8-Day Ceramic Villages in Kyushu

See All Photos

This morning, you'll meet your guide and driver at your accommodation and start with a morning tour of Yokubo Market, which is held daily along a 200-metre-long street in the small port town of Yobuko. Afterwards, you'll head to Nanatsugama Park for a 40-minute cruise to explore these natural sea caves. Then, you'll drive the short distance to Imari, a small town well known for its long pottery history. You'll check into your accommodation and have the rest of the day free to explore.

See All Photos

Today, you'll enjoy a full day at Okawachiyama village. A short distance from Imari, you'll visit the different pottery shops and try to make your own Imari painting at one of the village’s numerous ateliers. Okawachiyama was the first place in Japan to produce porcelain after kaolin - the mineral essential to making porcelain - had been found in the area and craftsmen with the necessary skills had been brought from Korea into the country.

See All Photos

Today is a full day at another ceramic village, Arita, which became the first place in Japan to produce porcelain. You'll spend the day sightseeing and finish at the somewhat bizarre Arita Porcelain Park. The history of Arita-yaki dates back about 400 years when Toyotomi Hideyoshi attempted to invade Korea and brought back several highly skilled Korean craftsmen to Japan.

See All Photos

After breakfast, you'll join your guide and driver and head to the hot-springs town of Takeo. The town is said to have a history of over 1300 years as an onsen destination. You'll make a brief stop at the Takeo Public Library and then head to Keishu-En Garden where you will get to assist with a tea ceremony. At the end of the day, you'll visit Mifuneyama Rakuen garden to see its illumination inspired by the now very famous Team Lab group. You'll end the tour at your traditional accommodation.

See All Photos

This morning, you'll meet your guide and driver at the hotel lobby and head to Kashima and the Tara area. You'll enjoy a walk around Kashima’s old street and visit some of the Sake breweries in the area for a taste of the local liquor. In the afternoon, you'll take the car and head to Nagasaki city. You'll end the tour at your accommodation for the night.

See All Photos

As one of Japan's closest port cities to the Asian mainland, Nagasaki has played a prominent role in foreign trade relations for many centuries and was the most important of only a very few ports open to restricted numbers of foreign traders during Japan's period of isolation. Today, you'll enjoy a full day visiting the main sights of the city. You will be exploring without a guide, but one can be added if you prefer.