Tokyo feels like a curiosity box, endlessly unfolding with bars, venues and vibes tucked up and down its staircases and elevators. For most of them it’s a case of wandering in and trying your luck. But there are others that can’t be accessed so easily. In a nondescript corner of the city, behind an unmarked door, there’s a whisky bar that accommodates no more than five guests at a time. The only way you’ll ever get a seat is if the right person takes you.

It was here, in March, that Josh Lassman from Untold Japan invited the dekantā team for a private tasting. An evening that would define a new partnership between our two companies.

In many ways, that bar represents something both dekantā and Untold Japan have been working toward for years: a way to experience Japan in a closer, more tangible way.

For visitors to Japan who want an authentic experience, that presents a challenge. On the surface its landmarks, its well-known bars and restaurants, have never been more accessible. But the really impactful moments come from places you don’t expect. Untold Japan was created to bridge that gap.

Through fully personalised itineraries, the company offers access to places and moments that are intentionally hard to find. Not for the sake of exclusivity alone, but to provide a real sense of discovery. Something genuinely unique.

One such experience is a private, members-only sake bar that has zero online presence, making it impossible to google. It’s on the fifth floor of a housing block, hidden behind a series of kitchens and storage units. So even if you wanted to, you’d never stumble into this place.

It’s sakura season, and delicate branches of pink blossoms hang from the ceiling, forming a soft curtain that partially obscures the back bar. Throughout the evening, sake is presented by unseen hands emerging gently from behind the blossoms. Each pour arrives in carefully selected glassware, chosen to complement the character of the liquid. When the sake should remain cold, it’s served in handcrafted tin cups, designed to hold their chill when in contact with the cool surface of the bar.

It’s designed to be so silent, dark and secretive that you’d barely recognise the people sitting across from you. It’s an experience that feels totally removed from the outside world.

Untold Japan tailor each itinerary to the client’s specific interests and desires, and they pride themselves on being able to unlock almost any experience. These can include dining with real geisha, spending a night in a centuries-old Japanese castle, traveling through Kyushu aboard the legendary Seven Stars sleeper train, or stepping behind the scenes of a sumo stable for a private morning practice.

Discovering Japan Through Cask Ownership

At dekantā, the relationship with Japan begins in a different way, but arrives at a similar place.

Through our work with distilleries across the country, dekantā has opened up access to Japanese whisky cask ownership. Something that was, until recently, incredibly difficult to obtain.

For many, owning a cask is not simply about the whisky itself. It’s about the experience it provides. Each year, cask owners return to the distillery to sample their whisky as it matures, speak with the Master Distiller, and follow the gradual evolution of their spirit over time. With every visit, the whisky deepens in colour, complexity and character. The purest way of experiencing that change is by drawing the whisky straight from the barrel.

Japanese Whisky & Travel - Bridging the Gap

This is where the partnership between dekantā and Untold Japan takes shape.

Both companies, in their own way, are built around the idea that the most meaningful experiences of Japan aren’t always the most obvious ones. They’re the ones that unfold slowly, through time, access, and a deeper level of engagement.

dekantā clients can now explore Japan through fully personalised itineraries created by Untold Japan. Trips that go beyond the expected, incorporating rare and carefully curated experiences across the country.

At the same time, Untold Japan guests are able to step into the world of Japanese whisky in a way that was previously difficult to access. Visiting partner distilleries, understanding the craft more intimately and exploring the possibility of owning a cask themselves.