This Week @ PacSet: Last Call for Fall + Summer 2025 Wrap
LAST CALL FOR FALL!
We just got back from our Summer trips, and you know what that means: Last Call for Fall!
Taste of Japan Nihonkai sales close *checks watch* …TODAY. Oh dear. So if you are reading this and waffling on whether or not you deserve five nights in hot springs and a mind-bending number of amazing dishes to enjoy: yes, you deserve it. You totally do. Your boss, what’s his name… Bill? Bill can take care of himself for two weeks. If your boss isn’t named Bill, I am sure that that person can also take care of themselves and will realize that two weeks of the best food Japan has to offer is something you deserve for how hard you’ve been working. You know we’re right. Join us!
Next up, Soul of Autumn closes in two weeks-ish! This is a fancy, relaxation-oriented journey through Tohoku and Hokkaido that ends at a really gorgeous hot spring in Eastern Hokkaido. It’s long, but that’s kinda the point; we want to make sure all of our guests get the most they can out of the entire experience. <3 That experience will involve a lot of fall colors and a bevy of special goodies. If you’re the kind of traveler who always wishes they had more time in every place they go, this is most definitely the one for you.
SUMMER 2025 WRAP UP!
Our two adventures for the Summer season have concluded. To the shock of no one, we had a great time. :D
First off, we were invited to guide a group up to Hokkaido and Lake Toya, which we last visited on Taste of Japan North 2022 (spoiler: you’ll be seeing this one again soon, friends). The weather in Hokkaido was a lot nicer than the rest of Japan, but we encouraged the vibe a bit by making ice cream, sailing on a speed boat around the lake, chilling on a river gorge cruise, and revisiting our favorite restaurant from ANN in Japan 2023, Culaccino.
Elsewhere, Best of Japan brought us back to the Gion Festival in Kyoto, which was beyond amazing. We spent the whole day at and around the festival, hopping into some of the iconic carts that take to the streets and sampling all sorts of special local dishes, including an impromptu tea ceremony stop and a moment where we befriended some very enthusiastic shumai retailers.
Thank you to all the guests who made both trips so magical and patiently tolerated every time that Evan reminded them to drink water to beat the heat.
We’d also like to thank our guests who spared Evan’s life instead of cutting him down in the streets of Hakodate. That was an extremely kind gesture, and we sincerely appreciate it.
NEXT TIME: We’re doing something absolutely insane for 2026 trip roll out. Uh oh!
