Journey into satoyama—traditional village woodlands that heal mind and spirit. Here, a historic castle town sets the stage for an enchanting blend of seasonal beauty, culinary treasures, and living cultural traditions.
Access
From Osaka Station (about 50 minutes)
From Osaka Station, take the JR limited express train (bound for Shinsanda and Fukuchiyama). You will arrive at Sasayamaguchi Station in about 50 minutes.
From Kyoto Station (about 90 minutes)
From Kyoto Station, take the JR Kyoto Line (Tokaido Main Line, bound for Osaka), and arrive at Osaka Station in about 40 minutes. Transfer to the "Konotori" limited express train (bound for Kinosaki Onsen), and arrive at Sasayamaguchi Station in about 50 minutes.
Discover Tambasasayama
Welcome to Tambasasayama, a captivating town where ancient castle walls whisper tales of centuries past, and traditional rural life flourishes in perfect harmony. This "agricultural capital" is renowned for its exceptional produce, which has long been the secret behind Kyoto's celebrated cuisine. For over 850 years, the town's famous Tamba ware, recognized as one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns, has been woven into the fabric of daily life, creating masterpieces that blend functionality with artistry. As seasons paint the satoyama landscape in ever-changing hues, visitors can immerse themselves in time-honored festivals and savor the diverse seasonal delicacies that make each visit unique.
But there's more to Tambasasayama than just its storied past. The town is witnessing an exciting transformation, with old private homes being restored into charming restaurants and cozy accommodations, giving these heritage buildings new purpose. Artisans are also innovating, taking traditional Tamba ware techniques and crafting new, contemporary designs. This beautiful union of old and new is at the heart of Tambasasayama's charm. Come and see how history comes alive, not just in preserved relics, but in the vibrant and evolving community that continues to shape this unique place.
But there's more to Tambasasayama than just its storied past. The town is witnessing an exciting transformation, with old private homes being restored into charming restaurants and cozy accommodations, giving these heritage buildings new purpose. Artisans are also innovating, taking traditional Tamba ware techniques and crafting new, contemporary designs. This beautiful union of old and new is at the heart of Tambasasayama's charm. Come and see how history comes alive, not just in preserved relics, but in the vibrant and evolving community that continues to shape this unique place.
There is more to Tambasasayama than just its long, rich history. There are moves toward renovating old private homes that have been left vacant, and breathing new life into them as restaurants and accommodation facilities.
Tamba ware artisans are also having a go at creating new designs and pieces by applying traditional techniques. The charm of Sasayama lies in how old and new come together.
Tamba ware artisans are also having a go at creating new designs and pieces by applying traditional techniques. The charm of Sasayama lies in how old and new come together.
What makes Tambasasayama so special?
Immerse yourself in the authentic charm of the Japanese countryside, where tradition meets nature. Tambasasayama offers a truly unique adventure with a blend of history, culture, and culinary delights, from exploring townhouses and samurai residences to tasting seasonal delicacies like black beans and wild boar meat. Bask in the zest of lively festivals, walk through peaceful countryside settings, and discover a side of Japan where it feels like time has stopped. Tambasasayama is not merely a destination, but a voyage to the very soul of Japan's past.
Accommodation Plans
Premium 1-night, 2-day tour brimming with memorable Tambasasayama experiences
Tour Highlights
“Experience Kyogen” at Oshoin at Sasayama Castle, Jodan-no-ma room
“Kyogen" is a cultural tradition that is unique to Japan. Noh and Kyogen have been popular in Tambasasayama since the Edo period, and the Noh stage at Kasuga Shrine (a national important cultural property) is also unique as it is considered extremely rare for a castle town in a provincial city to have a Noh stage. Even today, the traditional style of performing arts are still being performed, with the “Okina” Gancho (New year’s morning) Noh play bringing in the new year, and the Kasuga Noh performance in spring. A performance comprising both Noh style drama and Kyogen style theater is called “Nogaku.” This event gives visitors a first-hand insight into the traditional performing art of Kyogen, with a close-up view of Kyogen performers including Kyogen master Kodo Yamaguchi of the Okura school, holder of the important intangible cultural asset “Nogaku" in Jodan-no-ma, the most prestigious room in the Oshoin of Sasayama Castle. Visitors are able to join Kyogen masters to try on Kyogen costumes like kimonos and Noh masks and discover more in a lecture on Kyogen dancing.
Authentic Kodo experience with Master Yukiko Lee
One of the three major traditional Japanese arts, Kodo first originated during the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573). Japanese people have long preserved their traditional arts, and have cultivated strong links between them and the four seasons and literature in a systematic manner. Held in a room of the villa of the lord of Sasayama Castle, this captivating, genuine experience draws on the aromas of real fragrant wood that are considered more valuable than gold. Yukiko Lee, a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter and master of incense, will lead visitors on an aromatic journey into the “Way of Incense.”
Out of the five senses, aroma is the only one that is linked directly to memory. Unwind with this scented retreat and take heed of your body and mind through fragrance.
Handcraft small Tamba ware bowls in paulownia wooden boxes "to take home that day."
Visitors are able to try their hand at craftsmanship that played a key part of people's day-to-day lives under the guidance of a ceramic artist. Tamba-Tachikui ware is a style of ceramics that has been passed down for about 850 years. The pottery production area here in Tambasasayama is centered on a line of kilns in a valley surrounded by mountains. One of the kilns, Shoyo Gama, gives visitors an immersive insight into how craftsmen lived and made their pottery.
This event gives visitors the opportunity to handcraft their own “small bowls in paulownia wooden boxes” to take home that day."
Pick out a glaze and apply it, them fire it up in the kiln. Relish the chance to take part in this new approach to crafting ceramic arts that are finished on the spot. Create unique pieces like sake cups and miniature potted plant vases. Visitors can also add their own names to the wooden box themselves (name of piece and guest written with brush).
Savor a lunch of gastronomic delights!
Satoyama cuisine Maekawa
Delight in Tambasasayama cuisine prepared by a chef hailing from the area, made with seasonal local ingredients and cooked with methods passed down from his own grandmother and other ancestors. Rice grown by this family is dried using the “inagi-boshi,” a traditional method of drying rice—the rice is then cooked in an earthenware pot before serving. Rice made with the inagi-boshi method of drying has high nutritional value, and enhances the aroma, firmness and luster of the rice wonderfully. The chef is also a licensed hunter, and prepares a range of fresh game dishes. The building is 150-year-old townhouse in the castle town renovated into a restaurant. The restaurant features luxurious private rooms with seats that retain a feel of the past.
NIPPONIA Sasayama Castle Town Hotel
NIPPONIA Sasayama Castle Town Hotel is a set of dispersed accommodation facilities, based on renovated vacant old private houses located throughout the historic castle town of Tanbasasayama. The whole castle town is integral to the hotel, offering an extraordinary accommodation experience immersing guests deep in history and tradition. Restored from old private dwellings dating back to the Edo period, the buildings feature modern comforts that give guests the chance to stay in harmony with the local culture and scenery. Enjoy a truly soothing stay immersed in the rich natural environment of Tanbasasayama, while relishing the Japanese lifestyle and cuisine.
TERROIR ET NATURE
Tambasasayama and its surrounds have been a treasure trove of food products since ancient times, including Tamba black beans, Tamba chestnuts, Tamba matsutake mushrooms, and mountain yams. Guests can treat their five senses to all there is to experience in Tambasasayama, including the wind, soil and ingredients. To complement this indulgence, French cuisine with the concept of "terroir et naturel" is provided using local ingredients to bring out their flavors. Appreciate the culture of Tambasasayama with these simple, high-quality bowls.
Day Trip Plans
Tours for casually exploring Japanese culture
A journey of immersion in the Japanese culture of a castle town at Tambasasayama
~ Relish in the experience of crafting aromas, savoring matcha green tea and a indulging in a gourmet lunch!
Aoyama Historical Village “Crafting Aromas”
Aoyama Historical Village showcases collections and documents of the lords of Tanbasasayama. Incense tools are amongst the collections available.
“Kodo” is one of the ancient arts of Japan. It first came along as an "incense for prayers" together with Buddhism, and then spread as "fragrance for enjoyment" by the nobility during the Heian period—the Japanese term that translates to “smelling incense to judge its variety” came from the idea of listening with the soul to what the fragrance is conveying.
Crafting Aromas allows visitors to select their favorite fragrant woods from a selection of ten different types, including sandalwood, cloves and spikenard, and combine them to create a bag of their very own unique fragrance.
Anma Family Samurai Residence Museum “Authentic Matcha Tea Experience”
Built in 1830, the Anma Family Samurai Residence has been restored as a historical museum in the Okachimachi district remaining on the west side of Sasayama Castle. The thatched villa is considered the standard type of samurai residences in the Tanbasasayama area in terms of size and style, and the daily utensils on show in the museum allows visitors to imagine living the life of the samurai family. On the veranda, visitors can partake in a casual tea ceremony unrestricted by etiquette, while taking in the wonder of the Japanese garden. Visitors can pour hot water from a tea kettle into a tea bowl, and use a tea whisk to make their own tea.
Sasayama Castle Oshoin
Sasayama Castle was built by Ieyasu Tokugawa in 1609 as a base from which to seize Osaka Castle and overpower the powerful feudal lords of western Japan. Oshoin was used for official events of the feudal domain for some 260 years, and is of an unprecedented scale and ancient architectural style as a wooden structure built by a single feudal lord. The museum features replicas of armor worn by famous military commanders like Nobunaga Oda, Masamune Date, Yukimura Sanada, and visitors are also welcome to try them on (additional fee applies). Visitors can take snaps of themselves strolling around the castle grounds in the armor. Kimonos are also available for women.
Savor a lunch of gastronomic delights!
Satoyama cuisine Maekawa
Delight in Tambasasayama cuisine prepared by a chef hailing from the area, made with seasonal local ingredients and cooked with methods passed down from his own grandmother and other ancestors. Rice grown by this family is dried using the “inagi-boshi,” a traditional method of drying rice—the rice is then cooked in an earthenware pot before serving. Rice made with the inagi-boshi method of drying has high nutritional value, and enhances the aroma, firmness and luster of the rice wonderfully. The chef is also a licensed hunter, and prepares a range of fresh game dishes. The building is 150-year-old townhouse in the castle town renovated into a restaurant. The restaurant features luxurious private rooms with seats that retain a feel of the past.
Upgrade plans are also available
Vehicles can be chartered from the hotel you are staying at in Kyoto City.
Culinary journey at Footpath & Gastronomy Lunch
Footpath
Originating in the United Kingdom, “Footpaths” are paths for walking and taking in the surrounding scenery. “Foot" refers to the "feet" and "path" means a "trail.” The villages of Ono and Yashiro in Tambasasayama are areas that have long played a key role with agriculture, and visitors are able to relish in the Satoyama lifestyle and traditional scenery as they stroll around the area. One of the unique attractions here is having a chance encounter with villagers engaged in farm work and communicating with them.
Savor a lunch of gastronomic delights!
Satoyama cuisine Maekawa
Delight in Tambasasayama cuisine prepared by a chef hailing from the area, made with seasonal local ingredients and cooked with methods passed down from his own grandmother and other ancestors. Rice grown by this family is dried using the “inagi-boshi,” a traditional method of drying rice—the rice is then cooked in an earthenware pot before serving. Rice made with the inagi-boshi method of drying has high nutritional value, and enhances the aroma, firmness and luster of the rice wonderfully. The chef is also a licensed hunter, and prepares a range of fresh game dishes. The building is 150-year-old townhouse in the castle town renovated into a restaurant. The restaurant features luxurious private rooms with seats that retain a feel of the past.
Upgrade plans are also available
Vehicles can be chartered from the hotel you are staying at in Kyoto City.
Hands-on Activities
Experiences unique to Tambasasayama
Land-based Hands-on Activities
“Experience Kyogen” at Oshoin at Sasayama Castle, Jodan-no-ma room
“Kyogen" is a cultural tradition that is unique to Japan. Noh and Kyogen have been popular in Tambasasayama since the Edo period, and the Noh stage at Kasuga Shrine (a national important cultural property) is also unique as it is considered extremely rare for a castle town in a provincial city to have a Noh stage. Even today, the traditional style of performing arts are still being performed, with the “Okina” Gancho (New year’s morning) Noh play bringing in the new year, and the Kasuga Noh performance in spring. A performance comprising both Noh style drama and Kyogen style theater is called “Nogaku.” This event gives visitors a first-hand insight into the traditional performing art of Kyogen, with a close-up view of Kyogen performers including Kyogen master Kodo Yamaguchi of the Okura school, holder of the important intangible cultural asset “Nogaku" in Jodan-no-ma, the most prestigious room in the Oshoin of Sasayama Castle. Visitors are able to join Kyogen masters to try on Kyogen costumes like kimonos and Noh masks and discover more in a lecture on Kyogen dancing.
Authentic Kodo experience with Master Yukiko Lee
One of the three major traditional Japanese arts, Kodo first originated during the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573). Japanese people have long preserved their traditional arts, and have cultivated strong links between them and the four seasons and literature in a systematic manner. Held in a room of the villa of the lord of Sasayama Castle, this captivating, genuine experience draws on the aromas of real fragrant wood that are considered more valuable than gold. Yukiko Lee, a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter and master of incense, will lead visitors on an aromatic journey into the “Way of Incense.”
Out of the five senses, aroma is the only one that is linked directly to memory. Unwind with this scented retreat and take heed of your body and mind through fragrance.
Handcraft small Tamba ware bowls in paulownia wooden boxes "to take home that day."
Visitors are able to try their hand at craftsmanship that played a key part of people's day-to-day lives under the guidance of a ceramic artist. Tamba-Tachikui ware is a style of ceramics that has been passed down for about 850 years. The pottery production area here in Tambasasayama is centered on a line of kilns in a valley surrounded by mountains. One of the kilns, Shoyo Gama, gives visitors an immersive insight into how craftsmen lived and made their pottery.
This event gives visitors the opportunity to handcraft their own “small bowls in paulownia wooden boxes” to take home that day."
Pick out a glaze and apply it, them fire it up in the kiln. Relish the chance to take part in this new approach to crafting ceramic arts that are finished on the spot. Create unique pieces like sake cups and miniature potted plant vases. Visitors can also add their own names to the wooden box themselves (name of piece and guest written with brush).
Ojiyama-yaki Celadon Porcelain and Ceramic
Ojiyama-yaki is said to date back to the end of the Edo period (1603 to 1868). The origins of this kiln can be traced back to a domain kiln constructed by the lord of the Sasayama domain in the Ojiyama area located on the east of the castle town—a master craftsman from Kyoto who had successfully fired celadon was called to the town as an instructor. The kiln reached its peak around 1850, but disappeared in 1869—for this reason, it was referred to as a "phantom porcelain” for a while. Over time, it was revived by volunteers in the late1980s. Revived after more than a century, Ojiyama-yaki pottery is characterized by cool, celadon glazes, and is highly valued for its beautiful hues and delicate styles. This experience gives visitors a hands-on insight into the process called Shinogi under the guidance of Yasushi Takeuchi, a master potter with 30years of experience in this field.
Anma Family Samurai Residence Museum “Authentic Matcha Tea Experience”
Built in 1830, the Anma Family Samurai Residence has been restored as a historical museum in the Okachimachi district remaining on the west side of Sasayama Castle. The thatched villa is considered the standard type of samurai residences in the Tanbasasayama area in terms of size and style, and the daily utensils on show in the museum allows visitors to imagine living the life of the samurai family. On the veranda, visitors can partake in a casual tea ceremony unrestricted by etiquette, while taking in the wonder of the Japanese garden. Visitors can pour hot water from a tea kettle into a tea bowl, and use a tea whisk to make their own tea.
