Chofu’s “nukumori” tours extend warm welcome to intl. students, foreigners, returnees

The Chofu City Tourism Association on February 4 this year welcomed participants to the latest edition of their nukumori tours.

The association’s nukumori tours are open to international students, foreign residents, young Japanese nationals recently returned from living overseas, and people with overseas networks. The latest tour would mark the eighth outing for the organizers.

Nukumori translates to “warmth” and the tours are aimed at helping participants to discover, or rediscover, the charms of Chofu in a warm, friendly group environment, taking them by bus around some of the city’s attractions together with English-speaking volunteer guides.

Past tours have seen participants from 11 countries head out to sites that have included Chofu’s iconic Jindaiji Temple where guides have done their best to cover the temple’s history. With Jindaiji dating back some 1300 years, that’s a lot of history to cover!

While in the Jindaiji area it would be a shame to miss out on the much-loved Jindaiji soba noodles. Past tours have duly served-up bowls of the buckwheat noodles that have an around 400-year relationship with their namesake temple.

Tour participants have also had the chance to try their hand at raku-yaki, visiting a local pottery kiln where they could apply their artistic talents to the painting of ceramics, ready to be glazed, baked and taken home as a unique souvenir.

Previous nukumori tour participants remarked that they were happy to have been able to communicate with people from various countries, and that they learned a lot about Chofu and Japan through the tours.

Presents have been given to participants who posted about the tours on social media, so look out for images and comments online which might be able to give you an idea as to what Chofu’s nukumori tours are all about.