Destinations
Kyoto
Kyoto
Explore the city of Kyoto and discover new initiatives and future monozukuri of Kyoto's traditional industries. This tour, which begins with a rare look inside a workshop, is a behind-the-scenes Kyoto experience.
Kyoto
Home to more than 20 sake breweries, Fushimi is one of Japan's 'Big Three' sake regions, thanks to its abundant quality groundwater. Around Arashiyama are bamboo workshops and Yuzen dyeing ateliers. Visits to shrines and torokko train rides are also unique highlights of Kyoto.
Osaka
◎Sakai, where Sen no Rikyū spent much of his life, developed industries related to the tea ceremony, such as Japanese confectionery and toothpicks. ◎The Naniwa area, known for Tsūtenkaku Tower and Shinsaibashi Bridge, has long had a thriving leather industry centered on shoemaking. The many delicious meat shops in the area are a remnant of this. ◎This tour will touch on the hidden charm of Osaka's manufacturing from the perspective of the Japanese confectionery culture and leather industry.
Hyogo
The Banshu region of Hyogo Prefecture has a 400-year history of producing abacuses and cutlery, and is proud to be a region in Japan that is highly skilled in producing them. The artisanship in the region is facing a succession problem, so techniques are passed down by reproducing products, for example by improving the design and using abacus production techniques to make clocks. You will encounter valuable products that are not mass-produced but are hand-made.
Nara
Nara Prefecture is home to many historic temples and shrines, some of which amongst the world's oldest wooden buildings. Located in the south-central part of the prefecture, the Yoshino area is home to one of the three most beautiful planted forests in Japan and the Yoshino sugi cedar there is highly regarded for its quality. Come learn about 1300-year old traditional construction methods and sustainable forestry in Japan's oldest man-made forest.
Osaka
大阪府堺市はかつて""東洋のベニス""と呼ばれ、世界各地から多くの人・モノ・情報が集まる街でした。こうした歴史背景から、日本を代表する数々の伝統産業が堺から生まれています。千利休が生涯の多くを過ごした街でもあり、和菓子とそれにまつわる産業もここ堺で発展しました。 また、通天閣や心斎橋で知られる浪速エリアは、古くから靴づくりを中心とした皮革産業が盛ん。美味しいお肉のお店が多いのもその名残です。 このツアーでは、この2つのエリアで発展した和菓子文化と皮革産業を切り口に、知られざる大阪のものづくりの魅力に触れます。