Eat Like a Shogun in Kawaguchi

Welcome to Kawaguchi, one of the first post towns on the Nikko Onari Kaido , which once connected Edo (modern day Tokyo) with the temple and shrine-filled city of Nikko.
Your guide will meet you at Shakujoji Temple, just a short walk from the station, ready to take you into a day in the life of a shogun traveling to Nikko to pay their respects at Toshogu Shrine.
Generations of Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled over Japan during the Edo period, stopped here during their journeys. Your guide will give you an overview of this history, before taking part in a Buddhist blessing ritual.
Afterwards, you will have the unique opportunity to try on a Takasagozome kimono, featuring elaborate patterns that were all the rage in the inner quarters of the shogun’s court. Most people in Japan have never seen, let alone worn, a Takasago-dyed kimono!
Finally, you will get a true taste of Edo cuisine, by enjoying the same meal that shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune ate during his visit to the temple on April 13, 1728. The menu was recorded in a historical chronicle, and an Edo food expert recreated each individual dish based on recipe books from the period.