September 30 - October 10 (Full)
Since 1991 Country Workshops has organized an annual series of crafts study tours in Europe and Japan. This year’s tour will return to Japan and be centered in and around Kyoto. Our tour dates in early October come at a time when the weather should be moderating and travel is generally pleasant in this part of Japan.
As with our other tours, this year’s itinerary is truly off the tourist path, taking us inside the homes and workshops of outstanding artisans whom you will meet on a personal basis. Days 2-6 will be based in based in Sassayama, a small old feeling city that is in the center of an area known for pottery and other crafts work. Days 7-11 will be in and around Kyoto. Throughout the tour we will be staying in traditional accommodations known as ryokans. These are very different from western hotels; we feel that the unique experience is a worthwhile trade off compared to staying in more modern quarters.
We have arranged for demonstrations at many of our visits, and it will be possible to buy outstanding craft work directly from our hosts. There will also be opportunities for shopping in Kyoto (including a visit to one of Kyoto’s best woodworkers tool shops) and in the smaller towns that we visit. Although the tour focus is woodworking we will include visits with artisans working in other materials including pottery and metal work(sword blade and toolmaking.
Because we will be in Japan, production of traditional foods will be an additional focus. A highlight will be a special lunch prepared by our friend Minoru Enomoto, who happens to be one of the artists whom we will visit. We will also be guests at the Enzan Memorial Museum of Art. This is a private museum that focuses on the highest level of Japanese folk arts. In Kyoto we will enjoy a guided tour of Daitoku-Ji , a extensive Rinzai Buddhist temple complex (with Zen rock gardens) originally established in 1319, and a visit with a wood carver who produces carved wooden door lintels, known as ranma. A theater or music performance will also be incorporated into the itinerary. The tour group is limited to 12 participants.
Our tour guide and translator, Lena Kamigata, grew up in this part of Japan. Lena mastered English during her 4 years of study at the University of California at Santa Cruz where she received a degree in fine arts. Currently Lena is teaching both Japanese and English at a university in China. Drew Langsner will serve as tour director.
The tour fee until March 31 is $3,650. This includes: land travel during the tour, all meals (except for ordered deserts and beverages), accommodations for 11 nights, admission fees and artisan honorariums, and the services of two staff members – Lena Kamigata and Drew Langsner. Because exchange rates are in flux with the US dollar , it may be necessary to make an adjustment to the tour fee.
For further information, including an itinerary, financial details and a tour reservation form, request our Tour Prospectus. This can be printed from our web site, or we can send you a copy. If you have questions about the tour please contact Drew Langsner by phone.
Note: We suggest flying directly to Osaka/Kansai International Airport. From there you can easily take a bullet train into Kyoto and then a taxi to our ryokan (which is located in an interesting old residential neighborhood) for some relaxation before enjoying our welcome supper on September 30. It’s also easy to get to Kyoto by train from Tokyo (and the Tokyo-Narita International Airport) if you wish to have some time in Tokyo before or after the tour.
Click on the photos at right to be taken to our 2003 - 2004 Japan Tour Gallery.
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E-mail:
Drew Langsner
Phone:
828-656-2280 (M-F, 9-6 Eastern time)
For a free printed Country Workshops catalog, e-mail us with a request. Be sure to include your postal address.