Day 1

Mid-afternoon bullet train from Tokyo to Kanazawa (not included)

Dinner at a stylishly renovated 100-year-old atelier previously used for creating fishing nets - the food here reflects that same spirit: modern, yet backboned by deeply traditional local ingredients intermingled with Italian foodways. This is truly a special experience curated by a Japanese-Italian couple in an ultra intimate fashion for a small handful of guests per night

Stay at a hip local hotel, featuring modern Japanese rooms

Day 2

Coffee at hip coffee roastery nearby, serving a selection of carefully brewed delicious coffees

Bullet train to Lake Biwa area, rental car

Drive down one side of Lake Biwa and up the other - gorgeous countryside

Possible visits include: artisanal wood maker, local meadery, traditional sake breweries with tastings, old shoyu brewery, micro-brewery beer tour

Delicious teishoku lunch at a rural farm restaurant

Stay at lake hotel featuring well-appointed bungalows with modern Japanese rooms

Dinner in the main part of the hotel: a spectacular menu using best local ingredients

Day 3

Excellent breakfast at the hotel - Western in cuisine, yet Japanese in approach (e.g. includes salad and soup)

Drop off rental car and take bullet train to Kyoto

Visit world class pottery shop run by a long-term foreign resident expert

Leisurely course lunch: Japanese or Japanese-influenced French, depending on the reservations available