“The further one goes, the less one knows.”
-Lao Tsu

Pottery/Craft Tour – Fall 2007

Join me as I share my insights into Japanese ceramics gleaned from my previous life in Japan which covered some 7-8 years. Traveling as the Japanese do, we’ll begin our survey of work in the dynamic, creative mega -city of Tokyo which has become the repository for all manner of Japanese art forms. I’ll share with you my favorite galleries and museums as we start our journey through Japanese ceramics, both traditional and contemporary, as well as crafts in general. When in Tokyo, we will be taking in a myriad of sights, sounds, as well as tastes of this fascinating city and time permitting, I’ll take you to the incredible home and garden of a well known Japanese sculptor.

Stopping briefly in Mishima to visit my friend and Japanese pottery expert Robert Yellin, we will next head down to Nagoya which is famous for so many types of ceramics, among them Oribe, Shino, and Tokoname ware. Using Nagoya as our base for the next few days, we will take day trips out into the surrounding lush countryside visiting towns such as Tajimi with it’s Musuem of Contemporary Ceramics and a fine little sake cup museum in Ichinokura as well as Tokoname which features a fine walk though the old studio district of town.

Leaving Nagoya and the heat behind, we head up into the mountains to the picturesque town of Hida-Takayama which features a number of old, traditional minka, or folk houses, as well as a huge selection of local crafts. The next day will be spent strolling the streets of this wonderful town perhaps taking in the morning market or traveling to the Hida Folk Village to see the life and culture of the local farming villages as lived hundreds of years ago.

Heading out from Takayama early in the morning, we’re off to Kyoto where we will be taking in such sights as Kawai Kanjiro’s historic old home and studio, the Raku Museum, the old “kottoya-san” or antique dealer district near the geisha quarters of Gion, as well as taking in the myriad of sights and sounds as we stroll through the old Nishiki-koji day market which dates back some 1400 years. As Kyoto was my home town for a number of years, any free days offer a range of possibilities for me to share with you such as bicycle touring in Sagano, a day hike to Kurama, temple hopping among the hundreds to be found, or perhaps a day spent seeking out the multitude of traditional crafts for which Kyoto is internationally famous. Possible day trips from Kyoto may include a trip to Shigaraki which is world famous for it’s wood fired ware, as well as a possible trip to Uji which is know for its’ tea as well as a pottery style called Asahi-yaki. For those interested in the tea ceremony, a visit to the Chado Research Center is a possibility as well. Days end will find us among the locals enjoying cuisine ranging from nouvelle as well as traditional Japanese, to French bistro, to the always amazing izakaya or Japanese pub food. Our tour comes to it’s conclusion after we head back to Tokyo for our flight out of Narita airport to the US.

Additionally, college credit is available for your travel experience with me via Shoreline Community College, Shoreline, Washington. Please inquire for details!

• Travel with me as I share my insights, technical, aesthetic as well as contextual regarding Japanese ceramics.
  
  
• Enjoy the insights of potters, craftsmen, and restaurateurs as they talk of their art/livelihood.
  
  
• Experience Japan’s historic cultural capital of Kyoto as well as other quiet traditional towns such as Takayama, Tajimi, and Shigaraki while traveling through some of Japan’s finest rural countryside.
  
  
• Journey through the varied world of Japanese cuisine.
  
  
• Stroll through charming old neighborhoods where the traditional and contemporary strive to co-exist in unique ways.
  
  
• Experience how crafts of all types are thoroughly integrated into modern day Japanese lifestyle.

Suggested Itinerary:
The tour will depart Thursday July 5th 2007 and will return two weeks later on Wednesday July 18th for a total of 14 days and 12 nights with the entry port in Japan being the Narita Int’l Airport in Tokyo. The tour is sold as a ground only package with participants needing to furnish their own roundtrip airfare and one week rail pass. All tour members MUST have a one week JR rail pass voucher in hand at time of departure. While participants are free to choose their own travel agent when booking flights, I highly recommend Suzuki-san at Sankei Travel here in Seattle, as I have been working with her for many years and find her most professional and competitive price wise as well. I am willing to help people who prefer to stay on a bit longer after the tour has ended in making further arrangements at no charge. The suggested itinerary is as follows with some flexibility to make changes as we journey, as I strive to make the tours user driven as much as possible.

Day 1 – Depart US for Japan

Day 2 – Arrive at Tokyo’s Narita Int’l Airport, board the JR Narita express train for               Tokyo, check in to the Princess Garden Hotel or similar.

Day 3 – Day spent in Tokyo gallery hopping. Possible stops include galleries such
              as kuroda Toen, The Minge Kaikan which is a superb craft museum,
              and a wonderful craft shop, Bingoya. Time allowing, a studio visit to my
              potter friend Higashida Shigemasa may be in the offing as well.

Day 4 – Todays events may include visits to Tokyos 2 finest department stores
              Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi to take in the craft shows there as well as the               food floors before heading to Asakura Fumio’s home/studio and garden.

Day 5 – Boarding an early shinkansen we’re off to see Robert Yellin in Mishima
              before reaching our days destination which is Nagoya.

Day 6 – Taking the JR Chuo Line we head out to Tajimi to visit a contemporary
              crafts museum as well as the sake cup museum at the old pottery town
              of Ichinokura. A studio visit may be in store as well!

Day 7 – Today finds us strolling through the Tokoname which is famous for it’s
              simple, unglazed pottery. Originally manufacturing ceramics for
              industry, Tokoname now produces a wide variety of ware and is home as
              well to the Inax ceramic museum.

Day 8 – Escaping the heat of the lowlands, we board and early train bound for
              the quaint town of Hida-Takayama which is set high in the Japan Alps.
              The afternoon is spent soaking up the craft filled atmosphere of this old
              town where there is much traditional Japanese architecture to be found.

Day 9 – Today is a free day spent relaxing in Takayama.  
                
Day 10 –Getting an early start, we’re off to Kyoto with the first stop after our
               arrival being that of the house and studio of Japanese folk potter
               kawai Kanjiro.

Day 11 –Today’s possibilities include Aizenkobo, an indigo dying workshop, the
               Raku Museum, or any other of a number of crafts workshops/galleries.

Day 12 –The Gion Matsuri or festival is today which is one of the largest in
               Japan…… lucky for us! The balance of the day we are free to wander
               the streets of old Kyoto.
        
Day 13 –Being the last day on the ground in Japan, it is open to the whims of
               my fellow travelers….. a free day. Possibilities include a bicycle tour of
               Sagano, a day trip to Shigaraki and the Miho Musuem, or perhaps a
               day spent temple hopping or trying our hand at Shodo, calligraphy.

Day 14 - After a final early morning stroll through the streets of old Kyoto, we
               board the shinkansen for Tokyo’s Narita airport and our flight back
               to the US.

Tour Price
The ground only package beginning at Tokyo’s Narita Airport is priced at $3450, subject to adjustment due to currency fluctuation up until full payment is received. Having arrived in Tokyo a few days ahead of the group to make final arrangements on the ground, I will be meeting you as you arrive at Narita airport. References
from fellow travelers of previous tours are happily supplied upon request!

What’s Included
Both packages include lodging and breakfasts at hotels or ryokans falling in the two to four star range. Daily touring and ground transport not covered on the JR rail pass i.e. bus passes in Kyoto, buses and subways in Tokyo, as well as transportation to and from Narita Airport, and finally admissions to any museums
and temples except for those on free days. All accommodations are for single rooms with the exception of ryokans or any other Japanese inns which case occupancy will be double rooms with dinners included.

What’s Not Included
Round trip airfare to and from Japan, a one week Jr Rail Pass, lunches and dinners as well as any and all transportation costs incurred concerning dinners out.
Any admissions to venues including but not limited to sentos, onsens, tea seatings and any other cultural events and/or performances. Expenses incurred, be it
rentals, transport, or any admissions on scheduled free days or afternoons. Portage of participant’s baggage and or purchases. All tour members are responsible for the overseeing, portage, and temporary storage fees of any and all of their possessions. Travel insurance which is highly recommended.

What to Expect!
For those of you who have never be to Japan before, travel there is different than here as public transportation tends to be crowded, however it runs on clocklike precision. There will be walking, more walking, stair climbing, and more stair climbing with standing involved as well as there may be no seats available. In short, if you’re not in reasonably good physical shape, this is not the trip for you.

For those of you new to Japan, I will prepare a short but strongly recommended reading list covering basic cultural differences and faux pas to be avoided. Unlike traveling in Europe where many people speak English at a basic level, Japan is different, therefore learning a few basic Japanese phrases is strongly recommended. Traveling as light as possible concerning preconceptions is strongly advised as well. Other than that I can assure you of a fairly mind opening, sensory overloaded experience. Further information will be made available to those signing up for the tour.

How Do I Sign Up?
Please notify me at rob@robertfornellceramicarts.com of your interest in the tour to receive updated information as it becomes available. A deadline for commitment and payment of funds will be set for Spring 2007 and as the tour has a minimum enrollment quota, should that number not be reached, I reserve the right to cancel the tour at which any and all monies paid as deposit shall be refunded in full. Finally, in order to ensure the best possible experience for travelers, the maximum number of people I will take is 10.

Like to Go But Have Timing Issues?
If so please let me know of your interest so that I may contact you again for inclusion on a future tour. Additionally, utilizing my network of contacts in Japan that I have developed over the years, I offer my services creating custom tailored
travel experiences focusing on the arts and crafts of Japan for those seeking the utmost in personalized travel. These services are on a flat daily rate plus expenses basis. For further information concerning this unique travel experience please contact me.