This tour is part of the Toyota Green Life Experience series. Spend a day fashioning a knife over open flames amid a living museum portraying a rural village from hundreds of years ago in Toyota City’s proud Asuke area. Your guide: Yuto Hirose, the seventh generation and owner of Hirose Shigemitsu Cutlery, a longstanding blacksmith in Asuke with a history of 200 years.
Learn age-old traditional metalworking techniques with Mr. Hirose as you use natural materials and your own two hands to create a knife from scratch for use in your everyday life. Start up the fire, forge the iron, and let sparks fly as you pound life into this essential tool found throughout the history of mankind, walking in your ancestors’ footsteps with the primordial processes of blacksmithing.
During the afternoon, you can walk through the town of Asuke, which was a major hub in the journey of salt from the southern Mikawa Bay to the Southern Alps of Nagano Prefecture to the north. Houses and shops reminiscent of the late 1700s to 1800s still dot the streets with characteristic dark wooden bases and white plaster walls. Relish the flavors of local, wild boar harvested in the surrounding area or the local specialty that is gohei mochi—grilled rice cakes on a stick, covered in a sweet miso sauce. After satiating your appetite, it’s time to pick up your finished piece, sharpened by the master. Add the finishing touches to the handle, and it’s ready to take home as a physical memory of your once-in-a-lifetime experience in an age-old mountain town.
Begin your journey with convenient pick-up from your hotel and travel into the mountains of Toyota City’s historic Asuke area.
Arrive at Sanshu Asuke Yashiki and meet blacksmith Yuto Hirose, the seventh-generation owner of Hirose Shigemitsu Cutlery. Learn the basics of traditional forging as you heat iron in the fire and hammer it into the beginnings of your own knife.
Stroll through the museum’s grounds to see demonstrations of rural crafts, then head into Asuke town for lunch (at your own expense). Choose between local restaurants such as Hinoki Teahouse or Izukame, and enjoy a walk among the town’s Edo-period streets.
Return to Hirose Shigemitsu Cutlery to complete your knife by polishing and fitting the handle. Browse the cutlery shop afterward and take home your handcrafted piece as a lasting souvenir.
End the day with a comfortable ride back to your hotel, bringing with you both your finished knife and memories of Asuke’s heritage.
*For guests selecting the “no transfer” option, please meet at the Hirose Shigemitsu Cutlery shop’s parking lot at 10:00 AM. The tour will end at 3:00 PM at Hirose Shigemitsu Cutlery shop.
Parking lot of Hirose Shigemitsu Cutlery shop
For those selected pick-up option:Nagoya Station or Toyota-shi Station
This experience is booked on request. The owner of the experience will respond to the request within 3 days
| Cancellation Date | Cancellation Fee |
|---|---|
| No-show or cancellation after tour departure | 100% of the tour price |
| On the tour date | 50% of the tour price |
| 1 day prior to the tour date | 40% of the tour price |
| 2 to 7 days prior to the tour date | 30% of the tour price |
| 8 to 10 days prior to the tour date | 20% of the tour price |
| 11 or more days prior to the tour date | Free |
Asuke, Toyota