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Mochi (rice cake) Making and Visiting Crafts Making Villages With The History of 1500 Years

A pair to make mochi from steamed rice

Pounding by a pestle and mortar

Making round-shaped mochi with hands

Washi making village

Classic Echizen architectural house

Artisan making washi paper

Needs power to mix the bark of a tree

Handmade knives from steel

Artisan's intricate work

Echizen produces 80% of lacquerware in Japan

All kinds of lacquerware

Mochi (rice cake) Making and Visiting Crafts Making Villages With The History of 1500 Years

Unique Experience

Joined 2019

Yoshie K.

5.00 / 5

(51 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Fukui

English, Japanese (Native)

7 hours

Private tour (only you and Yoshie K.)

Up to 6 people

Mochi is a rice cake that is chewy, soft and delicious. This tour provides you a highly amusing experience where you can make the mochi on your own from steamed rice to round-shaped mochi filled with sweet red beans and one with toppings by a pestle and mortar in the old Echizen classic farmer's house. Echizen is a major crafts town so you can learn how artisans produce crafts very closely including washi paper using bark of a tree, lacquerware and knives derived from a Japanese sword.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

09:30 AM

Meeting Point

JR Echizen-Takefu Station

- meet at JR Echizen-Takefu station * meeting time, the tour duration and spots can be changed at your request.

10:00 AM

Echizen Lacquerware Hall with Craftsmen's Shop (40 min)

Echizen produces 80% of lacquerware in Japan. Can learn the process of making lacquerware that is displayed and also see artisans at work in the hall. All kinds of lacquerware can be purchased at reasonable prices. Workshop is available: 1. painting on a lacquerd bowl and 2. carving a lacquered item and filling grooves with gold powder called Chinkin technique.

11:00 AM

Yamafutokoro Farm Inn (150 min)

Making mochi (Japanese rice cake) from steamed rice by pounding with a pestle and a mortar. Then create round-shaped mochi by hands. It will be a great fun and memorable experience.

12:30 PM

Lunch

Enjoy eating your handmade mochi after making it! Explore the backyard mountain to see wild vegetables.

02:00 PM

Okamoto & Otaki Jinja Shrine Complex Enshrined Goddess of Paper Making - National Important Cultural Asset (15 min)

This shrine dedicated to the goddess of paper making is the only one shrine in Japan. The roof of its shrine is the most complex roof of any other shrine in Japan - it is unique and mystic beauty.

02:40 PM

Traditional Washi Paper Making Museum Using Bark of Trees by craftsman (25min)

Learn about how handmade washi paper is created by a craftsman using the bark of trees and organic adhesive made from a plant.

03:00 PM

Umeda Washi Paper Shop (15 min)

Explore the paper shop where various kinds of washi paper products are sold. They are beautiful, gorgeous, adorable and precious. It may give you a clue of creating patterns in your life.

03:30 PM

Echizen Knive Village (40 min)

14 knife makers are manufacturing knives in this village (factory) and you can view how artisans/craftsmen producing knives from the 2nd floor of its factory including a small knife museum. Individual knife makers sell their knives at a shop.

04:30 PM

JR Echizen-Takefu Station

Ending Point

JR Echizen-Takefu Station

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

tour fee

What‘s not included

-Mochi making fee: 2,200 yen/person for a group of 3 and above, 3,000 yen/person for a group of 2 including lunch.

-taxis are required for this tour due to no trains and very few buses.

JR Echizen-Takefu sta. to a lacquerware hall: 1,000 yen (subsidized taxi coupons)

Lacquerware hall to Yamafutokoro: 1,000 yen taxi coupon

Yamafutokoro to Udatsu Washi village: approx. 3500 yen

Udatsu to Knife Village: approx. 1700 yen

Knife Village to JR Ehizen-Takefu sta. : approx. 2600 yen

Tour Important Information

*This tour requires taxes due to no trains/very few buses in Echizen. The taxi cost is approximately 10,000 yen. Please see the details under the paragraph of 'What's not Included'.

*By scheduling the lacquerware hall as a first destination, you can save 4,000 yen out of the entire transportation cost using subsidized taxi coupons (2,000 yen) vs. directly visiting Yamafutokoro from the JR Echizen-Takefu station which is around 6,000 yen. Taxi coupons are available at the tourism office next to the Echizen-Takefu station.

*Please let me know in advance if you have any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2019

Yoshie K.

5.00 / 5

(51 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Yoshie K.

Hi, I am Yoshie. I am a national government licensed English speaking Guide. I used to work for multinational companies and served as an interpreter for several years and travelled around Japan with coworkers. I love plants, nature, travelling as well as finding good places to eat! I am also a communicative person.

After having lived in Tokyo for some decades, now I live in my hometown, Fukui where you can have a great experience of Zen buddhism in the head temple of the Zen sect, Eiheiji which was founded in 1244. Fukui Dinosaur Museum is very popular regardless of age. It is one of the world's three largest dinosaurs. Echizen is also well known for Japan's handmade crafts including kitchen knives, washi paper, lacquer wares, Tansu chests and pottery. Seeing craftsmen's work right in front of you makes you excited and impressed.

I have been travelling Kanazawa since my high school age so I know well about the town to show you around as well as Shirakawago, a day trip from Kanazawa.

I am excited to meet you and coordinate what you are really interested in to make you the happiest memories in Japan.

I look forward to guiding you soon!

Reviews

Tom F.

5 / 5

Oct 22, 2025

Kanazawa One Day Tour

Oct 22, 2025

Kanazawa

7 hours

“Excellent Tour of Kanazawa”

Yoshie K. Is a wonderful tour guide. It was my first visit to Kanazawa and her thoughtfully planned route was perfect. She is an engaging story teller and brought a real sense of life to the tour. She has a bright personality and spending the day with her was great. Recommend most highly!

Yoshie K.

Hi Tom, I am VERY very pleased to have your review and thank you so much for all your kind and thoughtful words. We visited all the highlights of Kanazawa mostly on foot and talked a lot on many subjects while walking which was very interesting. Thank you again and take care! Yoshie

Johanne J.

5 / 5

Oct 18, 2025

Kanazawa One Day Tour

Oct 18, 2025

Kanazawa

7 hours

“Highly recommended ”

Yoshie was an excellent guide She was informative and passionate about her subject. Always willing to further explain when requested. She was Incredibly organized and very respectful of our cruise ship schedule. She was pleasant and very personable. She chose an excellent restaurant that was reasonably priced and very good quality and the chef was just as pleasant. I highly recommend her as a guide.

Yoshie K.

Hi Johanne, thank you so much for the review with your thoughtful, kind, and heartwarming words. I am very happy to know that you enjoyed the tour in Kanazawa which is part of your first Asian trip and that you liked the dishes for lunch. It is a great picture - thank you! Yoshie

Martin B.

5 / 5

Jul 26, 2025

Echizen Crafts & Workshops - Fukui, Day Trip From Kyoto or Kanazawa

Jul 26, 2025

Fukui

6 hours 30 mins

“Echizen Tansu and Sashimono day - excellent.”

From my early communications with Yoshie I was impressed with her quick responses and attention to detail. She went over and beyond my expectations with information, helpful suggestions, and even train times and connections, to make sure our rendezvous with her went to plan. As a group of Australian woodworkers our focus was very specific - Echizen’s tansu/Sashimono artisans. Yoshies plan to visit two makers, a store/showroom, the small local museum, and finally a small manufacturer of metal tansu fittings was excellent. Her choice of a sushi restaurant for lunch, and the small local café for afternoon ice cream was perfect! I was so impressed with her planning for our Echizen day that I asked her to organise the following days site seeing in Kanazawa. Which was another excellent well-paced day. Very highly recommended.

Yoshie K.

Hi Martin, thank you so much for your kind and warm review. It stimulates me to continue making tours with a big passion for future guests. I was amazed to see you all were so energetic and visited craftsman's stores/workshops with big curiosities although it was an extremely hot day. Please take care! Yoshie