Private multi-day tour · Multi-day from Tokyo
From Tokyo: 3-Day Tsuruoka Food Customizable Tour
Eat your way through Tsuruoka, Japan's first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy: dadacha-mame beans, Sakata seafood and a local sake brewery.
Private · your group only◆3 days◆Up to 6 guests◆Pickup included
Road-day snapshot
This is your private tour, so the route is flexible: tell us if you want to skip a stop, stay longer somewhere or add a place nearby.
The experience
A private journey, thoughtfully paced
In 2014 Tsuruoka in Yamagata became Japan's first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. The Shonai plain around it grows rice, heirloom vegetables and the famous dadacha-mame green soybeans. The Sea of Japan brings fresh fish, and the mountains nearby keep a long tradition of temple vegetable cooking. This 3-day trip lets you taste it all.
On day 1 your driver-guide picks you up at your hotel in central Tokyo and drives north to the Japan Sea coast, with rest stops. You reach Tsuruoka in the late afternoon and settle into your hotel.
Day 2 is the food day. In the morning you visit the Chido Museum, set in the grounds of the old Shonai lords. Its old Western-style buildings and farmhouses show how people here lived and ate. Next you drive to the Shirayama area, home of dadacha-mame, and taste these sweet, nutty beans. Dadacha-mame are harvested in August, and at other times you try them as sweets and snacks. For lunch you go to a seafood market in the port town of Sakata for fresh fish from the Sea of Japan. In the afternoon you visit a local sake brewery for a tasting. A non-alcoholic tasting of local drinks is offered for drivers and non-drinkers.
On day 3 you drive back south to your Tokyo hotel, arriving in the evening.
This is a private tour. Only your group. One van, 1 to 6 guests, never shared with strangers. Your driver-guide speaks English, and also Hindi and Urdu. If the sake brewery is closed on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit a different Shonai brewery for a tasting.
DAY 1 Pickup in Tokyo, drive to Tsuruoka
DAY 2 Chido Museum, dadacha-mame tasting in Shirayama, Sakata seafood market lunch, sake brewery tasting
DAY 3 Drive back to your Tokyo hotel
Choose with confidence
Is this the right journey for your group?
Excellent fit if
- Taste food in Japan's first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
- Try dadacha-mame, Tsuruoka's famous sweet green soybeans
- Eat fresh Sea of Japan fish at a Sakata seafood market
- Join a tasting at a local sake brewery
- Explore old Shonai buildings at the Chido Museum
Said plainly
Tsuruoka is about 450 km from Tokyo. Day 1 and day 3 are mostly travel days Fresh dadacha-mame are in season in August. In other months they are served as sweets or snacks Halal food cannot be guaranteed. Sake contains alcohol. Dietary needs can be added in the booking form If the sake brewery is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit a different Shonai brewery for a tasting
Your day
Suggested itinerary
Times are approximate. Your driver-guide adjusts the order for traffic, weather, opening hours and the best light.
Taste food in Japan's first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
Try dadacha-mame, Tsuruoka's famous sweet green soybeans
Eat fresh Sea of Japan fish at a Sakata seafood market
Join a tasting at a local sake brewery
Explore old Shonai buildings at the Chido Museum
What is covered
What you see is what you pay
Ours — included
- Private van and English-speaking driver-guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Tokyo
- All parking, fuel and road tolls
- Chido Museum entry
- Dadacha-mame tasting
- Seafood market lunch on day 2
- Sake brewery tasting (non-alcoholic option available)
Yours — paid on the day
- Hotel accommodation (you book your own hotel in Tsuruoka)
- Meals and drinks unless listed as included
- Gratuities, which are never expected in Japan
- Optional sake and food souvenir purchases
Good to know
Before you book
Languages
English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Pickup
Pickup and drop-off at your Tokyo hotel or accommodation (23 wards).
Group and vehicle
Private for up to 6 guests. Enter adults, children, infants and child seats separately at booking.
Dietary and mobility needs
Halal, vegetarian, allergy, walking or other practical requests go in your booking notes and are planned before the day.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can we change the route on the day?
Yes. It is a private tour in our own van, so your driver-guide can skip, extend or add stops where time allows.
Is the price per person?
No. The price is for your whole private group of up to 6 people, including the van, fuel, tolls, parking and your driver-guide.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for an automatic full refund to the original payment method. Within 24 hours, contact us directly so we can help. If a typhoon or official weather warning stops the trip, we offer a new date or a full refund. For a GetYourGuide booking, the terms shown on that booking apply.
Somewhere else in mind?
Any destination in Japan
If this route is not exactly what you need, tell us the destination, dates and group. We confirm the plan and the exact price before any payment is taken.
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