Highlight:

Tour price per 1 person: 258,000 JPY
The price includes:
- Facility/tools use
- Materials (clay, glazes etc)
- Biscuit firing fee (1 time)
- Compact wood fire kiln use for glost firing (1 time)
- Accommodation for 29 nights
The price does NOT include:
- Transportation fee to/from the pottery studio, Meals, Packing service, Delivery service, etc.
Pottery facility: Mashiko Ceramic Art Club (in Mashiko town, Tochigi prefecture) [Web / Photos]
Minimum participants: 1 person

Booking limit: 30 days prior to the tour start date
Payment limit:
- Advance payment of 10% of total tour cost must be deposited within 7 days of receiving a tentative confirmation (Refundable).
- Full payment must be completed 30 days prior to the tour start date.
Payment method we accept: Paypal, Bank transfer, International postal money order
Cancellation fee (Based on Japan time):
- 30 days to 15 days prior to the tour start date: 30% of the tour price
- 14 days to 1day prior to the tour start date: 50% of the tour price
- Cancellation on the tour start date: 100% of the tour price (No refunds)

About firing:
- A compact wood fire kiln of 50cm x 40cm x 50cm is available for glost firing 1 time during your stay.
- To use the kiln, you will need to make advance reservations with the studio. Our recommendation is to arrange schedule with the studio owner before you start making a pot.
- You can complete firing as long as approximately 10 hours. (The firing time differs depending on the firing method.)
- Please also arrange with the owner when and which kiln you will use for the biscuit firing, if you need.

About the accommodation:
You will stay in a traditional Japanese house next to the pottery studio. When sleeping, you will use futon (Japanese style tick) with no beds in a Tatami room. You will share a kitchen, a fridge, a bathroom, a toilet, a washing machine and the dining space. The internet is not available in your room.
As this house is built in a traditional way, you can surely feel the “old Japan” throughout the house, but at the same time, there might be some possibilities that you would be in a un-private situation, as you have to share the kitchen, the toilet, the bathroom etc, and also the walls are thin.

About the meals:
The place is equipped with kitchen. Feel free to cook. The owner will tell you where the nearest grocery store is.
With extra charge, we can upgrade your plan to include “breakfast” or “breakfast and dinner”. For more detailed information, please contact us.

English: The studio owner speaks rudimentary English, but he is well accustomed to taking care of non Japanese people, as they have accepted quite a lot of guests from all over the world.

A Message from the Pottery Owner Mashiko, a small town surrounded by rich green nature, has a history of making rustic pottery. Mashiko is located in Tochigi prefecture and it takes 2.5-3 hours from Tokyo by local train. In recent years, various artists prefer to stay here. A lot of people from overseas have visited our studio and enjoyed not only pottery activities but Japanese cultures. How about staying in an old traditional Japanese house for pottery making? We look forward to your visit.

Highlight:

Tour price per 1 person: 145,000 JPY
 *500JPY per night as “heating expense” is charged during January and February in addition to the above price.
The price includes:
- Materials (clay max. 100kg, glazes etc)
- Facility/tools use
- Firing fee for 2 or 3 times
- Accommodation for 29 nights (*You will stay on the 2nd floor of the pottery studio)
The price does NOT include:
- Transportation fee to/from the studio, Meals, Packing service, Delivery service, etc.
Pottery facility: Kita-gama Kasen (in Seto city, Aichi prefecture) [Web /Photos]
Minimum participants: 1 person

Booking limit: 30 days prior to the tour start date
Payment limit:
- Advance payment of 10% of total tour cost must be deposited within 7 days of receiving a tentative confirmation (Refundable).
- Full payment must be completed 30 days prior to the tour start date.
Payment method we accept: Paypal, Bank transfer, International postal money order
Cancellation fee (Based on Japan time):
- 30 days to 15 days prior to the tour start date: 30% of the tour price
- 14 days to 1 day prior to the tour start date: 50% of the tour price
- Cancellation on the tour start date: 100% of the tour price (No refunds)

About firing:
- You will use a gas kiln of 90cm x 60cm x 90cm (0.7 cubic meters) or an electric kiln of 40cm x 40cm x 40cm.
- Your works will be fired together with other items when the studio fires the kiln on their regular schedule, therefore you can not specify the firing method. Also, please understand that there may be some limitations in terms of sizes and numbers of items to be fired.
- They usually fire once a week, so you will probably get 2 or 3 chances to fire during your stay of 30 days. (The firing frequency depends on the schedule of the studio.)
- Please contact us to inquire about chartering the kiln.

About your work at the studio:
You will work as a craftsman to help the studio for several hours a day. Your work program will be decided after discussions with the pottery owner, taking into account your skills and work schedule of the studio.

About the accommodation:
You will stay in a room on the 2nd floor of the pottery studio. The room is a Japanese style room with Tamami mats, futon (Japanese style tick), a small kitchen, a fridge, a bathroom and a toilet. You will share a washing machine. The internet connection is available in your room.
There maybe apprentice potters residing in other rooms.

About the meals:
You can use the kitchen in your room. The studio owner will tell you where the nearest grocery store is.

English: The pottery owner can speak English, but not as fluently as native speakers.

A Message from the Pottery Owner “It requires 3 years to master wedging, and 10 years to master the wheel.” Here in Seto, the phrase has been handed down from generation to generation, to inherit the importance of spending plenty of time to learn. We believe that it would be a very good experience for you to work with the craftsman.

Highlight:

Tour price per 1 person: 200,000 JPY
The price includes:
- Facility/tools use
- Glazes
- Gas kiln use (1 time for biscuit firing and one more time for glost firing)
- Accommodation for 29 nights with breakfast (You will stay in Hotel “Route Inn Tokoname Ekimae”)
The price does NOT include:
– Clay, Gas cost for firing, Transportation fee to/from the studio, Meals except breakfast, Packing service, Delivery service, etc.
Pottery facility: Gallery Kyoei-gama (in Tokoname city, Aichi prefecture) [Web / Photos]
Minimum participants: 1 person

Booking limit: 30 days prior to the tour start date
Payment limit:
- Advance payment of 10% of total tour cost must be deposited within 7 days of receiving a tentative confirmation (Refundable).
- Full payment must be completed 30 days prior to the tour start date.
Payment method we accept: Paypal, Bank transfer, International postal money order
Cancellation fee (Based on Japan time):
– 30 days to 15 days prior to the tour start date: 30% of the tour price
- 14 days to 1 day prior to the tour start date: 50% of the tour price
- Cancellation on the tour start date: 100% of the tour price (No refunds)

About purchasing clay:
You can purchase clay directly from Kyoei-gama (about 2,500JPY/10kg) or go to clay shops in Tokoname.

About firing:
- Please select a gas kiln out of 5 kilns with different sizes. They are 0.1, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 cubic meters. (If you want to use 1.1 cubic meters kiln, please let us know. We will give you cost estimation separately.)
- To use the kiln, you will need to make advance reservations with the studio. Our recommendation is to arrange schedule with the studio staff before you start making a pot.
- From loading to unloading, we expect 3 days for biscuit firing and 4 days for glost firing. (If exceeded, additional fee will be charged.)
- Please check the amount of gas you used right after firing, and pay the gas cost directly to Kyoei-gama staffs.

About the accommodation:
You will stay in a hotel named “Route Inn Tokoname ekimae” located in front of the studio. It’s just 1 minute walk from the studio. You will stay in a western style single room with a fridge, a bath and a toilet. The room is not equipped with Kitchen. The hotel will serve breakfast. You can use a common bath and a washing machine on the 1st floor. The internet connection is available in your room.

About the meals:
You can have breakfast at a restaurant in the hotel. For other meals, ready to eat meals, drinks, snacks are available at nearby grocery store, which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

English: A staff at the studio can speak English, but not as fluently as native speakers.

A Message from the Pottery School Staff Welcome to Tokoname, a thousand-year-old, one of the Japan’s Six Old Kilns. We are extremely proud to offer you an exquisite experience of making pottery in a historical pottery locality. We all look forward to meeting you.

Highlight:

Tour price per 1 person: 287,500 JPY
The price includes:
- Facility/tools use
- Instruction fee (notes: The potter will teach you in rudimentary English. Also, there might be some days we can not provide you with this program due to the potter’s schedule.)
- Materials (clay, glazes etc)
- Gas kiln use (1 time for glost firing)
- Tea ceremony experience
- Accommodation for 29 nights
The price does NOT include:
- Transportation fee to/from the pottery studio, Meals, Packing service, Delivery service, etc.
Pottery facility: Sumiyoshi-gama (in Tajimi city, Gifu prefecture) [Photos]
Minimum participants: 1 person

Booking limit: 30 days prior to the tour start date
Payment limit:
- Advance payment of 10% of total tour cost must be deposited within 7 days of receiving a tentative confirmation (Refundable).
- Full payment must be completed 30 days prior to the tour start date.
Payment method we accept: Paypal, Bank transfer, International postal money order
Cancellation fee (Based on Japan time):
- 30 days to 15 days prior to the tour start date: 30% of the tour price
- 14 days to 1 day prior to the tour start date: 50% of the tour price
- Cancellation on the tour start date: 100% of the tour price (No refunds)

About firing:
- During your stay, you will do the glost firing 1 time using a gas kiln. The kiln is about 1.0 cubic meter.
- As your works will be fired together with other items, you cannot specify the firing method. Also, please understand that there may be some limitations in terms of sizes and numbers of items to be fired.
- For the firing schedule, please arrange the schedule with the potter in advance.
- If you take part in this program with more than 5 participants, we can estimate the firing fee using a wood fire kiln separately. Please let us know.

About the accommodation:
You will stay in an accommodation next to the studio. The room is a private room with a bed. A kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet, and a washing machine will be shared. The internet is not available in the room. Accommodation is located in rural area with nature. If you prefer very clean and modern place to stay, you may choose not to apply for this program.

About the meals:
You can use the kitchen in the pottery studio. The studio owner will tell you where the nearest grocery store is.

English: The potter speaks rudimentary English, but he has been abroad many times, and well accustomed to communicating with non-Japanese people.

A Message from the Pottery Owner There are beautiful four seasons in Japan, “spring, summer, fall, and winter”. Enjoy spring redolent with blooming flowers, feel the waves of sea breeze in summer, appreciate the rich harvest in fall, and see the rigor in winter snow. We devote ourselves into making pottery, every season, every year. Working with heart and soul, which is one of the beauties of Japanese pottery. This is why you can feel the potter’s devotion through his works. We look forward to your visit and you sharing the dreams for pottery with us!

A Testimonial from Our Customer    I looked for an appropriate way of finding out the insight into the Japanese way of understanidg the ceramics. I simply wanted to see how you do it. I decided for master Ogisou because he is practicing Shino and Oribe…   >> See more details

Highlight:

Tour price per 1 person: 312,500 JPY
The price includes:
- Facility/tools use
- Instruction fee (note: The pottery studio owner can not speak English, but a local English speaker will support you. Please also note that there might be some days we can not provide this program due to the potter’s schedule.)
- Materials (clay, glazes, paints etc)
- Gas and Electirc kilns use (1 time for biscuit firing, 1 time for glost firing, 1 time for decorating firing)
- Soba making experience
- Accommodation for 29 nights
The price does NOT include:
– Transportation fee to/from the pottery studio, Meals, Packing service, Delivery service, etc.
Pottery facility: Norito-gama (in Arita town, Saga prefecture) [Web / Photos]
Minimum participants: 1 person

Booking limit: 30 days prior to the tour start date
Payment limit:
- Advance payment of 10% of total tour cost must be deposited within 7 days of receiving a tentative confirmation (Refundable).
- Full payment must be completed 30 days prior to the tour start date.
Payment method we accept: Paypal, Bank transfer, International postal money order
Cancellation fee (Based on Japan time):
– 30 days to 15 days prior to the tour start date: 30% of the tour price
- 14 days to 1 day prior to the tour start date: 50% of the tour price
- Cancellation on the tour start date: 100% of the tour price (No refunds)

About firing:
– You can do the biscuit firing, glost firing and decorating firing 1 time each (3 times in total) by using either an electric kiln or a gas kiln. The gas kiln for glost firing is about 1.5 cubic meters.
- As your works will be fired together with other items, you cannot specify the firing method. Also, please understand that there may be some limitations in terms of sizes and numbers of items to be fired.
- For the firing schedule, please arrange the schedule with the studio owner in advance.

About the accommodation:
You will be billeted in a private home near the studio. The room can be locked with a key (it will be a Japanese style room) and you will use futon (a Japanese style tick) when you sleep. Also, a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet, a washing machine, a fridge and a dining space will be shared. The internet is not available.
The owner does not live in this house now, but there will be held jazz-piano lessons several times a week in that house.

About the meals:
You can use the kitchen in your room. The house owner will tell you where the nearest grocery store is.

English: The studio owner can not speak English, but a local English speaker will support you.

A Message from the Pottery Owner I aspire to make pieces from the early period of Arita porcelain, of which also fit well with modern lifestyle. On weekends, we serve Soba (Buckwheat noodles) entirely made by hand. We are looking forward to welcoming you to our studio.