Experience Details
It's rare to find a Japanese meal without tsukemono (pickled foods): their uses are plentiful, ranging from decorative garnish to taste enhancer to palate cleanser. Indeed, pickling was initially just a way to preserve foods but its creative possibilities gave way to countless pickling methods and a wide variety of pickled foods being enjoyed today.
In this town tour and gastronomic experience, you’ll dive deep into the history of Ehime's Uchiko town, and get a taste of the vinegar legacy that lies at its core. Vinegar is used widely to prepare tsukemono, and its subtleties and features are fascinating. You'll enjoy a vinegar tasting, prepare vinegared foods, visit a theater and a local brewing museum, shop for regional goods at a local market, and finish the day with a leisurely walking tour. Uchiko remains relatively undiscovered by tourist crowds and still preserves a quaint, nostalgic atmosphere today.
Experience flow:
-Meet your host at JR Uchiko Station.
-Participate in a sensory vinegar-tasting workshop, tasting and smelling different vinegar varieties and noticing the subtleties of naturally-crafted vinegar.
-Prepare 5 vinegared Japanese foods, learning to season different ingredients to achieve the ultimate taste, in a 1-hour class. The main dish will be tofu dumplings with black vinegar sauce.
-Visit the traditional Uchikoza Kabuki Theater, built over 100 years ago. Thanks to the efforts of local residents, this historical building was renovated a few decades back and has been restored to its former glory.
-Tour the Moribun Brewing Museum, which preserves historical artifacts used to make vinegar, and take part in their vinegared egg-making workshop as you deepen your knowledge of fermentation.
-Explore the Uchiko roadside station, where you can find regional goods and fresh produce.
-Enjoy a walking tour of the town, which maintains its traditional and nostalgic townscape.
Inclusions
English-speaking guide
Tasting & cooking workshops
Admission fee to the Uchikoza theater
Vinegared egg-making workshop at the Moribun Brewing Museum (and a vinegared egg to take home)
Exclusions
Transportation to and from the meeting point
Additional food and drinks
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
Meet your guide at Uchiko Station. Reaching the station takes about 30 minutes from Matsuyama JR Station on a limited express train. More detailed information and a Google Maps link will be provided upon booking.
Remarks
If you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions, please leave a note upon booking.
Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 2 days before the experience start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
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