Hyogo The town of soba noodles! Explore the old castle town of Izushi and enjoy its culinary treasure

Relatively isolated, the town of Izushi managed to keep much of its old catstle town feel, while still being a very lively and culturally rich town nowadays. It is also known for its dozens of refined soba restaurants.

An important regional center in the 16th Century, this castle town has successfully maintained its old samurai era atmosphere, while also showing many signs of Japan's modernization process throughout the late 19th Century. Today, join a local guide who will handpick for you the most recommended soba restaurants. Served in different ways at elegant traditional venues, you will get to know the history of this local culinary treasure.

Beyond soba, visit the remains of the samurai era castle, as well as the oldest clocktower in Japan.

Plenty of time to visit local shops selling traditional food as well as local hand-made products - far from the tourism radar, these remain very authentic.

One of the highlights of the tour is Eiraku-kan, a perfectly preserved Kabuki theater which is still the cultural center of the town and nowadays hosts many cultural events from traditional arts to jazz and rock concerts - one of the many signs of how the small town of Izushi managed to keep a great balance between tradition and modernity.

Visit this traditonal castle town and experience its beautifully preserved atmosphere

Plenty of photogenic spots -from the castle to the red torii gates of the nearby Inari shrine, as well as Japan's first Western-style clock tower from the late 19th Century- will make this guided stroll through the town of Izushi particularly pleasant.

Experience some of the best soba in Japan

While the town of Izushi boasts the highest number of soba restaurants per capita in Japan, you will be guided by a local to the best ones, where you will be able to try interesting varieties of this world famous dish that is so deeply rooted in the local culture.

Visit Eiraku-kan, among the best preserved Kabuki theaters in Japan

Take a privileged look onto the world of Kabuki by visiting one of its oldest venues: Eiraku-kan.

Beyond the beautiful wooden structure, you can also visit the area underneath the main stage, where impressive machineries from the late 19th Century are still functioning to allow special effects, typical feature of Kabuki theater.

A symbol of the Japanese way of blending tradition and modernity, this old Kabuki house is still a cultural center for the community and serves as a stage for a number of traditional as well as contemporary performing art events.