Private multi-day tour · Multi-day from Tokyo
From Tokyo: 2-Day Seki Swordsmith Customizable Tour
Visit Seki in Gifu, Japan's sword town for about 800 years. See blades made, learn sharpening at the museum, then walk the old washi paper town of Mino.
Private · your group only◆2 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
Seki in Gifu Prefecture has made blades for about 800 years. In the age of the samurai its swords were known across Japan. Today the town still makes many of Japan's kitchen knives, and a few families still make swords in the old way.
On this tour you visit a working sword and knife workshop in Seki, such as Fujiwara Kanefusa, where you can see how blades are shaped, and you visit the Seki Hamono Museum, with displays on sword making and modern knives. On set days there are demonstrations of sharpening and other steps. Your guide explains the steps from steel to polished edge.
On Day 2 you visit Mino, a short drive away. Mino has made washi paper for over 1,300 years. The old Udatsu street has merchant houses with tall fire walls on the roofs. At the Mino Washi Akari-kan you see lamps and lanterns made of local paper.
All workshop and museum entries in the plan are included. You book your own hotel in Seki or nearby Gifu.
This is a private tour. Only your group. One family or group of 1 to 6 people per van, never shared with strangers. Your driver-guide speaks English, and also Hindi and Urdu.
If the Seki forging demonstration or workshop is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit another Seki blade workshop and the Seki Kaji Denshokan sword museum.
DAY 1 Hotel pickup in Tokyo and drive to Seki (about 5 hours). Afternoon: blade workshop and Seki Hamono Museum.
DAY 2 Morning in Mino: Udatsu old town and the Mino Washi Akari-kan, then the drive back to your Tokyo hotel.
Choose with confidence
Is this the right journey for your group?
Excellent fit if
- See how blades are made at a working Seki sword and knife workshop
- Learn about sword making at the Seki Hamono Museum
- Walk the Udatsu merchant street of Mino with its fire walls
- See washi paper lamps at the Mino Washi Akari-kan
- Shop for a Seki kitchen knife made in the town
Said plainly
Forging demonstrations take place only on set days. On other days you see the workshop and museum displays. Knives bought in Japan must go in checked luggage on flights. If the Seki forging demonstration or workshop is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit another Seki blade workshop and the Seki Kaji Denshokan sword museum. Dietary needs can be added in the booking form.
Your day
Suggested itinerary
Times are approximate. Your driver-guide adjusts the order for traffic, weather, opening hours and the best light.
See how blades are made at a working Seki sword and knife workshop
Learn about sword making at the Seki Hamono Museum
Walk the Udatsu merchant street of Mino with its fire walls
See washi paper lamps at the Mino Washi Akari-kan
Shop for a Seki kitchen knife made in the town
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
- Sword and knife workshop visit in Seki
- Entry to the Seki Hamono Museum
- Entry to the Mino Washi Akari-kan
Yours — paid on the day
- Hotel accommodation (you book your own hotel in Seki or Gifu)
- Meals and drinks unless listed as included
- Gratuities, which are never expected in Japan
- Optional knife and sword purchases
- Optional hands-on forging or polishing experience
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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From¥195,000
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