On this adventure to Japan, we’ll look at the relationships between ceramics, textiles, and tea as an important lens for understanding the cultural underpinings of this fantastic country. We'll encounter potters and other craftspeople in their studios, Zen Buddhist monks, local tea farmers at their plantations. We're going to be spending time with artists who make objects for the tea ceremony, having meals in the mountains, living normal lives. We'll also visit ceramic and textile galleries, museums, and tea shops, in different destinations as we work to use the relationships between craft and tea practice in historical and contemporary times for a special perspective on Japanese society.