12 Days

Adam Liaw Culinary Tours

Japan
09 – 21 July 2026

Escape the Australian winter chills and join us on a special summer culinary tour in Japan. 12 days travelling with Adam Liaw on a fully escorted tour with an experienced tour leader. This 2026 tour has now sold out, but you are welcome to submit your expression of interest for the 2027 departure.

It is personally led by one of Australia’s most respected chefs, authors and broadcasters, Adam Liaw.
Gourmet lunch at Michelin-hatted Kinobu in Kyoto
Premium A4/A5 Kobe beef teppanyaki experience
Experience the Kyoto Gion Festival, one of Japan’s most iconic and historic cultural events.
Visit to Shiretoko Goko (5 lakes) in the World Heritage listed Shiretoko Peninsula National Park
Visit Fushimi Inari, a Shinto shrine famous now for its vermilion torii gates.
Overview

Since winning Masterchef in 2010, Adam has moved on to write an array of cookbooks and his series on SBS Destination Flavour saw him take home an AACTA award in 2016 for the Best Lifestyle Television programme. In 2016, the Japanese government appointed Adam as an official “Goodwill Ambassador of Japanese Cuisine” and traveling with him provides an amazing opportunity to learn about the culture and cuisine of Japan as we travel together.

Experience for yourself two quite different views of the mosaic of Japanese culture and history. Explore the northern island of Hokkaido and learn about its indigenous Ainu people whose culture dates back tens of thousands of years and the stunning wilderness areas of the Shiretoko Peninsula. By way of contrast, experience the colour, sound and pageantry of the 1100 year old Gion Festival in Kyoto, the centre of high culture in Heian and Edo period Japan. The Gion Festival (Gion Matsuri) is one of the 3 great festivals of Japan, culminating in a massive parade on 17th of July.

Tour Inclusions
Itinerary

12 Day

Tokyo > Shiretoko > Lake Akan > Sapporo > Osaka > Kyoto

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Depart from Sydney by All Nippon Airways, arrive Tokyo. 

Arrive at Haneda Airport Tokyo. After clearing quarantine and customs, check in for your connecting flight to Hokkaido Island, Flight NH377 dep. Haneda at 12:35, arr. Nemuro Nakashibetsu at 14:15.

We head on to the peaceful rustic fishing village of Utoro in the World Heritage listed Shiretoko Peninsula National Park, home to deer, foxes and squirrels. If time allows, we visit The Shiretoko World Heritage Conservation Centre.

We make our way to our hotel and check in for 2 nights. Dinner at hotel (The Shiretoko Daiichi Hotel or similar).

Morning at leisure. This afternoon we will visit Shiretoko Goko (5 lakes) and do a little bush walking along carefully curated tracks and take in the scenery. Visit also Shiretoko National Park Nature Centre.

Dinner at hotel.

We leave the hotel by chartered coach this morning to view the beautiful caldera lake, Lake Mashu.

After viewing the lake we travel on to Lake Akan, the centre of Ainu culture in Hokkaido. Ainu from all over Japan congregate at Lake Akan in October each year for the ancient Marimo Festival, celebrating their unique culture. We check in at the Tsuruga hotel hot spring resort for 1 night.

After dinner at the hotel we will soak up some of the local culture with a walk around the Lake Akan shopping strip, lined with little shops plying handicrafts and sculptures for which the Ainu are so famous

After checking out from our hotel we travel by chartered coach to Sapporo.

On the way to Sapporo, we will visit The Nibutani Ainu museum in the Biratori region. This museum has Ainu crafts designated as important tangible folk cultural properties and lots of audiovisual and book materials. The exhibitions in this museum are utilized for the study of Ainu culture of the Saru Valley.

Upon arrival at Sapporo, we transfer to our hotel (Sapporo Stream Hotel or similar) and check in for 1 night. Our hotel is located in the heart of Sapporo’s shopping district. Remainder of the day is free at leisure. Your tour coordinator will be happy to assist you with your dinner arrangements. Sapporo is famous for its “Ramen” noodles. Why not try some tonight at a local noodle bar – just like the locals?

Check out from hotel and transfer to Sapporo domestic airport.
Depart from Chitose by All Nippon Airways’ arriving at Itami

On arrival, we board a coach for a visit to Arima. Enjoy strolling through Arima onsen before transferring to Kobe to enjoy dinner at a Kobe beef teppanyaki restaurant tonight. “Kobe beef”, synonymous with branded beef of the highest quality, has enchanted gourmets around the world.

Tonight’s restaurant offers beef graded A4 and A5 by strict standards, from Tajima cattle raised in Hyogo Prefecture, the only beef allowed to bear the name of “Kobe beef.”

After dinner, transfer to hotel in Osaka, check in for 1 night at Hotel Nikko Osaka or similar. This evening if you feel energetic enough, follow your tour leader for an evening walk to Dōtonbori, a vibrant precinct filled with towering neon signs and restaurants serving up local specialties.

 Check out from hotel and travel to Kyoto. Enjoy a gourmet lunch in Kyoto at Michelin hatted restaurant, Kinobu. The Gion Festival began over 1100 years ago as procession to appease the gods following a plague and sickness. The festival floats have grown in stature and opulence with each year to become the spectacle we will see over the next couple of days. One of the most prestigious floats will be parked just outside the restaurant, affording us a closer look. We will also experience the sights, sounds and smells of historic Nishiki arcade, the provedores to Kyoto’s leading restaurants.

Check in at hotel Hotel Okura Kyoto or similar for 3 nights. This evening, join the locals and other visitors walking along the main streets of Kyoto to absorb the general buzz of celebration of the Gion Festival “Yoi-yoi-yama” night and view the famous floats – the “Hoko” that will pass by some distance away on festival day and which will be on display in the streets in the neighbourhood northwest of the parade route.

Morning at leisure. For lunch today, we enjoy a teppanyaki lunch.

We hop onto a train and head off to visit Fushimi Inari, a Shinto shrine famous now for its vermilion torii gates. There we will explore the array of almost 10,000 vermilion torii gates wending their way through the hills behind Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. The rest of afternoon is free at leisure.

This evening, join the locals and other visitors walking along the main streets of Kyoto to absorb the carnival atmosphere of Gion Festival “Yoiyama” night. There will be music and many more people enjoying the rows of little stalls brimming with street food, trinkets and children’s luckydip games along the closed-off streets.

Enjoy the colourful Gion Festival procession of floats this morning, some of them over 25m in height from the ground to the roof and weighing up to 12 tonnes.

After the parade has passed, we meet again for sightseeing by chartered coach, travelling to the Sagano Arashiyama area at the foot of the mountains in the northwest corner of Kyoto. Once the exclusive domain of the feudal aristocracy it is famous for its seasonal beauty and bamboo groves.

We also visit the UNESCO world heritage Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji), a beautiful Zen temple whose top two storeys are completely covered in gold leaf.

Check out from hotel. We will travel from Kyoto to Tokyo by Bullet Train. Upon arrival at Tokyo

Station, we catch a local train (4 minutes) to the Ginza area for a meal at a gourmet restaurant Rokusantei. After lunch, we walk to our hotel. We end our trip with a stay in the 5-star Imperial Hotel Tokyo for 2 nights.

 Meet at lobby for full day sightseeing, visiting Kappabashi wholesale kitchenware district.

Visit also Asakusa Temple and Tsukiji outer market.

Farewell get-together at Aqua Lounge on the 17th floor of the hotel, looking out over the serene landscape of the Imperial Palace grounds.

Today is our last day in Japan, so you might wish to do some last-minute souvenir hunting or an optional half day activity. The official hotel check-out time is 12:00.

Transfer from the hotel to Haneda airport by chartered coach, to check in for your flight back to Australia.

Depart Haneda by All Nippon Airways’ overnight flight

 Arrive in Sydney. Interstate passengers make their way to Virgin Australia Airlines connecting flights.

Sold Out
13 Days from
$9,980
Per Person
This tour has now sold out, but you are welcome to submit your expression of interest for the 2027 departure.