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Pottery Touring Special 2009



Japanese ceramics are considered by experts worldwide to be at the very top of the ceramics world

  • The MINGEI (Japanese folk craft) movement: discovering beauty in everyday utensils. Items now on display in the museums of America and France
  • Bernard Leach: An English potter, with strong connections to the MINGEI movement
  • Foreign artists serving apprenticeships under famous potters in Mashiko, Bizen, etc.
  • Foreign ceramics publications have featured articles on Tatsuzo Shimaoka, Shino glaze, Yakishime, and other aspects of Japanese ceramics
  • 'Anagama'[[a very old type of kiln made by digging a hole in the side of a hill]] and 'Noborigama' [[an old style ceramic furnace - climbing kiln]] are now standard annotations in the English language
  • With the boom in Japanese food and sake, Japanese ceramics and porcelain are now drawing interest as utensils

Make Your Personalized Plan

Our strengths
Strong networks built with ALL pottery towns.

  • Long term ceramic production with historical pottery
  • Lectures from overseas ceramics specialists resident in Japan
  • Visits to artists’ studios that are now popular overseas
  • Dinner served on plates crafted by artists hailed as living national treasures
    Many other interesting experiences can be arranged
  • One to two month long-term holidays where customers can experience the entire ceramic production process
  • Excursion tours featuring production areas around Japan

Make Your Personalized Plan

N/D13N/14D
Pottery towns to be scheduled to visit.Select from Tajimi, Mashiko, Shigaraki, etc.
HighlightsAn intensive tour focused on one pottery town, allowing customers to experience the whole process from wedging to firing.
A delivery service for items that could not be fired during the trip is available (cost payable separately).
MealsDinner x 1
Sample Itinerary
Day Time Places Description Meals Accom
B L D
Day1 AM Narita -> Tokyo Arrive in Japan, Move to Tokyo       Tokyo
PM
Day2 AM Tokyo -> Each Pottery Town Move to Each Pottery Town.
Orientation by local potter's studio.		       Each Pottery Town
PM
Day3-Day11 AM Each Pottery Town Make pottery as you like at local potter's studio.
#Wedging - Forming - Drying - Glazing - Start firing		       Each Pottery Town
PM
Day12 AM Each Pottery Town Unloading     * Each Pottery Town
PM
NT Each Pottery Town Dinner with plates made of each town's ware.
Day13 AM Each Pottery Town -> Tokyo Move to Tokyo       Tokyo
PM
Day14 AM Tokyo -> Narita Depart from Japan        
PM

Example of Local Potter's studio

Mashiko
Mashiko Ceramic Art Club, etc.
Shigaraki
Ogawa-Kenzo's Studio, etc.
Tajimi
Kokei-gama, etc.

Make Your Personalized Plan


N/D13N/14D
Pottery towns to be scheduled to visit.Arita, Bizen, Tajimi, Mashiko
HighlightsA tour of areas producing highly characteristic Japanese ceramics.
MealsEvery Breakfast, Dinner x 1
Sample Itinerary
Day Time Places Description Meals Accom
B L D
Day1 AM Narita -> Tokyo Arrive in Japan, Move to Tokyo       Tokyo
PM
Day2 AM Tokyo Lecture about Japanese pottery by authorized person. *     Arita
PM Tokyo -> Fukuoka -> Arita Move to Arita
Day3 AM Arita Full Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG. *     Arita
PM
NT Lecture about pottery in Kyushu by local authorized person
Day4 AM Arita Full day: Making pottery at local potter's studio. *     Arita
PM
Day5 AM Arita -> Bizen Move to Bizen *     Bizen
PM
Day6 AM Bizen Lecture about Bizen-yaki by local authorized person *     Bizen
PM Half Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG.
Day7 AM Bizen Full day: Making pottery at local potter's studio. *     Bizen
PM
Day8 AM Bizen -> Tajimi Move to Tajimi *     Tajimi
PM Tajimi Half Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG.
NT Lecture about Mino-yaki by local authorized person
Day9 AM Tajimi Full day: Making pottery at local potter's studio. *     Tajimi
PM
Day10 AM Tajimi -> Mashiko Move to Mashikio *     Mashiko
PM Mashiko Half Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG.
NT Lecture about Mashiko-yaki or MINGEI by local authorized person
Day11 AM Mashiko Full day: Making pottery at local potter's studio. *     Mashiko
PM
NT Dinner with plates made of Mashiko-yaki.
Day12 AM Mashiko Free Time *     Mashiko
PM
Day13 AM Mashiko Free Time *     Tokyo
PM Mashiko -> Tokyo Move to Tokyo
Day14 AM Tokyo -> Narita Move to Tokyo *      
PM

Make Your Personalized Plan


N/D13N/14D
Pottery towns to be scheduled to visit.Kanazawa, Tajimi, Shigaraki, Mashiko
HighlightsA tour that includes visits to famous sightseeing towns in addition to pottery towns.
Time is put aside for free travel between Kanazawa, Takayama, Kyoto and Tokyo,
and opportunities to visit Japanese inns (Ryokan) and hot springs can be arranged.
MealsEvery Breakfast, Dinner x 1
Sample Itinerary
Day Time Places Description Meals Accom
B L D
Day1 AM Narita -> Tokyo Arrive in Japan, Move to Tokyo       Tokyo
PM
Day2 AM Tokyo -> Komatsu -> Kanazawa Move to Kanazawa *     Kanazawa
PM Kanazawa Free Time
Day3 AM Kazawa/Noumi Lecture about Kutani-yaki by local authorized person.
Half Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG.		 *     YuwakuOnsen
PM
Day4 AM Kanazawa Free Time *     YuwakuOnsen
PM
Day5 AM Kanazawa -> Takayama Move to Takayama *     OkuhidaOnsen
PM Takayama Free Time
Day6 AM Takayama -> Tajimi Move to Tajimi *     Tajimi
PM Tajimi Half Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG.
Lecture about Japanese glazes by local authorized person.
Day7 AM Tajimi -> Shigaraki
 Move to Shigaraki *     Shigaraki
PM Shigaraki Half Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG.
Day8 AM Shigaraki -> Kyoto Move to Kyoto *     Kyoto
PM Kyoto Free Time
Day9 AM Kyoto Free Time *     Kyoto
PM
Day10 AM Koyot -> Mashiko Move to Mashiko *   * Mashiko
PM Mashiko Half Day: Visit local potter/artist's studios, museums, old kilns, etc with ESG.
NT Mashiko Lecture about Mashiko-yaki or MINGEI by local authorized person
Dinner with plates made of Mashiko-yaki.
Day11 AM Mashiko Free Time *     Mashiko
PM
Day12 AM Mashiko -> Tokyo Move to Tokyo *     Tokyo
PM Tokyo Free Time
Day13 AM Tokyo Free Time *     Tokyo
PM
Day14 AM Tokyo -> Narita Depart from Japan *      
PM

Make Your Personalized Plan