Japan Pottery Trip A Vinegar Hill Pottery Journey · 8 – 22 May 2027 Japan, through the hands of its makers. Fourteen days walking alongside the master craftspeople of Tokyo, Mashiko, Kanazawa, Echizen, Kyoto, Tokoname and Kamakura — a small-group pilgrimage curated for the creatively curious. 14Days 7Regions 10+Master craftspeople May2027 departure — Journey Highlights Eleven moments to look forward to 01 Tokyo, through an insider’s lens From hidden street-food gems to the artistic legacy of Senso-ji and the refined beauty of Nezu Shrine — a side of the city most visitors never see. 02 The living craft traditions of Mashiko Working alongside master potters and creating your own piece in a private ceramic workshop inspired by the legacy of Shoji Hamada. 03 Exclusive access to Kanazawa’s finest artisans From delicate Kaga Yuzen silk painting to exquisite lacquerware, meet the masters preserving centuries-old techniques. 04 In the footsteps of samurai Walk Kanazawa’s atmospheric Nagamachi district, with a rare visit inside a beautifully restored samurai residence. 05 A traditional tea ceremony at Kenroku-en The ritual of tea, taken within the serene setting of one of Japan’s three most celebrated gardens. 06 The ancient kilns of Echizen One of Japan’s six historic pottery centres, where traditions have remained unchanged for centuries. 07 A ryokan stay at Amanohashidate Refined hospitality overlooking one of Japan’s most iconic coastal landscapes, with an unforgettable multi-course kaiseki dinner. 08 Behind the scenes with master craftspeople From swordsmiths to silk weavers and sake brewers, gaining rare insight into Japan’s cultural heritage. 09 Kyoto’s timeless beauty, curated Explore Zen gardens including Ryoan-ji, walk through the bamboo groves of Arashiyama, and visit the historic Nijo Castle. 10 A private perspective on Japanese garden design Guided in Kamakura by an award-winning Japanese landscape designer — an experience few travellers ever access. 11 A journey designed for creative minds Seamlessly blending culture, craftsmanship and immersive experiences, with every detail thoughtfully curated. — Prologue An invitation, not an itinerary There is a particular hush to a Japanese workshop at dawn — the click of a wheel, the soft fold of fabric, the smell of pine ash on hot kiln bricks. This journey is built around those quiet, deliberate hours: time spent at the elbow of the people keeping Japan’s craft traditions alive. We travel slowly, in a small group, with the kind of access that comes from long friendship rather than a guidebook. Expect to leave with clay still under your fingernails — and a way of looking at the world that you’ll carry home in your work. CH · I Tokyo · An insider’s Tokyo We begin where most visitors only skim the surface. From a small-group street-food tour through the back lanes of the old shitamachi to the artistic legacy of Senso-ji and the refined beauty of Nezu Shrine, the first chapter of our journey opens onto a side of the city few travellers ever see. Evening street-food tour: izakaya, yakitori carts, hidden kitchens Ryogoku, Tokyo’s historic sumo district, with its stadium museum A morning walk through Yasuda Garden, koi ponds and stone lanterns Sumida Hokusai Museum, dedicated to the woodblock-print master Lantern-painting workshop at Atelier Sougeikan, an Edo-era studio Nezu Shrine’s vermilion torii, then Yanaka and Asakusa’s Senso-ji CH · II Mashiko · In the shadow of Shoji Hamada A day trip north from Tokyo by private coach into the spiritual heartland of mingei — the folk-craft movement Hamada built with Bernard Leach a century ago. We step inside his former residence, climbing kiln and workshop, then take to a wheel ourselves, working alongside a master potter to throw a piece in his lineage. Private session at the Shoji Hamada Memorial (Sanko-kan Museum) The Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art (Mashiko Togeikan) Walking Jonaizaka — the pottery street — at the artisans’ pace A hands-on Mashiko-yaki pottery class in a working studio The potter is only a witness. The clay decides; we do our best to listen. CH · III Kanazawa · The city of quiet luxuries Kanazawa was largely spared the bombs of WWII, and with them, its samurai districts, geisha houses and centuries-old artisan studios. We walk the cobbled lanes of the Nagamachi district to the Nomura-ke Residence — where freshly brewed matcha is served on the second floor over a tranquil garden — and take a traditional tea ceremony within Kenroku-en, ranked among Japan’s three finest gardens. Then comes the heart of the chapter: rare, private studio time with two of the city’s most celebrated artisans, chosen by you. Nagamachi Samurai District & the restored Nomura-ke residence Tea ceremony with a master, inside Kenroku-en Garden Choose two from a programme of five master artisans: Kaga Yuzen — kimono silk dyeing in pigments drawn from nature Shikki — Kanazawa lacquerware in black, red and gold leaf Kintsugi — mending broken ceramics with seams of gold lacquer Wagasa — the few remaining makers of traditional paper umbrellas Kaga Nui — feudal-era embroidery on high-quality silk textiles CH · IV Echizen · Tango Where the old kilns still breathe One of Japan’s six ancient pottery centres, Echizen has changed less in a thousand years than most places do in a generation. From here we move along the coast to Amanohashidate — “the bridge to heaven” — where we stay in a refined ryokan, dine on a multi-course kaiseki, and the next morning press deeper into the Tango region for a slow day among swordsmiths, weavers and brewers. Fukui Prefectural Museum of Ceramics & Echizen pottery village Amanohashidate Viewland and the famous “matanozoki” sandbar view Ryokan stay at Monjusou, with a traditional kaiseki dinner The swordsmiths of Tango: forging katana from tamahagane steel Mother-of-pearl silk weaving at the Tamiya gallery — a craft of one master A generational sake brewery using a UNESCO-recognised brewing method CH · V Kyoto · Tokoname · Kamakura A curated Kyoto, and the long road home Kyoto is too easily reduced to its postcards. We approach it sideways — four contrasting gardens on the eastern side, the raked stone of Ryoan-ji before the crowds arrive, Nijo Castle’s nightingale floors, and the bamboo groves of Arashiyama. From there to Tokoname, the first of Japan’s six ancient kilns, and finally to Kamakura — where an award-winning Japanese landscape designer guides us privately through the principles of garden-making. Four gardens of east Kyoto: Nanzen-ji, Tenju-an, Murin-an & Heian Jingu Nijo Castle, Ryoan-ji and Kinkaku-ji on a single, well-paced day Arashiyama’s bamboo path and the Togetsukyo bridge Tokoname pottery town: Manekineko Street & Dokanzaka Hill of clay pipes A half-day of hidden gardens in Kamakura with a prize-winning designer Farewell dinner before our return flight Master craftspeople The makers we meet Tango · Swordsmiths Watch a katana take shape in the forge of a master who still works to ancient specification. Kanazawa · Kintsugi Try the centuries-old craft of mending broken ceramics with seams of gold lacquer. Kanazawa · Wagasa The dwindling guild of artisans crafting the umbrellas Japan has used for 400 years. Tokyo · Lantern painting An Edo-era studio where you’ll paint a washi lantern with brush and ink. Tokoname · Manekineko Street Whimsical beckoning-cat sculptures line the open-air gallery of Japan’s oldest pottery town. Kanazawa · Kaga Nui embroidery Inside the studio of one of Japan’s last masters of feudal-era silk embroidery. Kanazawa · Shikki lacquer A studio visit with one of the lacquer artists keeping a 400-year tradition alive. Kanazawa · Kaga Yuzen Vibrant kimono silk painting in dyes drawn from flowers, minerals and the seasons. A glimpse ahead A photographic prelude Your invitation Travel with us · 8 – 22 May 2027 Places are limited and the journey is shaped around the pace of the makers we visit. Use the form below to request the full day-by-day itinerary or register your interest — we’ll be in touch personally with every enquiry. £6,705 per person, excluding international flights — based on a small group of ten travellers and two people sharing. If fewer than ten of you join us, the per-person price will rise modestly so the journey can run as we've designed it. Forename* Surname* Email Address* Telephone* I'd like to... Request the full itinerary Register interest in this trip * Message Contact Us
CH · I Tokyo · An insider’s Tokyo We begin where most visitors only skim the surface. From a small-group street-food tour through the back lanes of the old shitamachi to the artistic legacy of Senso-ji and the refined beauty of Nezu Shrine, the first chapter of our journey opens onto a side of the city few travellers ever see. Evening street-food tour: izakaya, yakitori carts, hidden kitchens Ryogoku, Tokyo’s historic sumo district, with its stadium museum A morning walk through Yasuda Garden, koi ponds and stone lanterns Sumida Hokusai Museum, dedicated to the woodblock-print master Lantern-painting workshop at Atelier Sougeikan, an Edo-era studio Nezu Shrine’s vermilion torii, then Yanaka and Asakusa’s Senso-ji
CH · II Mashiko · In the shadow of Shoji Hamada A day trip north from Tokyo by private coach into the spiritual heartland of mingei — the folk-craft movement Hamada built with Bernard Leach a century ago. We step inside his former residence, climbing kiln and workshop, then take to a wheel ourselves, working alongside a master potter to throw a piece in his lineage. Private session at the Shoji Hamada Memorial (Sanko-kan Museum) The Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art (Mashiko Togeikan) Walking Jonaizaka — the pottery street — at the artisans’ pace A hands-on Mashiko-yaki pottery class in a working studio
CH · III Kanazawa · The city of quiet luxuries Kanazawa was largely spared the bombs of WWII, and with them, its samurai districts, geisha houses and centuries-old artisan studios. We walk the cobbled lanes of the Nagamachi district to the Nomura-ke Residence — where freshly brewed matcha is served on the second floor over a tranquil garden — and take a traditional tea ceremony within Kenroku-en, ranked among Japan’s three finest gardens. Then comes the heart of the chapter: rare, private studio time with two of the city’s most celebrated artisans, chosen by you. Nagamachi Samurai District & the restored Nomura-ke residence Tea ceremony with a master, inside Kenroku-en Garden Choose two from a programme of five master artisans: Kaga Yuzen — kimono silk dyeing in pigments drawn from nature Shikki — Kanazawa lacquerware in black, red and gold leaf Kintsugi — mending broken ceramics with seams of gold lacquer Wagasa — the few remaining makers of traditional paper umbrellas Kaga Nui — feudal-era embroidery on high-quality silk textiles
CH · IV Echizen · Tango Where the old kilns still breathe One of Japan’s six ancient pottery centres, Echizen has changed less in a thousand years than most places do in a generation. From here we move along the coast to Amanohashidate — “the bridge to heaven” — where we stay in a refined ryokan, dine on a multi-course kaiseki, and the next morning press deeper into the Tango region for a slow day among swordsmiths, weavers and brewers. Fukui Prefectural Museum of Ceramics & Echizen pottery village Amanohashidate Viewland and the famous “matanozoki” sandbar view Ryokan stay at Monjusou, with a traditional kaiseki dinner The swordsmiths of Tango: forging katana from tamahagane steel Mother-of-pearl silk weaving at the Tamiya gallery — a craft of one master A generational sake brewery using a UNESCO-recognised brewing method
CH · V Kyoto · Tokoname · Kamakura A curated Kyoto, and the long road home Kyoto is too easily reduced to its postcards. We approach it sideways — four contrasting gardens on the eastern side, the raked stone of Ryoan-ji before the crowds arrive, Nijo Castle’s nightingale floors, and the bamboo groves of Arashiyama. From there to Tokoname, the first of Japan’s six ancient kilns, and finally to Kamakura — where an award-winning Japanese landscape designer guides us privately through the principles of garden-making. Four gardens of east Kyoto: Nanzen-ji, Tenju-an, Murin-an & Heian Jingu Nijo Castle, Ryoan-ji and Kinkaku-ji on a single, well-paced day Arashiyama’s bamboo path and the Togetsukyo bridge Tokoname pottery town: Manekineko Street & Dokanzaka Hill of clay pipes A half-day of hidden gardens in Kamakura with a prize-winning designer Farewell dinner before our return flight