USD ($)
Help
Login

Japan
›
Fukui
›
Tours
›
Unique Experience
›
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.

4.98 / 5

(54 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.

4.98 / 5

(54 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

Catherine Q.

5 / 5

Nov 9, 2025

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

Nov 9, 2025

Fukui

7 hours

“Friendly and knowledgeable local guide for Echizen.”

Echizen area native, Yoshie, was an outstanding guide for the artisan community of Echizen. She has great connections so was able to introduce us to local crafts people who are real masters of their crafts, not just average people putting on a demo for tourists. Highlights were the tansu cabinet maker and the washi paper maker. We were able to make our own washi paper from start to finish—a large sheet that we can use for de oration or (in my case) for art. Yoshie was engaging, knowledgeable of Japanese history and culture, and warm. If you would like to experience some Kanazawa crafts, book this tour with Yoshie.

Yoshie K.

Hi Cathy, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful review. We had such an exciting start at Echizen-Takefu station! I am so pleased to know that you enjoyed a whole Echizen Crafts Tour. We have many more interesting master craftsmen's work to view and hands-on experiences so I will expect you to be back in the town! Please take care! Yoshie

Kat P.

5 / 5

Oct 31, 2025

Echizen Crafts - Fukui

Oct 31, 2025

Fukui

Customized

“Amazing day ”

I had the best day with Yoshie. She was very well organized and everything we did was perfect. Thank you!

Yoshie K.

Hi Kat, thank you so much for coming to visit Echizen and for the review. It was a beautiful day to welcome you and driving on the Echizen coast was fantastic - thank you for choosing that road. I was amazed to see that you were a very decisive person when purchasing products! Next time, if any, please come and see more about craftsmen's techniques at their private workshops. Thank you again. Yoshie

Lupin R.

4 / 5

Oct 30, 2025

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

Oct 30, 2025

Fukui

7 hours 10 mins

“Unique local handicraft tour of Echizen”

I had a private tour of several handicraft workshops and the Takefue knife village. Yoshie was very diligent and responsive from my first contact with her. She continually updated our schedule and kept me in the loop, trying to meet my preferences of what to see and do. She was very organized. We had some miscommunication about the transportation for the tour which we eventually resolved, so please make sure to discuss the transportation and cost. The day itself was very pleasant and I valued having Yoshie as a guide for a region which would have been hard to access otherwise.

Yoshie K.

Thank you for the review. I am truly glad that you enjoyed the crafts tour in Echizen covering Echizen pottery, lacquerware, washi paper and knives - the main handmade crafts of the town. I hope you will have an opportunity to do a hands-on experience next time. Take care! Yoshie