From Tokyo: Matsunoyama Onsen & Hegi Soba Class Day

Private long day from Tokyo: make your own hegi soba noodles in a hands-on class, then soak in ancient Matsunoyama onsen and walk the Mikoshi river terraces. Lunch included.
Matsunoyama is one of Japan's three ancient medicinal hot springs, and the town next to it teaches its own noodle: hegi soba, bound with seaweed instead of egg, which you make by hand before eating what you rolled.

Pickup is at 06:00 from your Tokyo hotel or address for the drive to Tokamachi. The soba class comes first, with an instructor showing you how to mix, roll and cut the seaweed-bound noodle, ending with your own soba as lunch, served on the traditional hegi tray. After the class the group drives up to Matsunoyama onsen for a soak in the mineral bath, said to be medicinal since the Edo period. The Matsunoyama Kyororo museum, built into the hillside, is next for its nature exhibits on the region's deep snow, before a walk along the Mikoshi river terraces to close the day. The van returns to Tokyo in the evening.

Hegi soba gets its bounce from funori seaweed worked into the dough instead of egg, and the instructor shows you the traditional fold-and-cut technique used to portion it onto the hegi tray in small twisted bundles. Matsunoyama's spring water, the same water used in the medicinal bath, is said to be part of what makes the local soba taste different from soba made anywhere else in the country.

The soba making class, your soba lunch, and the Matsunoyama onsen day-use bath are included in the price, along with the private van and driver-guide.

This suits anyone who wants to cook something with their hands rather than just watch, and travellers who want a real onsen soak worked into a day trip rather than an overnight stay.

If the hegi soba making class, or any other included stop, ticket or activity, cannot run on your date because of weather, closure or availability, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed; an equivalent alternative is offered only if you prefer it.

Para garantir a disponibilidade, reserve o mais cedo possível. A reserva antecipada vale a pena considerar especialmente se você estiver planejando a viagem durante a alta temporada, como feriados ou fins de semana.

Esta excursão você pode cancelar sem custo até 24 horas antes do início da viagem. Se você cancelar após 24 horas ou não comparecer à excursão, ainda será cobrado o preço total da atividade. Chegar atrasado na coleta ou partida será considerado como não comparecimento.