A Hands-on Family Charcoal Tour
Deep in Japan's mountains, charcoal kilns are usually a well-kept secret — hard to find, harder to visit. Not in Urahoro. Here, one has been burning just outside town since 1921, and you're invited in.
~A moment when fire, life, and nature are quietly connected~
Meet your guide
Your guide grew up in Taiwan, not Urahoro — which means you'll get the outsider's eye for what's actually interesting here, backed by a local's depth of knowledge. Expect a few stories even lifelong residents haven't heard.
Split the Wood Yourself
Forget the axe-throwing videos you've seen online — this is the real thing. You'll learn to read the grain, find your swing, and split a log clean in half. The crack of the wood, the smell that hits you a second later — it's oddly addictive.
Haul It Like the Old-Timers Did
No forklifts here. You'll load a wooden handcart and push it, just like generations of charcoal-makers before you. It's more work than it looks — and that's the point.
Take a Piece of the Charcoal Home
Before you leave, you'll make your own charcoal decoration. Hope every time you see it, you will remember the memory in Urahoro.
Optional Lunch: Charcoal-Grilled Pork, Cooked Right in Front of You
This is the part people talk about after they leave. Grilled over an open irori hearth — using charcoal you helped make — the pork comes out smoky, tender, and better than anything you'll find at a restaurant. It's paired with miso soup made by a local grandmother using vegetables grown in the town, plus grilled octopus and whelk skewers, all sourced within a few kilometers of where you're standing.
(Optional add-on — let us know when booking.)
Participation fee
￥１０,０００ for １～２ persons (Over 6 years old)
＋¥５,０００ per extra person
※ ３～５year-old：￥２,５００／person
Under ２ year-old：free
The whole tour takes about ２ hours.
AM ９:００〜１１:００
PM １３:４０〜１５:４０(recommended for those who take JR)
Operate all year round
There are cases where the tour may be cancelled due to inclement weather.
Meeting point: JR Urahoro station
Please be at the meeting place on time.
What to bring: Comfortable clothing
During winter, please dress warmly — in Urahoro, winter temperatures can drop as low as -15℃.
Method of Payment
◯You can pay with cash on the day, or make bank transfer payment beforehand.
Notice
◯Please do reservation 3 days beforehand.
◯Please contact us in case of more than 6 people.
◯This is a private tour guided by a local on foot. If you are driving here, we can arrange a tour by car.
◯The meeting place is JR Urahoro station. In case of pickup from the Obihiro Airport, please contact us.
Cancellation Policy
◯Cancellations made on the day of the tour will incur a 100% cancellation fee.
◯Cancellations made two to three days prior to the tour date will incur a 50% cancellation fee.
◯No cancellation fee will be charged for cancellations made earlier than three days in advance.
◯In the event that the tour is cancelled due to inclement weather or unsafe conditions, no participation fee will be charged.
Split wood. Make charcoal. Eat like a local. Sound like your kind of day?
We also run a birdwatching tour and a barley field & craft beer experience — ask us about combining a few into a proper Urahoro day (or two).
Access
◯ About 1 hour by car from Obihiro Airport / 1 hour by car from Kushiro Airport
◯ The limited express between Obihiro Station and Kushiro Station stops at Urahoro station. You can use JR line.
