Yamanashi Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Fuji, is well-known among hikers, wine and nature lovers

but today I'm going to show you a little travel secret!

5 of the newest things to see and eat

photo-worthy spots

and hands on, private experiences you wont want to miss when you're there.

This is a first for me!

It feels delicious!

There are many buses and trains you can take from Tokyo to get to Yamanashi

but I decided to take the quick route, about a 1.5 hr train to the area

before heading over to a small tour that starts at Shimo-Yoshida station.

Flower Roll Sushi!

This insta-perfect delicious roll is going to be my lunch for today.

You can come with your own friends or join a group of up to five people

and follow along with a translator to make your own unique design.

A mixture of fish eggs and rice!

Step 1 is to make 5 of these...rice cigar things.

This is part of the design so

if you don't do this part right the rest of it will be messed up.

Mmm, not quite!

I believe!!!

Cheese!

Alright so now we have 5 rice cigars and a cheese.

Does it still look like a flower?

It's time to eat!

Mm! It's not just pretty, it tastes good!

The cheese in the middle is my favorite part.

Next, we're going for a hike.

I'm really excited about this next spot

because if you've ever googled "Japan" or "Mt. Fuji", etc.

there's this one photo that's always in the search results

it turns out that the place where you can see that photo

is right up the mountain here so

I'm going to reinvent the most iconic image of Mt. Fuji!

a lot of people call this place Chureito in English

but in the Japanese the original name is Arakura Fuji Sengen Jinja (Shrine)

Mt. Fuji is right through the torii gate back there

So it's a perfect picture spot to get Mt. Fuji and the torii gate together

Our goal is to get to the top!

This truly is the most iconic view, it's brilliant!

This view of Mt. Fuji and the Chureito pagoda beside it

this is like on every postcard!

This is the view that I have been waiting for, throughout all my travels in Japan.

In the middle of winter you can see Mt. Fuji snowcapped and very clearly

but in the spring with the cherryblossoms on both sides of the stairs leading up

especially in the morning, I know that this would be the PREFECT view!

To the top it's only a 10-15 min walk, but there's lots of shrines and temples to see when you come back down.

I've actually stayed in this area before

but I missed some of the hidden stories and secrets

about the town that you get when you come w/ a guide

Our next option was a local walking tour

visiting some of the best photo spots along Nishiura.

a walkable town where you can see retro shops

or stop in for a bite or a taste of the local night life.

Now I'm walking down this secret bar alley

When the lights come on,

it has a funky vibe!

M final activity is very hands-on

It meets at the hot springs resort town by Kawaguchiko Station.

This rustic cooking class is run

by the local grandmothers who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty!

From farm, direct to their table,

they shared not only the warmth of their secret recipes

but a real zest for local food.

Good thing she's helping!

All set!

Let's get cooking!

Stepping on dough....this is a first for me!

It's a VERY interesting feeling!

Feels delicious!

So now the noodles are done, so we're going to make rice balls

and the actual soup that goes into the houtou noodles.

The great thing about Houtou is that you can add almost anything, as long as you have the noodles.

As long as you have the noodles you can make almost any flavor!

The standard recipe uses rich flavors like pumpkin and shiitake

you can also make spicy flavors or whatever you want

So we're going to make some now!

So now we're waiting for the noodles and broth to boil, then we can eat!

We heard a story about the experience here

How they started this place like a lunch cantina for the local kids, so they always have lunch.

Houtou is kind of like the Yamanashi symbol of food.

What's called, Meibutsu.

The thing that's great about Houtou, other than the fresh noodles and delicious ingredients,

is that you can change the ingredients to anything you want

So the ladies mentioned to us that

when they were preparing this experience to be ready for English-speakers

that they were considering how to serve it for people who don't eat meat,

about halal, vegetarian, vegan,

They've been studying different types of food and styles

so that they can adapt the houtou to anyone who comes to taste it.

So, that's really cool!

Enough talk! Let me get in there and help...

I'm going to use the fork and use this mega-spork!

Look at how good that looks!

The way that the kabocha pumpkin melts into the broth

makes it really creamy, round and sweet.

hand-rolled, hand-cut noodles!

This will keep you warm in the winter!

Rich flavor and a table shared with friends

Yamanashi is filled with easily accessible things to do

and some of the most iconic views of Mt. Fuji, both now and all year around!