Weaving & Craft Discovery Tour of Northern Japan
$6,995
per person, twin share (land tour only).
$1,080 supplement for sole use of a hotel room.
Tour Leader
Tour Info
OVERVIEW
This 13-day journey begins in Sapporo and travels south through Hokkaido and Tohoku, a part of Japan shaped by long winters and generations of makers who learned to live in step with the land and its seasons. You'll travel through in spring, just as color is beginning to return to the hills. In Yonezawa, hand looms and safflower dye still produce cloth by hand. In Towada, sakiori weavers turn strips of worn cloth into something new. It's craft you'll get to see and try for yourself: deeply rooted and shaped by this landscape at every turn.
The rest of the journey carries that same depth. In Nibutani, home to the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan, you'll spend an exclusive afternoon watching a bark thread weaving demonstration and traditional dance. In Hirosaki's castle town, you'll try kogin embroidery and indigo dyeing, and outside Aomori, you'll walk through a Jomon-period settlement nearly six thousand years old. It's a look at a side of Japan the guidebooks and popular hot spots rarely show, an invitation into the wider story of craft and culture for anyone drawn to it, whether or not you know your way around a loom. The journey closes in Tokyo, trading forests and hot springs for the energy of one of the world's most iconic cities, before you head home with your handmade pieces and inspiration for your next project.
HIGHLIGHTS
Weaving and Textile Traditions
Spend real time with the weavers of Japan's north:
- Weave and dye your own pieces at a authentic studio in Yonezawa
- Learn sakiori weaving in Towada
- Watch up close as an Ainu craftsperson in Nibutani demonstrates a traditional backstrap loom, weaving ohyo (hand-spun elm bark thread) into attus, the region's traditional cloth. The thread itself takes real time and skill to prepare, stripped, soaked, and split by hand long before it ever reaches the loom, and the resulting cloth is prized for being water-resistant, sturdy, and surprisingly supple.
Craft and Culture Across Hokkaido and Tohoku
- Learn kogin embroidery in Hirosaki, the region where the craft originated
- Try natural indigo dyeing at a centuries-old dye house
- Spend an afternoon with the Ainu community enjoying a traditional dance and lunch
Museums, Landmarks and Tokyo
- Walk the grounds of an original Edo-period castle
- Step inside a Jomon-period settlement nearly six thousand years old
- Soak in the hot springs of Naruko Onsen and spend a night in a traditional ryokan
- Close the journey in Tokyo with a temari workshop and exploration of the city's beautiful green spaces and fabric shops
START & FINISH
The tour starts with dinner on Monday, April 12 in Sapporo. The tour ends after breakfast at your leisure on Saturday, April 24 in Tokyo.
Shared arrival & departure transfers are included. (Some conditions apply - shared transfers are only valid between our designated hotels and airports during available transfer service times)
Itinerary
DETAILED ITINERARY
Click the button below to receive a brochure with the full daily itinerary.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email at:
Phone: 877-235-3767
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tour Leader
SARA BIXLER
Sara Bixler is the owner and resident instructor of Red Stone Glen Fiber Arts Center in York Haven, Pennsylvania. Her love of travel and different cultures inspire her work and the curriculum offered at Red Stone Glen, set on an idyllic 50-acre property in south central Pennsylvania. There, students enjoy a unique opportunity to study a diverse range of fiber-arts courses, ranging from weaving to tatting. The center also presents informative lectures on relevant topics. Sara has devoted years to experimenting with color in weaving. She has focused on how color relationships are affected by yarn size, luster, sett, and weave structure. She is known for her ability to guide students through the challenging world of color theory, specifically as it relates to weaving. She is passionate about sustainability and the natural world, and that dedication is reflected in her work.
Inclusions
TOUR INCLUSIONS
What is included in the tour price?
- Shared arrival & departure transfers (service hours may apply)
- Transportation in Japan by chartered coaches & bullet train
- 12 nights twin-share accommodation at well-appointed hotels with breakfast daily
- 4 dinners, 3 lunches, workshops and entrance fees for activities stated in the itinerary
- An English-speaking guide throughout the trip in Japan
What is not included in the tour price?
- International airfare to Japan
- Travel insurance
- Porterage at hotels and personal expenses
- Gratuities and anything not mentioned
Hotels
HOTELS
The accommodations noted for this tour are what we used to price and design the itinerary, and they reflect the level of quality and location you can expect throughout the journey.
Because group space is finalized closer to departure, hotels are subject to change. If any adjustments are needed, we always select properties of similar quality and in comparable locations so the overall experience remains consistent.
Sapporo (3 nights) - JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo
Aomori (3 nights) - Daiwa Roynet Aomori
Naruko Onsen (1 night) - Naruko Hotel (traditional Japanese room, no Western beds)
Sendai (2 nights) - Metropolitan Sendai
Tokyo (3 nights) - Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro
Tour Details
Places AvailableBookings
Next Departure
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