YAMANAKA RETREAT
YAMANAKA RETREAT
YAMANAKA RETREAT
YAMANAKA RETREAT

Foodways and Craftways by Mokkei & Hanamurasaki

Each retreat welcomes just 4–8 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

Spring Retreat 2027

April 23–27

reservations : Available

Capacity: 6 guests

Price: Early Bird (by Dec 31) ¥920,000 double occ. / ¥1,022,000 single occ. ｜ Regular ¥1,150,000 double occ. / ¥1,252,000 single occ. ・per person

Friday, 23 April

TRANSFORMATION

  1. 14:00｜arrival and welcome tea

    After checking in, come to the sabo for a cup of tea blended by Kohei with wild plants harvested by Hannah. The first day of our retreat focuses on transformation—through fermentation, cooking processes, and the deep calm you experience at Hanamurasaki.

  2. 15:45｜gather in lobby

    Meet author Hannah Kirshner and learn about her connection to the local community.

  3. 16:00｜sake brewer Fumiaki Matsuura

    Fumiaki Matsuura, the 14th generation owner and head brewer of Yamanaka’s local sake, Shishi-no-sato, shares his reverence for the power of koji, the beneficial mold that is essential to the fermentation of sake, miso, and soy sauce. Hannah worked alongside Matsuura-san as research for her first book, and will help illuminate his artful approach to brewing sake.

  4. 17:30｜welcome dinner

    The conversation about koji and fermentation continues over dinner with Hanamurasaki chef, Masakazu Nakamura. Get to know your hosts and fellow guests as you share a meal that highlights fermented flavors of the region through ingredients like salt made with Matsuura’s sake, irizake (a traditional Edo-period seasoning), and ishiru (fish sauce from the Noto peninsula).

Saturday, 24 April

TASTING THE LANDSCAPE

  1. 8:00｜breakfast at Hanamurasaki

    Choose Japanese or Western style.

  2. 10:00｜nature walk and foraging

    Walk with Kohei along Kakusenkei gorge from Hanamurasaki to Mokkei, enjoying the scenery of the icy blue river and deep green moss and ferns. In the field around Mokkei, harvest wild herbs and sansai, mountain vegetables.

  3. 11:00｜cooking workshop at Mokkei

    Gather around the big table in Mokkei’s outdoor kitchen for hands-on exploration of regional foodways, guided by a local cook. Through seasonal ingredients and time-tested techniques, explore the flavors, traditions, and stories that shape local ways of eating.

  4. 13:00｜lunch at Mokkei

    Lunch in the outdoor kitchen includes sansai you harvested and dishes you cooked, and pickles made at Mokkei throughout the year—all served on tableware from local artisans.

  5. 18:30｜Kaiseki at Hanamurasaki or Dinner at a Local Restaurant

    Alone or with your travel companion, enjoy kaiseki dinner at Hanamurasaki, thoughtfully composed by Kohei and chef Masakazu Nakamura. Everything from the ingredients to the tableware is an expression of the season and local specialties. Alternatively, enjoy dinner at a stylish local restaurant in Yamanaka or nearby, selected for its atmosphere, seasonal ingredients, and sense of place.

Sunday, 25 April

ONSEN AS A CULTURAL HUB

  1. 8:00｜breakfast at Hanamurasaki

    Choose Japanese or Western style.

  2. free time

    Enjoy a leisurely morning and lunch on your own in town, or an artisan visit arranged by Hanamurasaki (additional cost.)

  3. 14:00｜gathering

    Meet at one of Yamanaka’s cultural institutions for an introduction to Yamanaka’s wood crafts, and their relationship to the onsen.

  4. 15:00｜studio visit

    Visit the studio of a Yamanaka lacquerware master to see how this craft is preserved and reimagined by contemporary artisans.

  5. 18:00｜dinner with geigi (geisha)

    In the private room of a riverside ryotei that specializes in grilled eel, let Yamanaka’s geigi (geisha) enchant you with song and dance.

Monday, 26 April

YAMANAKA’S WAY OF TEA

  1. 8:00｜breakfast at Hanamurasaki

    Choose Japanese or Western style.

  2. 10:00｜wagashi workshop at Mokkei

    Wagashi, Japanese sweets, vary by region and by season. Asami Kuroda, a confectioner at the Yamanaka sweets shop Sankaido, explains the seasonality and symbolism of wagashi, then guides us through shaping namagashi, fresh sweet-bean confections associated with tea ceremony.

  3. 11:30｜the way of tea with Toshio Oshita

    Hannah takes you to the home of her neighbor and tea teacher Toshi Oshita for a tea ceremony experience. Experience how Japanese values and aesthetics are entwined with this highly-choreographed exchange between host and guest.

  4. 14:00｜late lunch & sake pairing at Engawa sake bar

    Settle into Washu Bar Engawa for a leisurely late lunch exploring Japanese sake and fermented flavors. Hosted by Yusuke Shimoki, Ishikawa’s first certified Sakasho, Master of Sake, this intimate counter experience invites guests to taste the quiet depth of local sake, fermentation, and Japanese food culture.

  5. 15:30｜free time

    Enjoy free time to relax at Hanamurasaki, soak in the onsen, or explore the town at your own pace.

  6. 18:00｜shime no ramen

    In Japan, there is a beloved after-drinking ritual known as shime no ramen — a final bowl of ramen to close the night. Even after plenty of food and sake, somehow there is always room for ramen. At a casual local restaurant, enjoy your own comforting bowl to bring the evening to a delicious close. (Some of our guest then make their way to a third location for karaoke).

Tuesday, 27 April

LOCAL EXPLORATION

  1. 8:00｜breakfast at Hanamurasaki

    Choose Japanese or Western style.

  2. optional activities

    Explore Yamanaka on your own with personalized recommendations, or allow us to book one of the following activities for you.

    ・rickshaw tour (no additional cost, may be cancelled in case of rain)
    Ride around Yamanaka in a vintage Rickshaw, recently brought back to life by Yoshi Omi, a rickshaw driver from Kyoto, after decades as a museum piece. Hear Yamanaka’s fascinating stories and lore as Omi takes you to historic and scenic spots.

    ・kintsugi workshop (transportation fee not included)
    Experience a private session with Master Shigeki Yagi, a renowned artist who collaborated with FIAT and repairs world-class antiques. Learn the delicate art of gold-repair directly from the master and take home your own restored piece.

    ・village and nature walk in Ōzuchi (transportation fee not included)
    Explore the nostalgic landscapes of Ōzuchi village, designated as a National Important Preservation District, guided by its only resident. Discover wild mountain treasures and crystal-clear rivers hidden deep within Yamanaka’s forests.

    ・private walking or hiking tour
    A local guide accompanies you around town or up the mountain

What’s Included:
・Transportation to and from Kaga Onsen Station
・Luxury accommodation at a 6th-generation family-run ryokan
・Access to onsen (hot spring baths)
・4 dinners, 4 breakfasts, and 2 lunches featuring the best local and seasonal ingredients
・5–6 immersive experiences with local artisans and experts
・Hands-on foraging and cooking
・Interpretation by hosts and translators with specialized knowledge
・Personalized advice and reservations for local spots during free time

Accommodation & Pricing Notes:
・early bird (20% save) : ¥920,000 pp (double occupancy) / ¥1,022,000 pp (single occupancy)
・reg. price: ¥1,150,000 pp (double occupancy) / ¥1,252,000 pp (single occupancy)
・the base price is for an authentic Japanese room with beds.
・upgrades to a suite with a private open-air onsen bath are available upon request.
Please refer to the room types and contact us for availability.

Payment & Cancellation policy:
・Full payment is required in advance by credit card once your participation is confirmed.
・Up to 91 days before the retreat: 50% cancellation fee
・90–60 days before the retreat: 80% cancellation fee
・60 days before the retreat through the retreat start date, or in the case of a no-show: 100% cancellation fee

Please come prepared to be outdoors for half the day. The space at Mokkei where our workshops and lunches take place is an open air kitchen. We have a roof over our heads, but just screens for walls, so we feel the changing seasons and weather.The exact schedule and activities may change due to weather, illness, or other elements beyond our control, but we will make reasonable (and delightful) substitutions.

Next tour schedule

Autumn Retreat 2027

October 29 – November 2, 2027

reservations : Please inquire individually

Capacity: 6 guests

Price: Please inquire individually

Friday, 29 October

Details coming soon

Saturday, 30 October

Details coming soon

Sunday, 31 October

Details coming soon

Monday, 1 November

Details coming soon

Tuesday, 2 November

Details coming soon

What’s Included:
・Transportation to and from Kaga Onsen Station
・Luxury accommodation at a 6th-generation family-run ryokan
・Access to onsen (hot spring baths)
・4 dinners, 4 breakfasts, and 2 lunches featuring the best local and seasonal ingredients
・5–6 immersive experiences with local artisans and experts
・Hands-on foraging and cooking
・Interpretation by hosts and translators with specialized knowledge
・Personalized advice and reservations for local spots during free time

Accommodation & Pricing Notes:
・coming soon
・upgrades to a suite with a private open-air onsen bath are available upon request.
Please refer to the room types and contact us for availability.

Payment & Cancellation policy:
・Full payment is required in advance by credit card once your participation is confirmed.
・Up to 91 days before the retreat: 50% cancellation fee
・90–60 days before the retreat: 80% cancellation fee
・60 days before the retreat through the retreat start date, or in the case of a no-show: 100% cancellation fee

Please come prepared to be outdoors for half the day. The space at Mokkei where our workshops and lunches take place is an open air kitchen. We have a roof over our heads, but just screens for walls, so we feel the changing seasons and weather.The exact schedule and activities may change due to weather, illness, or other elements beyond our control, but we will make reasonable (and delightful) substitutions.

Tailored Tours
Available

Tailored Tours Aavailable

If the scheduled dates don’t suit you, we’d be delighted to discus 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