Pottery, Bamboo & Textiles in Northern Kyushu
Itinerary
The following schedule is subject to change in accordance with the circumstances of our lodgings, transportation, local events and hosts. We will send participants the finalized itinerary one month in advance of the departure date.
Day 1. Kansai Osaka Airport
The tour stars and ends in Japan. If you would like to have a greeting/ transfer service at the airport, you must take our designated flight which we will announce two month before departure date. If you are taking flights other than our designated flight, let us know; we will inform you of times and places to join the group.
(Passenger flying on the designated flight only)
Please note that you must fly one day before Day 1, as you will lose 16 hours by crossing international dateline. .
Arrive in Kansai Osaka Airport. Clear Customs and Immigrations. You will be greeted by our tour representative and transferred to hotel.
Day 2. Kansai Airport - Shin Osaka - Kokura - Kitsuki
We will take the train from Osaka to our first destination, Kitsuki, a charming castle towni which beautifully preserves many rows of samurai houses. We will stroll up a gentle slope to visit Miso (soybean paste), Manju (sweets) and tea shops: a few hundred year old establishments. Our dinner will be served in a cozy family-owned restaurant. (B)(D)
Day 3 Kitsuki
In the morning, we will have a half day walking tour of the town, visiting a few Samurai houses and a historic museum on the hillside. We will enjoy lunch - local specialty - in a craft shop/restaurant. In the afternoon, explore the town on your own. (B)(L)
Day 4. Kitsuki - Beppu - Onta - Hita
We will depart in the morning for Hita. Along the way, we will stop in Beppu and visit the Traditional Bamboo Craft Museum and a Bamboo specialty store. (L)
In the afternoon, we'll visit Onta (or Onda), a quiet pottery hamlet nestled deep in the mountains. For generations the craftsmen of Onta have relied solely on the abundance of local natural resources to produce honest and simple pottery. The traditional techniques and unpretentious beauty of Onta potteries were celebrated by the artist-craftsmen of the Mingei (Folk Craft) movement. (B)(L)
Day 5. Hita
We will take a half-day walking tour of Hita in the morning. We will visit Koto-Kan Gallery, which exhibits old pottery and Kasuri (Ikat) weaving used in the daily lives of the common people in the Hita area. Next, we will stroll through Mameta-machi district, which still retains the atmosphere of an old town. For lunch, we will enjoy homemade soba (buckwheat) noodle and local specialty.
(B)(L)
Day 6. Hita - Oyama - Tsuetate
We will leave our suitcase at our hotel and carry overnight bag for a one-night- two-day trip. In the morning, we will take a van to visit Oyama, a small peaceful farming community known for cooperative agricultural community. We will learn from farmers' wives country-style cooking using Umeboshi or plum pickles.
In the late afternoon, we will head for Tsuetate hotspring town. We will stay at a beautiful Japanese inn with outdoor, private baths overlooking the river and lush mountains. Our dinner will be an authentic full-course Japanese dinner. At night, we will slip between the sheets of a soft futon, totally immersed in the Japanese lifestyle. (B)(L)(D)
Day 7. Tsuetate - Oyama -Konohana Garten -Hita
We will stop by Kono-Hana (leaf) Garten, Oyama specialty store on our way to Hita, where they sell Umeboshi pickles, dried food, crafts, etc. When we return to Hita in the early afternoon to enjoy local festival, street vendors and food bazaar. Fireworks at night (7:45 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.) (B)
Day 8. Hita - Hirokawa-cho - Karatsu
In the morning, we'll visit Hirokawa-cho, Japan's foremost producer of kasuri textiles. There, we'll be guided through a family-run factory to see the techniques of indigo dyeing, hand-weaving, and modern mechanized weaving.
Our lunch is Kurume Ramen and pot-stickers, local specialties. Late in the afternoon, we will arrive in Karatsu, a charming town by the Sea of Genkai. (B)(L)
Day 9. Karatsu
In the morning, we will have a half day sight-seeing of Karatsu town, including an elaborate parade floats museum, a historic shrine, and produce market. In the afternoon, we are invited for tea at Local person's home. (B)
Day 10. Karatsu - Okawachi-yama - Karatsu
Breakfast will be served at Kawashima Tofu, a prominent tofu store/restaurant. Their Zaru-dofu (Tofu in basket) was once featured in the New Yorker. We will savour hand-made tofu by one of Japan's best tofu makers.
In the morning, we will ride a train to visit Okawachiyama, a little village surrounded by soaring mountains and rocks. This is the place where Arita and Imari wares have been produced for over three centuries. You can browse, shop or observe the work of artisans. You can also take a walk along the river and hillside, and visit a cemetery of many unknown Korean artisans who were brought from Korea to produce fine ceramics in the late 16th century. We will come back to Karatsu in the middle afternoon. (B)(L)
Day 11. Karatsu - Hato
Today, we will visit a Karatsu potter, at his home/studio. In the late afternoon, carrying only overnight bag, we will visit Hato Misaki Cape, quiet seaside known for its splendid ocean view and fresh seafood. (B)(D)
Day 12. Hato - Karatsu
In the morning, we will visit a morning market for fish and produce. We will return to Karatsu in the afternoon. In the evening, we'll have our final group meal (B)(D)
Day 13. Karatsu - Fukuoka Airport - Kansai Osaka Airport- U.S.A.
The tour will be disbanded in Karatsu in the morning. Airport transfer service will be provided for participant taking our designated flight from Fukuoka to Kansai Osaka Airport. If you are going to take other flight, let us know; we will inform you of transportation from Karatsu to your next destination.
(B)