Edo of the samurai or Kyoto of the nobles? Which experience do inbound tourists want?

Edo of the Samurai or Kyoto of the Nobles? Which experience do inbound tourists want? ​
EDO Co., Ltd. KAGURA Press release: May 16, 2025 To members of the press Edo of the samurai or Kyoto of the nobles? What kind of experience are inbound tourists looking for? ～1000 years of Japanese traditional culture finally on sale in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, a place far from overtourism～ EDO KAGURA Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Shinya Yamada, hereinafter “EDO KAGURA”) has significantly expanded the experience content of the premium tour “Kagurazaka Gayu” for foreign tourists visiting Japan on May 16, 2025, and has opened a new members-only EC site. Ten types of cultural experiences, such as Noh, Gagaku, Geisha, Daikagura, Tezuma, Ukiyo-e Printing, and Japanese Sweets Making, will be offered mainly at the restaurant “Koumoto” on a “limited to one group per day” basis. In response to the need for “traditional cultural experiences outside of Kyoto,” we will be selling a one-of-a-kind traditional cultural experience that combines the samurai culture and living entertainment district of Kagurazaka, Tokyo, to major travel agencies and hotels both in Japan and overseas. “Kagurazaka Refined Wander Sales Site” [URL]
https://www.kagurazaka-gayu.com/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/126446/11/126446-11-046b13c580868ec2286f007f2486fddb-1333×1000.jpg Experience Noh at Yarai Noh Theatre
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/126446/11/126446-11-4bc4f8d21af200b1fa870a054986bbcf-1333×1000.jpg Banquet with 5 geisha at a traditional restaurant
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/126446/11/126446-11-d79b821cb41f871d43069e8b0425eb4d-3072×2304.jpg Takahashi Studio Ukiyo-e Experience Foreigners seeking traditional cultural experiences for both travel and business According to the Japan Tourism Agency’s “Inbound Consumption Trends Survey 2024,” 77% of Western and Australian travelers answered “experience Japanese history and traditional culture” when asked “what did you do this time during your trip to Japan?” In addition, the Japan Tourism Agency’s “Reiwa 5 MICE Total Consumption Survey Project Report” states that 72.9% of foreigners want to “experience traditional culture” at the conference venue. In this way, many foreigners (especially Westerners and Australians) are looking for traditional cultural experiences, whether for travel or business such as MICE. In particular, wealthy and business travelers tend to want “authentic” traditional cultural experiences. Against this background, foreigners are flocking to Kyoto, causing overtourism. Kyoto isn’t the only “real” place — Have you forgotten that Tokyo was the center of Japanese culture for 400 years? In contrast to Kyoto, known for its glamorous and elegant aristocratic culture, Tokyo, formerly known as Edo, has been the center of politics, economy, and culture for over 400 years since the Tokugawa Shogunate, and has nurtured a unique culture that originated from samurai and Edo commoners. At its core is the culture of “iki,” which rejects excessive decoration and values ​​inner moderation and dignity. This value is also relevant to modern minimalism. In contrast to the serious overtourism in Kyoto, the “authentic” traditional culture experienced in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, where tranquility and living culture coexist, is what inbound tourists are looking for. In fact, participants of our traditional culture experience tours over the past year have rated our tours at 4.97 out of 5, almost perfect. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/126446/11/126446-11-c4348de340c735ad08714e39fd621cde-1333×1000.jpg Experience Daikagura at a Japanese restaurant
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/126446/11/126446-11-5707e84f09071c8160a8e9dbde37a787-2880×2160.jpg Japanese sweets and tea ceremony experience
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/126446/11/126446-11-88242c679befc5b83734284a21404936-1009×757.jpg Experience Gagaku at a Japanese restaurant The luxury of experiencing 1000 years of traditional Japanese culture in one place ── The strengths of Kagurazaka, Tokyo Gagaku is a full-fledged court music established in the Heian period, and now it can be experienced in its authentic form only in Tokyo. When the Imperial Household Agency’s Ceremonial Department and Music Department were relocated to Tokyo along with the Imperial Palace in the Meiji period, the center of succession moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. Kagurazaka Gayu has now officially added the gagaku experience to its menu, allowing you to experience Japan’s traditional culture, which has continued from the Heian period to the present day, in one day in one city. For example, after the gagaku experience, you can enjoy Edo banquet culture, including geisha, hokan, daikagura, and tezuma, making it a luxurious combination. It is a special experience where you can enjoy the “authenticity” of both Kyoto and Edo at once. This is a rare opportunity to experience 1,000 years of Japanese culture in one place. Overtourism is “unrefined” and the polar opposite of Japanese cultural characteristics such as “iki” and “wabi-sabi”. That’s why we recommend discerning foreign travelers to experience the real culture on the quiet cobblestone streets and backstreet restaurants and workshops of Kagurazaka. Kagurazaka, where the entertainment district culture that has continued since the Edo period coexists with artisan workshops, is a special place where living culture lives in the city center. It is here that you can experience the essence of Japanese culture’s “iki” and “wabi-sabi”. It’s not a staged experience – the real thing is still a part of everyday life. Encounter with living culture EDO KAGURA offers Geisha experiences, Noh and Gagaku experiences, Ukiyo-e printing experiences, and more, all in a completely private format with an interpreter guide, in collaboration with performers and craftsmen, based on a 25-year relationship of trust with the local community. EDO KAGURA’s programs are not just tourist shows or displays, but are structured to respect “real spaces, people, and manners.” For example, the geisha experience takes place in an actual restaurant in the red-light district, where highly trained geisha entertain with dancing, singing, shamisen,
conversation, and games. There are even sake tastings and karaoke with geisha. In addition, in the Noh experience, you will receive direct instruction in shimai from a Noh actor on the Noh stage of the Yarai Noh Theater, a nationally registered tangible cultural property. By learning from top craftsmen in the industry, such as traditional craftsmen in the ukiyo-e and dyeing experiences, and excellent confectioners in the Japanese sweets class, you can learn the depths of Japanese culture. Experiences where you can come into contact with such “best craftsmen” are extremely rare even in Japan. Reception starts from June 2025 Interest in samurai culture has been rekindled overseas, with the TV drama “Shogun,” which won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In addition, the historical drama “Berabou” has once again drawn attention to “iki” through the life of ukiyo-e publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo. With such growing interest both at home and abroad, we believe that the time has come to convey the “living Edo culture” of Kagurazaka, Tokyo, to the world in the form of an experience. On May 17th and 18th, Tokyo’s largest traditional performing arts festival, “Kagurazaka Machibutai – Oedo Meguri 2025” will be held. In conjunction with this event, where a variety of traditional performing arts such as Nohgaku, Gagaku, and Geisha’s Zashiki-asobi are performed on the streets of Kagurazaka, EDO KAGURA has also opened an EC site. “Kagurazaka Gayu” will start accepting tours from June 2025. We offer a variety of cultural experiences by reservation only and limited to one group per day. We can also create custom-made tours. Please feel free to contact us. Company Profile Company name: EDO KAGURA Co., Ltd. (Travel industry region-8490) Representative: Shinya Yamada Address: 1-31-16 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0075 Established: December 2021 Business content: Travel industry/clothing rental business for travelers URL: Company HP: Online store: , ■Contact us EDOKAGURA Co., Ltd. E-mail: shinya.yamada@edokagura.com *This email has been sent automatically, so please do not reply.