kitchen to learn from local chefs and home cooks, and share meals that you prepare together. These hands-on workshops offer something for professional and amateur cooks alike. You’ll bring home not just memories, but inspiration for your own table.
Meaningful Connections
Meaningful Connections
This experience goes beyond a typical tour, it’s a cultural exchange. Share meals and conversations with Hannah and Kohei, a range of local experts, and a group of like-minded guests. You may forge connections that last a lifetime.
Luxury Stay at Hanamurasaki
Luxury Stay at Hanamurasaki
Experience the elegance of Japanese architecture in our traditional-style rooms, or indulge in a suite featuring a private open-air bath and sauna. Seasonal cuisine, thoughtfully curated art, and heartfelt hospitality come together to create a serene and personalized retreat just for you.

Next tour schedule

Autumn Retreat 2025

October 26–29, 2025

reservations : Available

Capacity: 6–8 guests

Price: From ¥750,000 (varies by room type)

Day 1｜Sunday, 26 October

Welcome to Yamanaka Onsen

  1. 3:00–4:00 pm｜Welcome Tea

    Check in at Hanamurasaki and settle in with welcome tea served in the sabo, a peaceful contemporary tea room. A free shuttle from Kagaonsen Station is available with prior reservation.

  2. 6:00 pm｜Dinner with a Master Sake Brewer

    Enjoy an intimate dinner with Fumiaki Matsuura, 14th-generation owner and brewer of Yamanaka’s beloved local sake. He’ll share not only his carefully brewed sake, but also the stories, techniques, and traditions behind it, offering a personal glimpse into Yamanaka’s deeper culture. This dinner and conversation is also a lovely chance to get to know your hosts and fellow guests.

Day 2｜Monday, 27 October

Dashi: The Foundation of Japanese Cuisine

  1. Breakfast at Hanamurasaki

  2. 10:00 am | Nature & Foraging Walk

    Begin the day with a gentle nature walk along the scenic Kakusenkei Gorge, guided by Hannah. Along the way, we’ll do a bit of foraging before heading to the outdoor kitchen at Mokkei.

  3. 11:00 am | Dashi Workshop with chef Naoya Yamazaki

    Dashi is the foundation of flavor in Japanese cooking. This simple broth underpins everything from soups to chilled vegetables and fluffy omelets. This hands-on workshop offers insights for beginners and experts alike, as both an entry point and an opportunity to refine your Japanese dishes with exquisite dashi technique.

  4. 1:00 pm | Lunch at Mokkei

    Our lunch, served on tableware made by local craftspeople, will include dishes we make together from our dashi and plants we’ve foraged. The meal offers a moment to appreciate what that land offers.

  5. 3:00 pm | Free Time or Studio Visit

    After lunch, we’ll split into two groups. One group will visit a local artisan’s studio, while the other enjoys free time to explore the town (with suggestions from your hosts) or relax at the ryokan. The groups will switch activities the following day.

  6. 6:00 pm | Kaiseki Dinner at Hanamurasaki

    Enjoy a quiet evening meal, either solo or with a companion. Each dish, each piece of tableware reflects the seasonal beauty and spirit of Yamanaka, inviting you to reflect on the day.

Day 3｜Tuesday, 28 October

Tea Ceremony as Local History

  1. 10:00 am | Wagashi Workshop

    Create seasonal wagashi sweets with local confectioner Asami Kuroda. As we work with our hands, we’ll explore the seasonality, symbolism, and care that these sweets embody, especially in the context of tea gatherings and seasonal celebrations.

  2. 11:00 am | Tea Ceremony

    Walk to a neighbor’s home for a casual tea ceremony. Experience how Japanese values and aesthetics are entwined with this highly-choreagraphed exchange between host and guest. Our tea teacher, Toshio Oshita, will share some of his collection of antique artworks, and teaware decorated by his late father-in-law, a master of ornate decorative painting.

  3. 1:00 pm | Lunch with a Hunter

    Local hunter Sakura Yoshida will prepare a wild game lunch with us and share her perspective on how hunting, ecology, and sustainability are deeply connected in Yamanaka’s mountain culture.

  4. 3:00 pm | Free Time or Studio Visit

    The two groups from the previous day will switch activities.

  5. 7:00 pm | Dinner at Engawa Sake Bar

    Unwind in a cozy, welcoming sake bar run by a passionate local owner. Notice echoes of tea ceremony as you deepen (or begin) your knowledge of sake and see how various types pair with small dishes from chef Yamazaki, who taught our dashi workshop. The evening ends with warming bowls of handmade noodles – simple, satisfying, and soulful.

Day 4｜Wednesday, 29 October

Farewell for Now

  1. Breakfast and Check-Out

    After breakfast, check out at your leisure. You’re welcome to leave your luggage with us and take time to explore the town a little more on your own.

  2. Farewell Tea

    Hannah will be at the sabo for one last cup of tea and conversation, and she’ll be happy to share ideas if you plan to spend a little more time in Yamanaka.

Tour Concept

This autumn’s retreat invites you to explore two cornerstones of Japanese culture: dashi, the essential foundation of Japanese cuisine, and the tea culture that has been carefully cultivated in Ishikawa for over 400 years. Tea ceremony here is not just an art form—it is a living tradition, passed down through generations. Today, Ishikawa has more tea practitioners per capita than any other prefecture in Japan, a legacy of the region’s historic lords who invested deeply in the arts.

By experiencing these traditions in Yamanaka Onsen, you will discover the depth where everyday life and culture intertwine. Encounters with lacquerware artisans and local producers, along with your stay at Hanamurasaki, will immerse you in the spirit of the region. These moments go beyond travel—they create connections that will stay with you long after the journey ends.

Notes:
1. Please inform us in advance of any allergies or dietary restrictions.2. Some programs involve walking; comfortable clothing and shoes are recommended.3. Mokkei, our garden kitchen studio, has no air conditioning.4. Program details may be adjusted depending on the weather.

 

Tailored Tours
Available

Tailored Tours Aavailable

If the scheduled dates don’t suit you, we’d be delighted to help arrange a tour that works with your plans. Please enquire if you’re interested in a private retreat or tour, tailored to the interests of your own small group.

Enquiries