Oct
9
to Oct 13

2026 Gifu Culinary Tour Registration Form

A Culinary Journey through the Japanese Countryside: Gifu 2026

TOUR REGISTRATION FORM

Tour dates: 4 nights / 5 days — October 9, 2026 to October 13, 2026.
Price: $2,700 per person (shared bathroom) / $2,900 per person (private bathroom) at the Isaji residence. If you prefer staying at a hotel, there are three business hotels within a 10–15 minute drive.

Included in the tour fee:

  • 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 4 dinners (Oct 9–13).

  • All‑day transportation on Oct 11 and 12.

  • Tickets for the following activities: gondola ride and Gifu Castle entrance, Ukai (cormorant fishing) boat ride, Hida village open‑air museum.

Not included in the tour fee:

  • Taxi rides on Oct 10 (these will be divided among tour participants; please keep receipts).

  • Drink orders at all restaurants.

  • Any public transportation expenses (if any).

Note: All above expenses are summed and divided using the average exchange rate of the week. At the end of the tour, charges will be made in USD.

Registration details

Your Name: __________________________________________

Other participant’s name (if sharing a room): ____________________________________

E‑mail address: ______________________________________

Phone Number: ________________________________

Emergency contact (name): ________________________ (relationship): ____________

Emergency Phone Number: _________________________________

Food allergy / dietary restrictions: ____________________________________________

About payment

Registration is handled on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Payment in full is required one month prior to the tour (by September 10, 2026). You may reserve your spot with a down payment of $1,200.

How would you like to make a payment?

  • ☐ Zelle to yoko@ifoodstory.com (recipient: Communicare Airheart Inc.) — note some banks have daily limits.
  • ☐ Check by mail — Mailing address: 1234 Wilshire Blvd. #418, Los Angeles, CA 90017
  • ☐ Online payment — a 3.5% handling charge applies; we will send an online invoice.
  • ☐ Bank transfer — JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
       Account name: Communicare Airheart Inc.
       Routing number: 322271627 (for wire transfers use: 021000021)
       Checking account: 598280862



Policy, terms & conditions

Participants are responsible for arranging and paying for airfare and transportation to JR Gifu Station. The tour starts at JR Gifu Station and ends at the Isaji residence in Seki, Gifu. We will help advise on onward routing.

Participants are responsible for any travel/tour/health insurance they wish to obtain. We strongly recommend travel protection covering cancellation and interruption. Natural disasters (earthquakes, typhoons) may affect tour operations.

Tour fees do NOT include refreshments, some meal items, or entry fees unless explicitly stated.

General cancellation policy

If CJJC (A Culinary Journey through the Japanese Countryside) must cancel any or all segments, every effort will be made to continue the tour. If Yoko Isaji cannot lead, a replacement guide will be provided; if that is not possible, a full refund will be issued.

If a registered participant cancels, refunds depend on notice period:

  • More than 90 days prior to tour: Full refund.

  • 90 to 46 days prior to tour: $1,000 cancellation fee plus any non‑recoverable expenses.

  • 45 to 15 days prior to tour: 50% refund minus non‑recoverable expenses.

  • Less than 14 days prior to tour: No refund.

Should we cancel the tour, a full refund will be made.

Limitations on liability

An online tour liability waiver form will be sent once we receive the tour registration form.

Date: _____________________

Signature: ___________________________________



View Event →
Nov
6
to Nov 10

Spring Tour: Kobe-Awaji-Tokushima-Kochi

  • Sunday Farmer's Market in Kochi (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS



Transportation: A rented Toyota Hybrid Corolla will be provided for the full tour. Yoko will be the driver for the entire itinerary. Guests should bring luggage to the lobby when departing each hotel; luggage will travel with the vehicle.


Nov 6, 2026 (Fri) — Road Trip: Awaji Island → Tokushima

Awaji Island is famed for its sweet onions and dried seafood products. Mythology names it the first island created in Japan. — many shrines and ruins to explore.

9:30 AM — Depart Shin‑Kobe Station / ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel (please bring luggage to the lobby)

11:00 AM — Yoga & lunch at Zenbo Seinei

2:00 PM — Depart

3:00 PM — Road Station Uzushio — sightseeing / Naruto whirlpools: details

4:00 PM — Ryōzenji (first temple of the 88‑temple Shikoku Pilgrimage): info

5:30 PM — Kaiseki dinner at Aoyagi — highly praised Naruto sea bream

8:00 PM — Awa Odori theater performance (sample video: YouTube)

Optional late stop: Bar Kohno (whisky & cocktails). Accommodation: Awa Kanko Hotel.

Nov 7, 2026 (Sat) — Japanese Indigo & Kōchi Castle,

Tokushima has a long history with indigo dye. Kōchi Castle and the nearby markets showcase regional specialties (yuzu products, bonito, unique tea varieties) and the city’s relaxed, food-first culture

8:00 AM — Breakfast at The Door (local breakfast)

9:30 AM — House of Indigo: Ai no Yakata — indigo workshop (dye a handkerchief)

12:00 PM — Lunch at Orimetei — Handa‑sōmen

3:00 PM — Explore local market area (Tosa no Sato) — shopping for yuzu vinegar and regional products

4:00 PM — Check in at Hotel Sansuien — onsen/sauna open late

4:30 PM — Kōchi Castle

7:00 PM — Dinner at Kuroson — regional seafood specialties

Accommodation: Hotel Sansuien.

Nov 8, 2026 (Sun) — Sunday Market & Makino Botanical Garden

Sunday Market in Kōchi is my favorite farmers' market in Japan — lively with tourists but deeply rooted in local daily life. Kōchi also runs weekday markets on different streets, showing how outdoor markets remain part of everyday life for locals.

9:00 AM — Check out (please bring your luggage to the lobby; luggage will stay at the hotel)

9:30 AM — Morning Market along the road to Kōchi Castle — this will be our brunch. Sample regional sushi, fried sweet potatoes, numerous pickles and ginger tea.: market guide

11:30 PM — Makino Botanical Garden — details

2:00 PM — Chikurinji Temple — info

3:00 PM — Katsurahama beach & Ryoma Sakamoto Memorial Museum

5:00 PM — Early dinner at local Italian restaurant

7:30 PM — Check in at Hotel

Accommodation: Qraud Hotel — riverside boutique hotel by the Niyodo River with public bathroom and sauna. https://www.qraud-kochi.jp/

Nov 9, 2026 (Mon) — Niyodo River “Blue”

We visit the Niyodo River’s famed blue waters in Kōchi and

8:00 AM — Morning Walk

9:00 AM — Breakfast at the hotel

10:00 AM — Handmade washi postcard-making with freshly picked flowers and leaves

11:30 AM — Lunch TBD

1:00 PM — Chinkabashi & Niyodo River — guided hiking tour if weather permits (If it rains, we visit Sagawa town and museum)

4:30 PM — Return to Hotel

6:00 PM — Kochi’s banquet “Sawachi“ Dinner

Accommodation: Qraud Hotel

Nov 10, 2026 (Tue) — Kochi (end of tour)

8:00 AM —Morning Walk

9:00 AM — Breakfast at the Hotel

11:00 AM — Check out and leaving for JR Kochi station for Airport Shuttle. Please schedule your afternoon flight. You should be at the airport by 12:30 PM.

View Event →

Sake Workshop 2: Sake Making
Dec
9
1:30 PM13:30

Sake Workshop 2: Sake Making

Demo: how to make sake at home: Watch and learn how you can make sake at home using koji, rice, yeast, and water within one week.  If you’ve ever tried making kombucha, wine, beer or sourdough bread, you know how fun it is to watch invisible cultures grow and make something we enjoy drinking or eating. (In fact fresh sake-lees can turn into something like a sourdough starter)  Unlike most store-bought sake, the sake we’ll learn to make in this class is nama-zake, unpasteurized: refreshing, smooth and simply the best for tasting and for health benefits. 


What you’ll learn:

-Sake fermentation process & the role and character of each ingredient

-2 ways of making sake at home; starting the alcohol fermentation by using dry yeast or cultivating natural yeast

-The difference between sake-making at home and by professional breweries

-How to create your own sake recipe

-How to make bubbly sake, and more!


You’ll get to taste my Foodstory studio-made sake made with recipe variations, like:

-Using organic fig for taking natural yeast vs. dried yeast (for bread, for sake) 

-Store bought koji (white) vs. sake-koji (green)

-Sencha-nigori and sparkling sake


Prerequisite: Understanding the basic knowledge of alcohol fermentation

View Event →
Sake Workshop 1: Koji Rice
Dec
9
10:00 AM10:00

Sake Workshop 1: Koji Rice

Koji rice is a key ingredient for making sake.  This workshop will cover how to make koji rice & how to use it for cooking.  

Recipes to share include: 

-Amazeke (sweet non-alcohol sake for drinking and as a sweetener). 

-Classic pickle-base called “358” by mixing rice and salt with koji rice

-Shio-koji (salt mixed koji rice)

-Onion-koji (grated onion, salt and koji rice, umami-rich seasoning)

-Koji marinated-fish/ mushroom

Marinade/Pickling with koji takes a few hours to overnight, or much longer. Everything will be marinated ahead of time for the class to taste.

Your tasting plate includes: 

-Shio-koji marinated tofu  (v)

-Pumpkin soup seasoned with onion-koji (v)

-A few kinds of vegetable pickles made from a 358-pickling & shio-koji. (v)

-Sesame dipping sauce made from amazake, noodle will be served together (v)

-Koji cured salmon (or Koji cured mushroom) & salad with koji dressing

-Dessert made with amazake and berries

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Online Class: Delightful Dumplings
Oct
30
2:00 PM14:00

Online Class: Delightful Dumplings

Online cooking class introducing three uniquely different, delightful dumplings:

  • Gyoza,

  • Southern China (Yunnan) inspired dumplings topped with a mixed herb salad,

  • Curry-mango dumplings with pickled red onion.

We’ll send you a shopping list and recipes 10 days before the event date. We’ll also ask you to do some prep work in advance.

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Trick or Treat?! Halloween Cookies Decorating Party!
Oct
22
3:00 PM15:00

Trick or Treat?! Halloween Cookies Decorating Party!

Have you ever wondered how bakers are decorating cookies so smoothly, so perfectly? Maybe you’re curious to try out these techniques, but it can be messy without a proper guidance. Why not learn the basic techniques to advance skills in a half-day class from an experienced professional, and bring your cookies home to surprise your friends and family?

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