Japan: March 2026
Japanese Crafts, Architecture, Regional Trains, and Special Places
Price: 38750 DKK
Age: 18+
Length: Two weeks
Languages: English, Danish, Japanese
Next departures: 24.March.2026 / 23.March.2027/ March.2028
For travelers interested in Japanese ceramics and crafts in general, this is a truly amazing tour. It is also a chance to experience urban and rural Japan and meet the hospitality and generosity of the Japanese people. We visit studios that make ceramics, textiles, glass, lacquer and metal, and have the opportunity to speak with artists in person and see them in their studios. At the end of the tour, we visit the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima in the Seto Inland Sea. You will eat some amazing meals, from convenience stores on the go to Michelin-starred restaurants in the evening if you choose. Probably some of the most delicious sushi you will experience in your life, and much more. We will travel by Shinkansen, express trains and the little trains that run putt putt putt on our journeys through and around Japan. If you are interested in finding a special way to see and experience Japan from a unique perspective, we think you will have a great time on this tour, as there is so much to do and see. Your guide speaks English, Danish and Japanese and has extensive experience leading tours around Japan. It's easy to have fun and many people build lasting friendships with other travelers. At the end of the tour we have an evening together to remember all the amazing experiences we have had together.
Read more details about our terms and conditions here: Terms and Conditions
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This tour includes round trip airfare from CPH to destination, all lodging, train transportation, breakfasts, three dinners, a Japanese, Danish, and English speaking guide, entrance fees to museums and attractions on the program, and online support prior to departure.
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This trip includes a flight ticket from Copenhagen to Japan. Traveling from another part of the world? -6000dkk if you arrange your own ticket.
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We stay in many different types of places: small and large hotels, minshuku, ryokan, airbnb, bed and breakfast. This trip includes double lodging throughout the adventure. If you're traveling with a friend or partner, great. Otherwise, it's easy to be roommates with someone else on the tour If you'd like a single room, there's an additional fee of +4800dkk.
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All breakfasts and three evening meals are included in the price of the trip. Lunches you pay for by travelers, and we generally eat light and on the go to save time for our curiosity. The first, middle, and last evenings we have a collective dinner, where we have a chance to have introductions, updates, and evaluation of the trip.
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The guide speaks English, Danish, and Japanese. Other languages are also welcome. Google and other translator programs make it possible to navigate many situations in Japan when necessary, and facilitate individual exploration.
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Transportation between the main destinations of the tour, for example from Tokyo to Kyoto via Shinkansen, are included in the tour. Travel in the local areas, for example Kyoto itself, is paid for by the individual traveler. To facilitate this, the tour will provide each traveler a card for which they can add funds to, which can be used on the local transport systems. You can also pay for taxis and in shops using these cards. Please return the transport cards to the guide at the end of the trip.
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All entrance fees to activities listed on the program will be paid for by the tour. This includes museums, galleries, artist workshops, special exhibitions, etc. See the detailed tour program for an overview.
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Before and after our adventure together, we're happy to provide online support and information for our travelers. If you're in Japan on a tour already, please speak with your guide about details and information.
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If you're going on this trip, you need to be responsible for your passport, visas, travel insurance, vaccinations, and any additional expense not specifically mentioned in the included on this tour section.
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Travelers need to have a valid passport with more than six months to expiry on arrival in Japan. If the destination requires a visa, you're also responsible for making certain that you obtain this in good time prior to departure. Please provide a copy of your passport so that we can be sure that we get the spelling of your name correct for flight, train, and hotel reservations.
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Travel insurance is required for participation on Ceramic Adventures Travel. As each person is different, it's important to check with your insurance provider to make certain that you have appropriate coverage for the destination that you're traveling too.
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Each person is different, and it is important to check with your personal physician about vaccinations that they recommend and can provide.
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Additional costs and expenses on the trip need to be paid by the travelers themselves. This can include non-covered meals, snacks, transportation, purchases of pottery and other craft items, and services at hotels, as well as shipping of items to our final destination, airport, or home address.
Expect the Unexpected!
We travel in small, personal groups and travel primarily on foot, by taxi and by train. You will quickly see how fun and interesting Japan is! Everything is arranged so that you will have a great time and learn a lot about Japanese ceramics, glass, textiles, lacquer, gardens, architecture and much more. On this tour we will have a special focus on Mashiko, Toyama, Kanazawa, Echizen, Kyoto, Naoshima/Teshima, where we will visit potters and other artisans and artists throughout the tour. We will also visit the three most famous Japanese gardens in Mito, Kanazawa and Okayama. And ... you will also have the opportunity to experience Japan in ways that few other travelers can, because we will go to some very special places that are off the beaten path of "normal" tourism in the Land of the Rising Sun, including mountain landscapes near Mashiko and unspoiled beaches on the Seto Inland Sea. The days are organized so that we have group activities for part of the days, and then you have time for what you want to do for the rest of the day. It's really important to do things together, and it's even more important to have time for yourselves for personal exploration!
Deepen your insight into Japanese crafts: ceramics, glass, textiles, gardens, architecture and local communities.
On this tour we visit a wide range of studios, workshops, galleries, shops and museums. We start in Mashiko where we visit Ken Matsuzaki in his studio, visit the Higeta Indigo weaving and dyeing studio, wander through the forest to Saimyoji Temple and visit Jonaizaka Pottery Street. We visit the Glass Museum in Toyama and then the historic castle and gardens in Kanazawa. Echizen is a mecca for crafts and we visit washi paper artists, lacquer workshops and the family who make knives for Noma chef Rene Redzepi and his staff. In Kyoto we tour Ryosoku-in Temple, visit the pottery area of Kiyomizu Temple, Kawai Kanjiro and the Raku Museums. There is a special day trip to the Miho Museum in its remote mountain setting. We take the train to Kurashiki to see the Ohara and Mingei Museums. We will stay overnight in Uno Port and take day trips to Naoshima and Teshima by ferry. On the last evening in Sakai we will gather for dinner to share and remember our experiences together on this special trip.