Japan: April.2026

CERAMICS, TEXTILES, TEA, ARCHITECTURE, AND ZEN GARDENS

Price: 39750 DKK
Age: 18+
Length: 14 days
Languages: English, Danish, Japanese
Next departures: 11.April.2026 / Spring 2026 / Spring 2027

Tour Description: For travelers interested in Japanese ceramic, and crafts generally, this is a really fantastic tour. It’s also a chance to experience urban and rural Japan, and encounter the hospitality and generosity of the Japanese people. We'll visit artists in their studios making ceramics, textiles, have a chance to talk to them in person. You’ll eat some fantastic meals, from convenience store offerings on the go, to Michelin Star restaurants in the evenings, if you choose. Japan’s famous cherry blossoms should be in full bloom where ever we go. We’ll travel by Shinkansen, express trains, and the little trains that go putt putt putt on our journey’s through and around Japan. If you’re interested in finding a special way to see and experience Japan from a unique perspective, we think you’ll have a fantastic time on this tour, as there is so much to do and see. Your guide speaks English, Danish, and Japanese, and has a lot of experience leading tours around Japan. It’s easy to have a great time and many people build lasting friendships with other travelers. At the end of the trip we’ll have an evening together to remember all the fantastic experiences that we’ve had together.

Read more details about our terms and conditions here: Terms and Conditions

  • 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.

  • This trip includes a flight ticket from Copenhagen to Japan. Traveling from another part of the world? -6000dkk if you arrange your own ticket.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Each person is different, and it is important to check with your personal physician about vaccinations that they recommend and can provide.

  • 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 by foot, taxi, trains. You’ll quickly see what a fun and interesting place Japan is! Everything is arranged so that you’ll have a fantastic time, and learn a lot about Japanese ceramics, potters, and a whole lot more. On this trip, we’ll have a special focus on visiting potters, textile studios, shrines and temples, and the farmers and tea gardens of a special mountain hamlet. And…you’ll also have a chance to experience Japan in ways that few other travelers can, because we’re going to some very unique places, which are off the beaten path of “normal” tourism in the land of the rising sun. The days are designed so that we’ve got group activities part of the days, and then you’ve got time for what you’d like to do the rest of the day. Doing things together is really important, and having time to yourself for personal exploration even more so!

Looking deeper into Japanese Ceramics, Textiles, Tea, Zen, and Rural Life.

On this trip, we’ll visit a broad range of studios, workshops, galleries, shops, and museums. We’ll begin in Kyoto, where we have an inside tour of Ryosoku-in Temple, visit the Kiyomizu Temple Pottery area, Kawai Kanjiro and Raku Museums. In Nara, we’ll see the Todai-ji Temple, visit Uji, one of the foremost tea producing areas of Japan. Moving on to Tokoname, we’ll have insider tours of the studios of Hirano Yuichi, Yoshikawa Chikako, and a tour of the Togeinomichi Historical Pottery District. In Tajimi, we’ll visit the Mino Ceramic Museum and then return to Oribe Street. Now we’ll move on to Sasama, to visit the studio and gallery of Shozo Michikawa, see his anagama kiln, and have a tour of farmers homes and tea plantations in the mountains, and have a chance to learn about soba and make a meal together. Coming down from Sasama, we’ll take the Shinkansen and local trains to Mashiko, with a view of Mt. Fuji on the way if the weather is in our favor. In Mashiko, we’ll stay at a forest inn, and be able to take a hike from Saimyo-ji temple back to the town, visit Starnet for lunch, and see the Hamada Shoji Museum. We’ll also visit Ken Matsuzaki at his studio, and the Higeta Indigo Dyeing and Weaving workshop. On the final two days, we’ll be in Tokyo, where we’ll visit the Tsukiji Outer Market, Takumi Crafts Shop, and Kuroda Toen Gallery, as well as have a little extra time to explore on our own. On the last evening, we have dinner together, to compare and remember all the different experiences that we’ve had together.