Dates: 03 Oct (Fri) – 19 Oct (Sun) 2025 17 days

* This trip has been customised carefully to explore some of Japan’s most famous pottery towns and to meet with some highly-skilled artisans. We have 7 nights in hotels and 10 days based in Lyn’s 2 little cottages midway between Osaka and Kyoto.

Inclusions:

• Fully escorted by Lyn, a bilingual Australian with extensive knowledge of Japan

• All accommodation - ($700 single supplement)

• All transport within Japan – domestic flight, trains, bullet trains, cars, monorail, bicycles, taxis

• Most meals

• Most sightseeing, activities and entrance fees

• Assistance with planning should you wish to extend your time in Japan.

Cost: AU$6,980 Single Supplement $700

Itinerary

Day 1 (Friday 03 October 2025)　(S)

Guests travelling from Cairns, Australia depart at 12:25h on JQ 15
Alternatively, meet at Kansai Airport at 19:00, or you may travel directly to our home.

Light supper and sweet dreams in your home away from home.

Overnight: Lyn’s place

Day 2 (Saturday 04 October 2025)　（B, L, D)

We can have a bit of a slow start today with good coffee and a cooked breakfast. Lyn will show you around our village that is brimming with history and somewhat caught between tradition and modernity. We will wander freely, chatting with the locals, maybe stopping to watch the rice being harvested.

After a birthday lunch for John, we will go to Expo 70 Park to see their Japanese gardens, seasonal events (maybe a tea ceremony) and take a ride on Japan’s largest Ferris Wheel - if we feel like it. There are loads of restaurants at Expoland so we’ll decide together what’s for dinner. Home is only 3 km away and this is your personal tour so we’re very much free to do as we please.

Overnight: Lyn’s place

Day 3 (Sunday 05 October 2025) (B,D)

Pottery is strongly linked to ikebana (floral arrangements) so I’ll introduce you to some simple principles of ikebana and have you come up with an arrangement for your home in Japan, befitting the season. We can explore second hand shops or shopping malls, go to karaoke, practice calligraphy or enjoy a massage or soak at the local onsen.

Dinner will be a lesson on how to make Shabu Shabu so you can make this delicious hot pot for friends and family back home.

Overnight: Lyn’s place

Day 4 (Monday 06 October 2025)
(B, D)

Today we’ll explore Katsuoji Temple and Minoh Waterfall about 6 km from our home. Apart from postcard shots of temples, towering maples and a foot bath for any sore feet,there’s a famous pottery shop with unusual red glazes. Keen walkers can walk down the mountain and home while others can go by car.
We’ll have a bit of time for shopping or karaoke too.

In the evening, we’ll eat out at the revolving sushi about 3 km from home.

Overnight: Lyn’s place

Day 5 (Tuesday 07 October 2025) (B, D)

Kyoto today. We will go to Nishijin Textiles, the Raku and Shibori Museums and find some great food in Nishiki Market.
If time permits, we will visit Takasegawa Gallery and fossick for ceramic treasures in the shallow canal.

Overnight: Lyn’s place

Day 6 (Wed. 08 October 2025) (B, D)

We will try to get on the road early as we have a 4-5 hour drive to Kanazawa and we will stop en route at Kutani Pottery Village.
Overnight: Sainoniwa Hotel, Kanazawa

Day 7 (Thursday 09 October 2025) (B,D)

After a fancy breakfast at the hotel, we will visit Naoya and Karin, both traditionally-trained and award-winning lacquerware artists at their home and studio. (Karin was Lyn’s student at Osaka International School many years back) They also do kintsugi. They will give us a demonstration and there will be opportunites to commission and purchase their work. We will be close to both Suzuki Daisetsu’s contemplative temple and Korakuen Gardens if you would like to explore.
If they can, Karin, Naoya and their 2 children will join us for dinner tonight.

Overnight: Sainoniwa Hotel, Kanazawa

Day 8 (Friday 10 October 2025) (B)

Around 9 am, we’ll leave Kanazawa and drive through the mountains stopping at Shirakawa Village and then driving through to Aichi to visit Aichi Prefecture Ceramic Museum.

Overnight: Hotel Route Inn, Owariseto, Aichi

Day 9 (Saturday 11 October 2025) (B,L,D)

We will head off around 8 am to meet Akemi at her studio.https://www.instagram.com/akemipotter for a 2 hour visit. We will then double back to Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park and hopefully meet Matsui and some of the resident potters who are experimenting in both traditional and ‘neo-mingei’ crafts. As well as lots of racoon dogs (tanuki), this region’s pottery is known to be very strong and functional (in contrast to Arita’s very ornate pottery). Shiga is also well known for ninja and the Miho Museum. We will decide together how to spend the afternoon before driving back home.

Overnight: Lyn’s place

Day 10 (Sunday 12 October 2025) (B,D)

Today you can stay home and witness a traditional harvest festival that has been observed for over 1300 years in our village. In the morning, a Shinto priest will hold a ceremony in Susuku Shrine and the gods will be carried around the village in a mikoshi (portable shrine) to provide protection for the year ahead.

Alternatively, we can drive about 100 km to the Tamba Yaki Pottery Festival where approximately 50 local potters will be selling their wares.

In the early evening, we will join our neighbours for a celebration at Susuku Shrine. There will be some games, like bingo - in Japanese - and lots of yakisoba, takoyaki and oden to eat. It’s the one day of the year when the neighbors all catch up and enjoy meeting new people

Overnight: Lyn’s place.

Day 11 (Monday 13 October 2025) (B, D)

Today is a public holiday in Japan. We’re heading down to Fukuoka by plane where we will pick up a rental car and drive to Beppu, a town famous for all sorts of hot springs. From bubbling mud to ladies shovelling hot sand all over you, each pool will heal different health problems. Tonight we will ryokan with its own hot springs for tonight.
Overnight: Nagomitsuki Ryokan, Beppu

Day 12 (Tuesday 14 October 2025) (B, D)

One more onsen, breakfast and maybe a visit to a fertility shrine before we hit the road to Mt Aso. Our drive to Mt. Aso will take around 2 hour through some pretty countryside (and some solar panel-clad mountains). Hopefully, we will be able to see Mt Aso’s volcanic activity from the observatory. From Mt. Aso, we drive for around 3.5 hours to Arita.

Overnight: Joy House, Arita

Day 13 (Wednesday 15 October 2025) (B, D)

Today we’ll visit Okawachiyama Village and Imari Village
Overnight: Joy House, Arita.

Day 14 (Thursday 16 October 2025) (B, D)

Drive to Hasami Town and visit their ceramic halls.

Overnight: Joy House, Arita.

Day 15 (Friday 17 October 2025) (B, D)

We will drive back to Fukuoka via the scenic coast road, stopping en route as we wish before our evening flight back to Osaka.
Overnight: Lyn’s place

Day 16 (Saturday 18 October 2025) (B, D)

Day 17 (Sunday 19 October 2025) (B, D)

Fortunately, we have until 4 pm today to spend as you please. Lyn will help you tick off any final things you’d like to do in Japan, such as visiting the local sake brewer. Those of us returning to Australia tonight will leave home at 4 pm to head to Kansai Airport. (JQ 16 to Cairns departs at 9:45 pm).