November 8th - 21st, 2026 "The six ancient kilns of Japan!"

Travel to Japan from your home airport. If you'd like to arrive earlier in Japan to get over the jet lag, that's fine. Sheri will meet you on November 9th. It's recommended to extend your stay after the tour, rather than before,  if you've never been to Japan before.  This way, you'll be accustomed to traveling on trains, and more familiar with navigating Japan. 

Sheri will meet you as you arrive at the Kansai airport in Osaka, Japan. Then she'll halp you get Japanese Yen (their currency), either by exchanging cash, or using an ATM. After that, she'll walk you over to the 5-star Nikko hotel which is located right at the airport, being super convenient. After a long flight, you'll most likely be tired and want to rest. The tour will begin tomorrow. 

Enjoy a scrumptious breakfast buffet that has tons of choices, both Japanese and western style cuisines. Afterwards, we'll have a "Meet and Greet" meeting in the hotel lobby. Then, we'll load our lubbabe onto a charter bus, and enjoy a tour of Osaka with Yoriko.  We'll visit the gorgeous Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, that will be a great introduction to the beauty of Japan. We'll have a delicious Japanese lunch (included), and then watch a demonstration of Japanese knives being made by hand! We'll tour the Rikyu Museum and learn about origin of tea ceremonies and enjoy a tea ceremony too!.That night, we'll travel to Nagoya, and settle in at the hotel.

We'll take a charter bus to Tajimi – and see Minoyaki - Mino pottery. Hans Karlsson, an expert on local pottery will take us to the Aoyama Studio, where we'll see a multi-generational family do a demonstration. We'll tour their studio, see their kilns, and their beautiful ware. 

We'll enjoy a group  lunch at a local restaurant (included). Then we'll go see the Mino Ceramic Art Museum (Minoyaki Museum), and go to the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art at the Ceramic Park Mino.  We'll take the bus back to the Nagoya hotel. Dinner is on your own. There are many restaurant choices in the area. 

Today, we'll take a charter bus to Seto - One of the six ancient kilns. We'll visit a contemporary ceramic artist, Shingo Takeuchi's studio and showroom. Then we'll enjoy lunch in town (included). In the afternoon we;ll go to the Setogura Museum and learn about the history of pottery making in Seto. We'll also go to the Seto Blue and White Ceramics Center. and the Manekineko Museum, which has historical "beckoning cats" and all kinds of cat pieces. 

We'll tour the INAX Museums which have old kilns, a tile museum, and a toilet museum! We'll enjoy lunch there at an Italian restaurant with wood fired pizza! In the afternoon, we'll go to the

Tokoname Tou no Mori Museum and learn about the history of pottery in the area. Then we'll walk the Pottery Path which has lots of old pipes and pots, where you can see active pottery studios, galleries, and quant shops. There's a huge Old Kiln on the path, as well as ceramic sculptures. 

Today we’ll load our luggage in a charter bus from Nagoya to Echizen,  We'll visit the Echizen Old Kiln Museum  and the Fukui Prefectural Museum. We'll enjoy a soba noodle lunch (included). In the afternoon, we'll go to the Furaigama studio and enjoy a demonstration, see their kiln, and the ware. We'll walk around the ceramic park and shop at the Echizen Ware Co-op. The bus will take us to Kyoto, where we'll check into the hotel for the rest of the tour and take day trips from there.

Relax after many busy days. You can get a massage, go shopping, enjoy a park, or visit the many temples in the area. In the afternoon, we'll gather again to enjoy a hands-on workshop. TBA

Tour of Kyoto today. We'll take a charter bus to the  incredible Kiyo-mizudera Temple, and see the historic surrounding area. We'll view the Kyoto Ceramics Center and the Robert Yellin Ceramics gallery. 

Visit the studios and homes of three different Shigaraki potters. TBA. See their kilns and styles. We'll also go to the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Center, which is massive. They have a great museum, an international visiting artist program in state of the art facilities, and a kiln room that is very impressive. We'll go to a great ceramic supply shop, and have time to shop in town.

Another great day in Kyoto, touring the gorgeous Kinkaku-ji - Golden Pavilion, which has beautiful gardens, multiple structures and more. We'll  learn about the original Raku process at  the Raku Museum, and enjoy a fun basket making workshop at masters of bamboo!

Tour of Tamba by charter bus. They have been making pottery in Tamba for over 800 years!  First, we'll tour the remarkable Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo. Then we'll enjoy lunch at the restaurant of the Sue no Sato ceramics center. We'll visit two family run potteries: Shoyo-gama –and Toshihiko-gama, where we'll see their studios, wood-fired kilns, and beautiful pottery.

We'll visit the So Isezaki studio and gallery.. Walk to the Kibido Studio – see their wood kiln as well and their ware. Lunch in town. In the afternoon, we'll tour the brand new - Bizen Museum., and have time to see area shops and galleries.

In the morning, we'll go to the Toji Market, held only on the 21st of each month. It's at the gorgeous Toji Temple, which is a site to see on its own. The market has all kinds of vintage Japanese items, inexpensive kimonos, haoris - kimono jackets, delicious food and spices, clothing, and yes, pottery. There's so much there, it's incredible! In the afternoon, we'll leave for the Kansai airport. Most flights to the US leave in the late afternoon/evening. 

If you want to stay in Japan, it'll be easier after the tour knowing how to get around using trains and ordering in restaurants, etc. If possible, take some time to account for jet lag when you get home. You'll cherish your memories from a trip of a lifetime. You'll make new friends who share the love of ceramics! 

Itinerary is subject to slight changes due to availability at chosen places or weather.