Day 1: A Kurokawa Noh theater experience

Begin your journey with a welcome at Shonai Airport. From there, first head to Kura Yashiki Luna for a lunch of washoku Japanese cuisine made with seasonal local ingredients. After lunch, visit Ogi Kaikan for an introduction to Kurokawa Noh and instruction from tayu Noh actor Yoshibu Ueno. Step onto the Noh stage and try shimai Noh movements for yourself, making use of the masks, fans, and garments really used by the actors on this stage. After stepping back out of the world of Noh, check in at Suiden Terrasse, a stylish modern hotel designed to appear as if it were floating upon the surrounding rice paddies. Dinner is at the famous Al ché-cciano, flagship restaurant of Chef Okuda where you can savor, plate by plate, his fine Italian cuisine made with Dewa Shonai ingredients. Enjoy a pairing with locally brewed sake. After dinner, return to your hotel.

Day 2: A pilgrimage and shojin ryori cuisine on Mt. Haguro, a special viewing and dinner at Matsugaoka Winery

After breakfast at your hotel, head for Mount Haguro, one of the Dewa Sanzan holy mountains. Change into shirosozoku pilgrim robes, then climb the 2,446 stone stairs of the Mount Haguro pilgrimage route alongside a yamabushi mountain monk. Lined with 400-year-old cedars, this pilgrimage path received a 3-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide. At Saikan, a pilgrims’ lodge located just below the peak, enjoy preparing and eating a meal of Dewa Sanzan shojin ryori cuisine under the guidance of Chef Ito.

After lunch, enjoy matcha tea and wagashi sweets as you gaze out at the garden of the 800-year-old Gyokusenji Temple, designated a Site of Scenic Beauty. Refresh your heart in a traditional Japanese atmosphere with a tranquility one can no longer find in Kyoto.

After that, visit Matsugaoka Kaikon to hear from Company President Yamato about how the samurai of this area traded their swords for hoes and went on to develop Japan’s northernmost region for silk cultivation, a fine textile known as Tsuruoka Silk. At the shop inside the Mirai-kan building here, purchase top-quality Tsuruoka Silk items.

Return to your hotel for a delicious dinner made with local ingredients. Pass a relaxing evening pairing your meal with local wine and sake.

Day 3: An early-morning ritual at Zenpoji Temple, maiko geisha entertainment, and a special viewing at the Homma Museum of Art

After breakfast, depart your hotel. Receive a kito prayer ritual at Zenpoji, one of Japan’s three most revered temples for kito. View Ryuoden Hall, the hall of 500 arhats, the five-story pagoda, Buddhist statuary, and other architectural highlights of the temple. After Zenpoji, head to Ryotei Kamezaki in Sakata for a lunch of kaiseki cuisine accompanied by private maiko geisha entertainment such parlor games and a dance performance. After lunch, visit the Homma Museum of Art, associated with the wealthy Homma merchant family. Museum Director Tanaka himself will guide you on a tour of the 200-year-old Seienkaku Villa and Kabukuen Garden, designated a national Site of Scenic Beauty. End your journey with a farewell at Shonai Airport.