Japan with Jacob Kear

Welcome to Tokyo, a city where tradition and innovation share the same table. From quiet counters serving impeccable sashimi to buzzing izakayas tucked down narrow alleys, this is where your journey through Japan begins.

After transferring from the airport and checking in to our new home for the next few days, we’ll gather for an unforgettable welcome dinner where each course is a quiet revelation as we toast to the trip ahead.

After breakfast at the hotel, this morning begins in the maze of Tsukiji’s outer market, where the air carries a tang of brine and soy, and steam curls from tamago pans behind glass. Beneath striped awnings and noren curtains, a sushi chef guides us past rows of glistening fish, explaining the subtle cues of freshness only decades in a kitchen can teach. A slab of tuna here, a bundle of fragrant shiso there.

In the afternoon, the day shifts into tactile discovery with a visit to Coredo Muromachi, where lacquered stalls offer yuzu oils, sea salts, and pickled mountain vegetables—tiny epics of regional craft. Between a bit of shopping, we’ll sit down for a local lunch together before continuing on to lively Kappabashi, otherwise known as ‘Kitchen Street’. We’ll wander the zigzagging streets of this food-centric neighborhood as the clink of copper pans and scent of hinoki wood fill the narrow arcades.  

Evening brings a dinner grounded in seasonality, precision, and a little bit of magic. We’ll roll up our sleeves at a 100-year-old sushi bar for an immersive sushi workshop. Here, the chef will demonstrate Edo-style techniques, guiding you through knife work, rice shaping, and the quiet choreography of omakase.

This morning, a gentle quiet greets us beneath the towering torii gate of Meiji Shrine, where crushed gravel paths wind through ancient camphor trees. Just beyond the forest, Tokyo revs back to life where Harajuku’s neon arcades and Takeshita Street’s sugar-laced energy await. Might we suggest taking a moment to join the queue outside a pastel-swirled crêpe stand or watch as a cloud-like cotton candy flower spins slowly nearby.

Lunch today is local, unpretentious, and deeply satisfying. It’s a mid-day pause before the afternoon shifts into a celebration of form and function. First, we’ll visit  21_21 Design Sight, where glass and concrete curve around thought-provoking installations. Then, we’ll stop by the Sake & Shochu Center to sample pours that range from dry and clean to rich and umami-laced. After we’re warmed from the inside out by our sake tasting, we’ll head across town to Huls Gallery, slender sake cups—some ceramic, others carved from bamboo or cast in metal—rest on linen plinths like sculptures.

The day ends with charcoal-kissed skewers at a cozy yakitori counter, where smoke curls from the grill and each bite is a simple, savory ode to the city’s everyday artistry.

After a short Shinkansen (bullet train) journey, we’ll arrive in Izu.

Our first stop is Mishima Taisha, where gravel paths and camphor trees offer space for stillness before the main hall, a pause shaped by ritual rather than agenda. After, we’ll tour behind the scenes at a local wasabi (Japanese horseradish) farm to learn all about wasabi growing and harvesting processes. This is the wettest part of Japan, and the climate is ideal for cultivating wasabi in uniquely designed water terraces.

Mid-day makes way for lunch at a neighborhood soba-ya, where buckwheat noodles—cut and cooked with quiet precision—arrive steaming beside seasonal tempura and a dipping broth fragrant with dashi.

After, we’ll head to our lodging for the night: a traditional ryokan (inn). It’s a stunning 150-year-old architectural museum surrounded by nature, with its own natural hot springs. Here, bathing in the traditional baths, we commit ourselves to pure relaxation.

Dinner tonight is a traditional kaiseki meal, each small dish jewel-like in its presentation.

This morning begins the same as yesterday with a Shinkansen (bullet train) journey. Today’s destination? Kyoto. We start our introduction to the city’s culinary scene at Nishiki Market, known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen,” renowned for its diverse offerings from preserved foods to duck specialties and Japanese sweets.

Following our time at the market, we’ll take a leisurely stroll along the cobbled slopes of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, Kyoto’s most storied streets, where wooden storefronts brim with handmade ceramics, and the scent of roasting tea drifts from open doors. Along the way, we’ll step into a quiet studio for a hands-on ceramics workshop. Here, we’ll shape clay with regional techniques under skilled artisans’ guidance. Our finished pieces will be more than a souvenir—they’re a connection to centuries of tradition.

We’ll finish up our afternoon by making our way to Kazariya for afternoon tea, where skewers of aburimochi are brushed with white miso glaze and charred lightly over charcoal, a confection served here for centuries to travelers and shrine-goers alike. It was at these low wooden tables that Jacob once sat with Phil Rosenthal during the Kyoto episode of Somebody Feed Phil.

After, the rest of the evening, including dinner, is on your own.

For an overview of Kyoto, we’ll venture just outside the central districts to Fushimi Inari Shrine. There’s time to explore the mountain trails, or simply to admire the thousands of bright red torii (wooden gates), curving in parallel rows along the trails. 

After, a quiet table waits at a humble udon shop, where bowls of broth steam in the February air. Afterwards, we’ll step inside a small mochi workshop run by a devoted artisan who has spent years mastering the rhythm and technique of this iconic sweet. The air is warm with the scent of steamed rice as we try our hand at forming the dough, then taste the results—fresh, chewy, and subtly sweet. 

The rest of the afternoon is yours to wander. Perhaps sipping matcha in a teahouse, browsing ceramic studios, or returning to the hotel to rest before dinner is on the agenda. 

This evening, the doors of LURRA close to the public and open just for us. In the intimate dining room of his restaurant, Jacob will create a meal that feels less like a reservation and more like being welcomed into his private kitchen.

The clink of teacups and hush of slippers on tatami mark the start of the morning with a traditional tea ceremony where every movement is intentional, graceful, and rich with meaning.

After, it’s a short drive to Uji, a riverside town that has been synonymous with the country’s finest matcha since the 12th century. At Tsuen Chaya, Japan’s oldest teahouse still run by descendants of its founders, we’ll sip green tea from the same wooden beams that have stood for over 850 years.

Over lunch, flavors unfold slowly. Think grilled river fish and fragrant rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. Once our bellies are full, we make our way to a nearby matcha factory, where the air smells faintly of roasted tea. We’ll learn about the production and patience behind every cup—how shading, handpicking, and stone-grinding transform humble leaves into emerald powder. 

In the evening, Osaka welcomes us with neon dazzle and infectious energy. A local guide leads the way through its buzzing food scene, where laughter, lanterns, and late-night bites set the rhythm of the city.

This morning we head to the kitchen, loud with joy and sizzling pans. Under the guidance of local chefs and get hands-on with Osaka’s beloved comfort foods. We’ll mix batter, flip takoyaki, and layer cabbage for okonomiyaki—Osaka’s soul food, humble but full of character. It’s spirited, communal, and the laughter around the table is contagious as you taste the fruits of your labor. 

Afterward, we step into the precision-driven world of Japanese craftsmanship with a visit to Sakai, a city revered for its hand-forged knives. In a quiet knife shop, blades glint under soft lights, and a master artisan reveals the centuries-old secrets of Japanese steel.

Later, the Umeda Sky Building offers panoramic views over Osaka’s urban sprawl, a reminder of just how far the city stretches and how high we’ve climbed to take it in. The rest of the afternoon is yours to pause, reflect, or wander as you like.

Our farewell dinner tonight is a final nod to Japan’s layered culinary landscape. Whether it’s yakitori skewers, grilled to perfection. umami-rich small plates, or sake poured with a toast, it’s a meal to linger over and a celebratory close to an unforgettable journey.

Alas, our journey has come to an end. As we say goodbye to our new friends, we know that we’ll have to return, and soon. In the meantime, the soul of Japanese cuisine and craft will travel home with us, helping us find the beauty wherever we look.