A Craft-rich Visit with the Artisans of Echizen

Test your artistic skills at ancient traditional craft workshops

The city of Echizen on the western coast of Japan has long been known as the home of skilled artisans in a number of traditional crafts, particularly the production of lacquerware and traditional paper known as “washi.” On this tour, you can not only watch craftspeople in action, but also take part in workshops and create your own pieces.

The tour includes visits to two important local shrines that enshrine the gods of lacquerware and paper. At these shrines, you’ll learn of the deep cultural connections with the crafts that have been passed down for many centuries. Also included is a traditional local lunch served on locally made lacquerware.

During your visit to the Kinkori Lacquerware shop, you can try your hand at painting a lacquerware bowl under the direction of a craftsman. On a tour of the Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill, one of the mill’s craftspeople will demonstrate the production of its renowned hemp paper used in Japanese paintings. A traditional calligraphy lesson concludes the tour, and the calligraphy can be taken home as a souvenir.

Access: From Tokyo Station, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Fukui Station (three hours). The meeting spot for the tour is just outside the east exit of Fukui Station.
From Kyoto Station, take the Limited Express Thunderbird to Tsuruga Station (one hour), and then the Hapi Line Fukui to Fukui Station (one hour).
 

Echizen Lacquerware and Echizen Washi Craft Tour with Calligraphy Experience(General Incorporated Association SOE）