The title of this blog reflects the growing trend in vacations that offer more to travelers than just a bus tour of a popular city. Travel agents say they have been noticing more requests for “cultural travel experiences” where travelers look to immerse themselves in foreign countries and walk away with something to show for it (besides Dengue fever).
Whether you want to learn how to cook authentic Japanese meals or participate in language-immersion programs in Mexico, there are now more ways than ever to get in touch with new cultures or reconnect with your own heritage. Some of the experiences cost a bit more than others, but I recently found one that was relatively affordable and spotlighted a country I am very interested in visiting.
Intrepid Traveler is currently offering a two-week gourmet food and culture tour of Japan for under $3,000. The price includes accommodations, some meals, ground transportation, tours and attractions admissions, and the all-important cooking lessons. Airfare is extra, but the package does include a rail pass that makes getting around easy.
So what will I be doing for two weeks in a country where I don’t know a soul? According to Intrepid Traveler, I will be immersed in the culture and gain a true appreciation for Japanese cuisine (I already love all Japanese food) by learning how to create some of the region’s most popular delicacies.
I’m all for learning how to cook Japanese dishes, but I am more interested in eating them (preferably the ones I am not responsible for preparing). The one thing I always hear from people who are presented with an exquisite Japanese meal is that the dishes are too beautiful to eat. Yeah, I don’t have that problem. I would love to eat my way around the country and this package deal gives me the chance to do so.
If I fork over the money to take part in Intrepid’s two-week tour I will get to visit several of Japan’s top destinations and have the opportunity to tour iconic attractions. And let’s not forget about the food. The tour starts in Tokyo with a soba noodle making class. Then it’s off to the famous Tsukiji fish market. Later, the group is taken to sample sake varieties in Takayama; meditate and eat shojin-ryori Buddhist cuisine during a stay at a monastery in Koya-san; and, in Osaka, I would get the chance to eat one of Japan’s most notorious dishes, fugu, a blowfish that can be lethal if prepared incorrectly. After an excursion to Hiroshima, the trip ends with a cooking class in the ancient city of Kyoto.
I’ve already got it on my Christmas wish list.
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