Tripologist: Can I combine my love of food and arts on a tour of Japan?

I would like to go on a tour of food and arts in Japan. Is there a company or small-tour group that specialises in these two interests?
D. Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek, NSW

A tuna sushi set at the famous Tsukiji seafood market.Credit: Getty

Wayfarer Travel has a two-week food and art cultural tour of Japan. Starting from Tokyo, the tour visits Takayama, Kyoto, Osaka and Naoshima Island, Japan’s “art” Island. Along the way you’ll have several cooking and tasting sessions with Japanese chefs and an Osaka street food safari. However this is a tailor-made tour, which means it will be you alone. Responsible Travel also has a 15-day food and art tour, but this too is a private itinerary and the price is steep.

You might be better off taking a group tour that focuses on either art or food, and Queensland-based Inside Japan has a small-group art and architecture tour that encompasses sculpture, textiles, ink painting, calligraphy, woodblock printing, gardens, temples, shrines, samurai residences and castles. Although the emphasis is on art, it would be impossible to visit Japan on any tour and not sample the refined delights of the Japanese kitchen. For more depth, what you might do is arrive in Tokyo a couple of days before your tour begins and take some short food tours. Secret Food Tours and Food Tours Japan are two options.

I am visiting Slovakia in September, 2025, joining a hiking tour starting from Krakow airport. Where could I visit for a few days that has a direct flight to Krakow? Finnair flies to Krakow via Helsinki so that is one option.
J. Fanos, Preston, Vic

The Finnish Design Museum, Helsinki.Credit: iStock

Helsinki would be a great choice. Get your bearings with a ride on the hop-on, hop-off red double decker bus. Next, head down to Kauppatori, the city’s harbourside market square, and take the ferry across to Suomenlinna Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the archipelago just off Helsinki. Back on the quay try the smoked fish, a Finnish specialty, but watch out for the seagulls.

Afterwards take a stroll along Esplanadi, which brings a touch of Paris to the city. The Design Museum Helsinki is worth a long look, and hip Punavuori is the place to go for design shopping if you’re inspired. The My Helsinki website has plenty of suggestions for outdoor adventures, including walks in Nuuksio National Park and cruises in the Helsinki Archipelago. If you’re there on a Sunday take in the Orthodox service at the Uspenski Cathedral on Katajanokka Island, the choir is really something. You could also fly direct to Krakow and spend a few days there.

The former royal capital of Poland, Krakow has a special place in the hearts of the Polish people. Set on the banks of the broad river Vistula, at the confluence of east-west trading routes, Krakow has been a mercantile city since the Middle Ages and its museums, churches and the giant market square bear witness to the country’s long struggle for freedom.

My husband and I are visiting Denmark, Germany and Austria next June. We leave to return home from Frankfurt on July 20 and our passports are valid until November 30, is that going to be a problem?
B. Cheng, Chatswood, NSW

Copenhagen Old Town.Credit: iStock

It could be, but not with the European authorities. To enter the Schengen Area countries your passport must be valid for three months beyond the date when you intend to leave, so no problem there. However, some airlines insist your passport must be valid for six months beyond the date when you intend to return home, and on that measure you run the risk of being barred from your flight leaving Australia. To be on the safe side, you would do well to renew your passports.

We want to take our teenage children to experience a white Christmas this year, perhaps in Austria. Not interested in skiing. Where else in Europe would be good to include?
L. Dowling, Docklands, Vic

The Tyrol region sits on top of Italy.Credit: iStock

Even in Austria, global warming has reduced the frequency of snow at Christmas. There are no guarantees, however Austria’s Central Institution for Meteorology and Geodynamics suggests the southern district of Carinthia, the western Vorarlberg region and the Tyrol region, which sits on top of Italy, have the best prospects for a white Christmas. The storybook architecture of the towns and villages in Tyrol, in particular, enhances the experience.

According to statistics, Innsbruck is the city with the greatest likelihood of snow on Christmas Day. Many of the towns in these regions are known for their Christmas markets, a tradition that dates back to medieval times. Most Christmas markets run almost the whole month of December. You might also include some of the great cities of Europe such as Vienna, Rome, Paris and Amsterdam. They might lack the charm of the summer months but if you want to visit some of the world’s finest galleries and museums without waiting in line this is the time.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances.