With one of the few people in the area that can make these practical pieces of tradition, we'll work on traditional rice grass sandals commonly used in ceremonies (but we'll use them to climb Mt. Horaiji the old-fashioned way the next day). Seeing as we aren't all rice grass experts, making sandals from scratch that would survive the climb could take days, so we will start with some partly-made sandals that we will finish off. We'll also have the chance to make some rice grass rope and try some of the hard parts of the process.

We'll enjoy bento lunch after finishing our waraji sandals.

At this experience we'll meet a group of Yamabushi (mountain monks) that practice at Mt. Horaiji. We'll make our own bamboo horns and even try playing a real conch shell horn.

With the friendly Yamabushi you'll get even more of a feel for Japanese spirituality.

This experience is available only when some of the Yamabushi are available, so it's best to book well in advance.

(Unryuso is to the right in the picture, behind the lush trees and next to a temple)

Right at the base of Mt. Horaiji's stone steps, Unryuso is the perfect place to relax and be ready for the climb the next day. Unryuso has great traditional style, and the meals are incredible, some even using wild boar in hot pot (in Winter) and mountain vegetables (in Spring).