9/14-15 Katakai Fireworks and Japanese Sake Tours

Welcome Lunch: Enjoy traditional local dishes, and learn to make ONIGIRI through the guidance of local moms ! Lunch is served in a 120-year-old house, where local dishes are prepared using local ingredients. Local mothers harvest the vegetables they grow themselves that morning and cook them in the local way. Lots of different vegetables are arranged on platters and you can have whatever you like in a buffet style. The rice is cooked in a large kamado, which is located in the earthen floor of the old house, using wood. The Uonuma Koshihikari rice cooked in the kamado is a special treat, where you can feel the sweetness of the rice so much that you don't need any side dishes. Experience Making Onigiri Together with local mothers, you will make onigiri (rice balls) to be eaten at the fireworks site at night. The rice used for the onigiri is Koshihikari rice grown in the region. The grains are short, thick and have a firm texture. The more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes.

1 Hours • Admission Ticket Included

Experience Making Onigiri Together with local mothers, you will make onigiri (rice balls) to be eaten at the fireworks site at night. The rice used for the onigiri is Koshihikari rice grown in the region. The grains are short, thick and have a firm texture. The more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes.

1 Hours • Admission Ticket Included

Echigo Kawaguchi “Onsen” After enjoying lunch, take it easy. Or you can enjoy Open-air bath “ONSEN” ! Everyone loves It. We will guide you to the hot springs “ONSEN” on the same premises. Bring your amenity bag. “Onsen" is a word that literally means "hot spring" are natural hot water baths rich in beneficial minerals. There are various types of onsen available, including popular ones like outdoor baths and indoor baths.

3 Hours • Admission Ticket Included

Asahara Shrine

Transfer to Fireworks Site /Asahara Shrine by charterd bus.

1 Hours • Admission Ticket Included

Katakai Festival

Free & Easy. In the town of Katakai a number of traditional events take place from morning. Dinner by your own made "ONIGIRI" The festival brims with local music, traditional dance, regional cuisine, and a bustling atmosphere filled with communal fervor. It represents a vibrant expression of local culture, offering an exceptional opportunity to fully experience the beauty of Japan.

2 Hours 30 Minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Katakai Festival

The Katakai Fireworks Festival. The Katakai Festival, an annual summer event held in Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture, is renowned for its grandeur and beauty. The star of this festival is undoubtedly the Yon-shaku-dama firework, one of the largest firework shells in the world. The Katakai Festival traces its roots back over 400 years. It symbolizes unity within the community and expresses gratitude to the deities for bountiful harvests, safety, and well-being. The highlight of the festival is the launching of the Yon-shaku-dama, with a diameter of roughly 1.2 meters, weighing about 420 kilograms. This colossal firework ascends to a staggering height of about 800 meters, illuminating the night sky with an explosion of vibrant colors. A true spectacle. The Katakai Festival presents a once-in-a-lifetime experience to witness Japan's traditions and the grandeur of the fireworks at the same time. Engage with the true beauty of Japan and be part of these awe-inspiring moments.

3 Hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Transfer to hotel by Chartered Bus

1 Hours • Admission Ticket Included

5:00-　"ONSEN" (Hot Springs)only in hotel are available. 7:30-9:30　Breakfast at hotel. 10:00　Check out and transfer to Asahi Shuzo Brewery

3 Hours • Admission Ticket Free

Strolling "Momiji-en" (Observation spot) and "Asahi shrine" for tasting spring water for sake.

35 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

■Asahi Shuzo Brewery Brewery Tours and learn about the brewing process. The tour offers a guided tour of the brewery and the opportunity to learn about the traditional Japanese sake brewing process from the Echigo Toji. It is also a rare opportunity to sample the original sake brewed in this brewery.

50 Minutes • Admission Ticket Included

■Lunch at local resturant runing by the brewery: "Hotaru-an" Hegisoba Hegisoba is a soba noodle dish of Uonuma area in Niigata Prefecture. Soba noodles made with funori as its binder are cut and placed into a plate called "hegi". "Hegi" is a square plate made of hagiita (wood which bark is stripped off), and named after "hagi" (strip). Soba noodles are put into a small bundle and placed into the plate. Some regions use mustard as a condiment, but wasabi is served for this lunch!

1 Hours • Admission Ticket Included

■2 Special Experience at "Shoraikaku Villa" #Special experience 1 : Marriage of sake and side dishes It is a given that sake goes well with Japanese food, but sake is also a drink that goes very well with meals other than Japanese food. We invite you to experience the depth of sake by seeing, smelling and tasting for yourself how sake goes with your everyday meals. #Special experience 2 : Comparison of rice for food and sake The rice we eat for our daily meals is called edible rice, of which there are many varieties. The famous Koshihikari is one brand of edible rice. On the other hand, another type of rice, called sake rice, is used to brew sake, of which there are many different brands. Kubota uses a type of sake rice called Gohyakumangoku. In the second of the special experiences, participants are invited to compare this food rice and sake rice.

2 Hours 20 Minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Transfer to Nagaoka Station by charted bus, end of the tour.

1 Hours • Admission Ticket Included