Kyoto x Awaji Island Gourmet Country 4-Day Experience: Helicopter Tour, Private Hot Spring, In-Depth Fish Market Auction Tour

Why go to "Goshoku no Kuni"? From Kyoto's dining tables to the origin of food.

The term "御食国" (Goshoku no Kuni) is rarely seen in Hong Kong tourism promotions, but it carries significant weight in Japanese history. Simply put, it refers to the region responsible for supplying the imperial court with seafood, salt, grains, and other "foods for the imperial family" in ancient times. Awaji Island is a prime example.

What makes this itinerary special is that the Wagyu beef, seafood, vegetables, and broth you eat in Kyoto may very well have ingredients sourced from the seas and lands of the Kyoto region. Therefore, our itinerary isn't a typical "Kyoto + Kansai area" tour, but rather:

• Day 1–2: Kyoto Explore religion, history, cities, and gardens to experience the "surface aesthetics" of food culture.
• Days 2–4: Awaji Island Visit markets, farms, and observe handcrafted processes—get a direct look at the "birthplace" of ingredients.

If you love food, have high standards for ingredients, or work in F&B, catering, cooking, or purchasing, this route will suit your taste.

Day 1 | Kyoto Opening: Temples and Shrines in Light and Shadow, and a Secluded Hotel with Only Ten Rooms

The tour starts in Kyoto, where a driver and a professional guide will pick you up in the city. Two people can form their own group without having to share a ride with strangers, and the pace can be adjusted to your liking.

Kinkaku-ji: Beyond the gold leaf, what you'll remember is its tranquility.

Many tour groups visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), but the stay is usually short; they take a quick "been there, done that" photo and leave. The advantage of a private tour is that you can stroll at your own pace and observe at your own pace: find a less crowded spot by the pond and quietly watch how the reflection of the Golden Pavilion spreads across the water; listen to the guide talk about Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Kitayama culture, and how they influenced later generations' imagination of the balance between "luxury and Zen." The gold leaf is dazzling under the sunlight, but what truly makes Kyoto captivating is the contrast between splendor and solitude; with a guide, you'll see several layers more clearly.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple: More than just the "Kiyomizu Stage," it embodies the entire lifestyle of this mountain town.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is another popular tourist attraction, but a private tour offers a different experience: you can ascend the mountain at different times to avoid the peak crowds; walk along Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, listening to the guide tell stories of old merchants, geishas, and incense shops; and from the Kiyomizu Stage, look down at the Kyoto Basin and imagine what Heian-kyo (Kyoto) looked like a thousand years ago. If you are interested in Japanese culture and don't want to just "check off your list," having a guide lead you at a leisurely pace will allow you to feel how Kyoto, as the capital for a thousand years, has been layered and preserved in its streets and alleys.

Night falls: Check into Hotel Utano Kyoto Besho, which has only ten rooms.

The first night of the trip, spent at Hotel Utano Kyoto Besho, was a key part of the entire journey. The hotel only has 10 rooms, not a large tourist hotel. The central courtyard, designed by renowned architect Mirei Shigemori, is a charming Japanese garden; each room has a private onsen bath, allowing you to soak leisurely in your own space without having to share with others.

Many hotels in Kyoto claim to be "quiet" and "highly private," but few truly offer a "secluded retreat in the city." The feeling here is: by day you walk into history, and by night you retreat into the garden, with one foot in the ancient capital and the other in minimalist tranquility.

Day 2 | From Thousand Torii Gates to Aerial Perspectives: From Fushimi Inari to a Helicopter Tour

On the second day, the itinerary will take you to several iconic Kyoto attractions, but the way you experience them is not just a "rush to check off your list".

Fushimi Inari Shrine: Amidst the thousands of torii gates, each person carries a wish.

The Senbon Torii (thousands of torii gates) are so famous they need no introduction, but when you're not rushing to meet the main tour, you can follow your guide's suggestion and take a less crowded mountain path to slowly experience the connection between "foxes," "Inari" (the sacred tree), and "thriving commerce." Notice the company name engraved on the back of each torii gate; how "offering" and "sponsorship" are intertwined in Japan. This place is not just about taking photos of the red corridor; it's a microcosm of "faith x business x life."

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Nijo Castle: A Comprehensive Look at Kyoto

Sunlight filters through the bamboo stalks in the Arashiyama bamboo forest, and the sound of footsteps is absorbed by the bamboo, making it perfect for a leisurely stroll for families or couples. Nijo Castle served as the stage for the Tokugawa Shogunate's rise and fall, and a guide can help you understand the story of Japan's power transition through architectural details. If you're traveling with parents or children, visiting these places in a private vehicle is much more comfortable as you won't have to transfer or carry luggage.

🚁 Helicopter Option: Direct flight from Kyoto to Awaji Island, turning the "map" into a "3D model".

The most special part of the day is the helicopter experience (optional, extra charge). The route is a direct flight from Kyoto to New Hotel Awaji on Awaji Island (price from JPY 400,000, subject to the actual number of people and arrangements).

If you often look at maps, taking a helicopter ride is like "stepping into the map you've been studying": Kyoto's streets, rivers, and mountains become a three-dimensional model beneath your feet. As the helicopter heads south, your view shifts from the ancient capital to the bay, and Awaji Island gradually comes closer. You'll clearly feel that behind the Japanese dining table truly lies the support of both mountains and sea. The place we landed at was another highlight of this trip: New Hotel Awaji.

Day 2 Night | New Hotel Awaji: Sea breeze, open-air hot spring, and a dinner prepared just for you.

Ocean view room + private open-air hot spring: You are separated from the Seto Inland Sea by only a layer of steam.
The biggest selling point of New Hotel Awaji is that the rooms face the sea and have private open-air hot springs where you can soak while watching the horizon change color. At night, you can only hear the sound of the waves, a rhythm completely different from the city. For those who have spent two days visiting temples, shrines, and castles in Kyoto, this night is a complete shift in rhythm: from "historical information" to "physical experience".

A top-tier private banquet that only accepts one group of guests per day.
Awaji Island is renowned as a culinary paradise, famous for its seafood, vegetables, and meats. This dinner is overseen by a team of chefs who have represented Japan in international competitions such as the Bocuse d'Or World Culinary Championship and the World Pastry Cup. Using seasonal ingredients, the menu is designed exclusively for you one evening. Only one group of guests is accepted each day, avoiding a mass-market catering experience. You can truly savor the weight behind the words "national culinary paradise" for one evening. This experience isn't just about "eating good food," but about transforming the fish market, salt fields, and farms you visit on Day 3-4 into flavors you can taste on your table.

Day 3 | The Fish Market and the Birth of Salt: Daily Life in the Royal Food Kingdom is Actually Not Ordinary at All

Fish Market Auction: Backstage Scenes Supplying Toyosu and Michelin-starred Restaurants

In the morning, you'll visit one of the highlights of Awaji Island: the fish market auction experience. This is a major supplier of seafood to Tokyo's Toyosu Market and many Michelin-starred restaurants. You can see up close how the chefs inspect the fish's body, eyes, and oil before the auction, and how buyers use their eyes and gestures to "bid."

The tour guide will explain why certain fish are particularly expensive, what season and which sea area produce the most popular fish, and how the sashimi you usually eat at high-end restaurants in Kyoto and Tokyo is actually counted from here. After witnessing an auction, your understanding of "a piece of sashimi" will be completely different when you return to the city to dine.

Salt-making experience: A pinch of salt, with sea breeze and sunshine in the background.

The itinerary will then take you to the west coast of Awaji Island to participate in a traditional salt-making experience: using seawater, sunlight, and sea breeze to concentrate "Goshuku no Shiro" (the salt of the nation). You will get hands-on experience, turning seawater into crystals, and learning how people preserved the taste of the sea in the days before large-scale machinery.

You can take the salt you made with you. Next time you cook at home, just sprinkle a pinch, and you'll remember: "This salt isn't the kind that costs 100 yen a bag at the supermarket. It's the crystallization I made on Awaji Island, after walking along the beach, smelling the sea breeze, and holding it in my hands."

Day 4 | Onion Field, Plain Noodle Workshop: From Land to Craftsmen, a Single Line Connects Us

The last day wasn't just about "packing up and heading home," but rather two very interesting experiences.

Harvesting Awaji Island Onions: Making an Ordinary Ingredient the "Main Character"

Awaji Island onions are very famous in Japan, known for their high sweetness and low spiciness. You'll visit Hamada Farm in the Mihara Plain, wander among rows of onions, and even pull them out of the soil by hand. The farm owner will explain why the onions grown there are so delicious, how they use crop rotation to suit the climate, and how they collaborate with restaurants and wholesalers.

Hong Kong people use onions in their daily stir-fries and soups, but it's rare to actually see an entire onion field. As you walk from the field to your dining table, you'll discover that even "ordinary ingredients" can be quite luxurious.

Handmade Plain Noodles Experience: 150 Years of History in a Single Noodle

The final stop is a traditional somen noodle workshop founded in 1865. Learn the process of hand-pulling noodles from the artisans, watching a lump of dough slowly stretch, separate into strands, and dry. Listen to the workshop staff tell how their family has preserved this craft for generations. You can experience pulling noodles, cutting noodles, and even cook a simple bowl of somen noodles with your own noodles.

The key point here is not just "playing the experience", but that behind every noodle lies time, family, and perseverance.

The final sentence: From a bowl of plain noodles to the entire imperial cuisine kingdom

Travel can be so simple: visit tourist attractions, take photos, and eat local delicacies. But sometimes, travel can also be a...From the dining table, back to the origin of ingredientsKailu.

This "Kyoto x Awaji Island Gourmet Country 4-Day Experience" aims to let you see Japanese history in Kyoto and feel the roots of Japanese food culture on Awaji Island. Amidst helicopters, hotels, fishing ports, and fields, the three words "Gourmet Country" will slowly transform into the tastes, images, and stories in your memory.

If you've already been to Japan a few times and want to try something that's not just the standard package, but truly special...Stories, depth, and a sense of privacyInstead of this trip, why not consider using this route next time, and travel to the land of gourmet food with your most important people?