The craft culture that lives in Yame, Fukuoka ～ Kurume Kasuri ～

From Kurume Kasuri, Buddhist altars, Japanese lanterns, washi paper, woodwork, bamboo work, pottery, to Japanese sake and Yame tea, the craft culture of Yame in the Chikugo region of Fukuoka Prefecture is still a large part of people's lives against the backdrop of abundant natural resources and a history of prospering as a merchant town. There are few regions even around Japan that offer such a wide variety of crafts. This tour provides an experience of the area's craft culture through Kurume Kasuri, one of Japan's three major Kasuri, and a stay at an inn decorated with various crafts from Yame.

Date

Time

Schedule

Content

Day1

14:00-16:00

Shimogawa Orimono

16:10

Check-in

  • Craft Inn [té]

18:00

Dinner

  • at Hotel

Day2

10:00-10:20

Depart from hotel

10:20-11:50

Ikeda Kasuri Kobo Gallery

Experience

Shimogawa Orimono

●Overview: After visiting the workshop, experience making an original stole with a pattern of your choice. ●Duration: 2h One of the few existing textile manufacturers, Shimogawa Orimono, takes on various challenges without being bound to the norm. Visit them and experience their developmental spirit through an introduction of the Kurume Kasuri process and efforts of the company by third-generation Kyozo Shimogawa. Next, tour the factory where power looms, an industrial heritage, are lined up. After the tour, choose your favorite cloth from the vast amount of Kurume Kasuri fabrics the company has accumulated and make a stall without using needles and threads. Shimogawa Orimono textiles are soft to touch, and the texture is one to enjoy.

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Ikeda Kasuri Kobo Gallery

●Overview: After visiting the workshop, experience indigo dyeing with patterns and shades of your choice. ●Duration: 1.5h Ikeda Kasuri Kobo in Chikugo City is one of the few Kurume Kasuri textile manufacturers that has continued the traditional manufacturing method of "indigo dyeing hand weaving" (weaving indigo-dyed threads). Daigo Ikeda, the 4th generation of Ikeda Kasuri Kobo, will guide you through the studio and explain the techniques and history of Kurume Kasuri before you experience indigo-dyeing firsthand.

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Stay

Craft Inn [té]

Craft Inn [té] is a place to immerse yourself and truly experience handmade crafts. The inn consists of two renovated traditional buildings, the former Tsukamoto main residence and former Marubayashi head family storehouse, in Yame, Fukushima, where the historic townscape remains. Both are decorated with furniture and furnishings made by the artists of Kyushu, centered on Yame, using the materials and techniques of the area. Immerse yourself in the crafts of this region through the three rooms, respectively themed of indigo, bamboo, and Japanese washi paper.

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  • ・
    Languages
    ：
     Mainly in Japanese, other languages based upon request.
  • ・
    Number of participants
    ：
     2 to 8 people
  • ・
    Meeting place
    ：
     negotiable
  • ・
    Reservation deadline
    ：
     14 days prior to departure
  • ・
    Payment method
    ：
     Bank transfer, credit card
  • ・
    Clothing
    ：
     None specified
  • ・
    Tour guide
    ：
     Local producer or interpreter (arrangements made based upon customer’s preference)
  • ・
    Cancellation fee
    ：
     29~15days prior to departure 5% 14~7days prior to departure 20% 6~4days prior to departure 50% 3~1days prior to departure 70% Departure day or no show 100%
  • ・
    Precautions
    ：
     -Tour will be held even in cases of rain, except in the event of a typhoon or heavy rain warning. -All photos shown are for illustrative purposes only. -The places to be visited are not tourist destinations, and due to circumstances, there may be different processes within the factory with the machines not being in operation. -Elementary school students and younger may participate in the tour with the accompaniment of a parent or guardian. However, we cannot be held responsible for any injuries or accidents happening during the tour, including in the parking lot and in the workshop. -Please make sure that parents/guardians do not touch the machines, especially during the tour inside the workshop. -We recommend that you purchase travel insurance for your participation in the tour. -The tour will be cancelled in the event that smooth operation of the tour becomes difficult due to the new coronavirus infection situation or other reasons. If the tour is cancelled, full amount of the tour fee will be refunded.
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