Questions, answered

Not yet. Every session brings together the venue, your host and an interpreter exclusively for your group, so we first check availability with all of them. We reply by email, usually within 2 business days. Your booking is confirmed only when you receive our confirmation email.

Only after your date is confirmed. We email you a secure payment link (major credit cards accepted). Your card details never pass through this website. Your reservation is completed once payment is received.

Requests close 7 days before the date for the Noh and yakitori experiences, and 14 days before for the Shimanami cycling tour. Each experience is privately arranged for your group — the venue, your host and the interpreter are all scheduled individually — and that is the time we need to bring everyone together for you.

For the Noh and yakitori experiences: free of charge until 7 days before, 50% from 6–3 days before, and 100% from 2 days before (including no-shows). The Shimanami cycling tour follows its own scale: free until 10 days before, 20% from 9–4 days before, 30% from 3–2 days before, 50% the day before, and 100% on the day. The applicable policy is shown on each experience page and on the request form — see the Booking Terms page for the full tables.

None at all. For the Noh and yakitori experiences, an English-speaking interpreter accompanies the whole session and every term is explained in plain language — chanting scripts are romanized, and at the yakitori counter the staff guide your hands at every step. On the cycling tour, an English-speaking cycle guide leads the ride at no extra charge. Curiosity is the only requirement.

We are sorry — none of our experiences are wheelchair accessible. At the Noh theatre, wheelchairs cannot pass the building entrance and the auditorium is on the second floor, reached by stairs; the yakitori restaurant is likewise not accessible; and the cycling tour requires riding a bicycle. If someone in your group has limited mobility but does not use a wheelchair, please tell us in the request form and we will advise honestly whether the experience will be comfortable for them.

Yes — each experience is private, so it can be adapted to your group. For the cycling tour, children need to be able to ride a bicycle on their own. Please mention children’s ages in the request form.

Fukuyama is a castle city in eastern Hiroshima Prefecture, on the San'yo Shinkansen line between Hiroshima and Okayama. Every train stops beneath Fukuyama Castle — the keep stands directly beside the station — and the city is the gateway to the port town of Tomonoura on the Seto Inland Sea.

Take the San'yo Shinkansen east from Hiroshima Station to Fukuyama Station — about 25 minutes. From the station's south exit, the Noh theatre is a 15-minute walk (or a 5-minute taxi ride), and the yakitori restaurant is about 5 minutes by taxi (or a 20-minute walk). For the Shimanami cycling tour, continue from Fukuyama Station by the Shimanami Liner highway bus to Imabari (approx. 90 minutes — a scenic ride across the Seto Inland Sea), then a short local bus or taxi to Sunrise Itoyama. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on Sakura and Kodama Shinkansen services.

Easily. Many guests visit the Peace Memorial Park or Miyajima in the morning and join an afternoon session — the Noh experience starts at 10:00 or 16:00, and the yakitori experience starts on the hour between 10:00 and 16:00 — or take a morning session and continue to Hiroshima afterwards. Fukuyama is also directly on the Shinkansen route between Hiroshima and Kyoto / Osaka, so the experience fits naturally into a one-way journey.

For the yakitori experience, yes — the restaurant has free parking. The cycling tour's meeting point, Sunrise Itoyama, also has free parking with space for chartered buses. For the Noh theatre, we recommend arriving by taxi or on foot from Fukuyama Station (about 15 minutes' walk).

Yes — you eat what you grill: your four self-made skewers, two more grilled by the master, and a rice ball, with soft drinks included. Alcoholic drinks can be ordered on the spot and paid for separately. Please tell us about any food allergies or dietary restrictions when you book.

The Noh and yakitori experiences take place fully indoors, so they go ahead in comfort whatever the weather — both make a perfect plan for a rainy day in Japan. The Shimanami cycling tour is outdoors: if the weather makes riding unsafe, the tour is rescheduled or cancelled with a full refund.

Comfortable clothes you can move in are ideal. For the Noh experience, shoes are removed before entering the theatre and tabi socks are provided when you reach the second-floor auditorium; everything else — fans, instruments, masks — is prepared for you. For the yakitori experience, a happi coat is provided to wear over your clothes while you skewer and grill. For the cycling tour, wear shoes and clothes you can pedal in; e-bikes are provided.

Yes — the Noh and yakitori experiences end with a dedicated photo session: on the Noh stage, or together with the yakitori master. On the cycling tour, the return ride is at your own pace, so you can stop for photos on the bridge. Outside those times, your host will let you know when photography is possible.

Please contact Setouchi Land Operator, the trade site of our affiliated company for travel agencies and tour operators, rather than using the request form on this site. They work with the trade on trade terms and can build these experiences into a complete ground programme across the Setouchi region. The request form and the prices shown on this site are for guests booking directly. Go to Setouchi Land Operator →