Begin your tour with a visit to a knife workshop, where you'll watch artisans forge the blades that chefs around the world trust in their kitchens. A knife factory can also be visited.

From there, step into the Yamaguchi Residence, a merchant house that still holds the atmosphere of old Sakai, from an era when trade and craft filled the city's streets.

Next, make your own incense from upcycled matcha, shaping it into small figures modeled after the ancient kofun tombs and haniwa statues found around Sakai, the calming scent filling the room as you work.

Finish the day with matcha, prepared the traditional way by a tea master in the city where the ceremony was born.