Mochi (rice cake) Making and Visiting Crafts Making Villages With The History of 1500 Years
Joined 2019
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!
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.
Echizen Lacquerware Hall with Craftsmen's Shop (30 min)
Echizen produces 80% of lacquerware in Japan. Can learn the processes of making lacquerware that are displayed and also see artisans at work in the hall. All kinds of lacquerware can be purchased at discounted prices. Workshop is available: 1. painting on a lacquerd bowl and 2. carving a bowl and filling grooves with gold powder called Chinkin technique.
Yamafutokoro Farmer's House (150 min)
Making mochi (Japanese rice cake) from steamed rice by pounding with a pestle and a mortar. Then create round-shaped mochi by hand. It will be a great fun and memorable experience.
Lunch
Enjoy eating your handmade mochi after making it! Explore the backyard mountain to see wild vegetables.
Local Washi Paper Village Tour - First Japanese Bank Notes Were Made in the Village (30 min)
The village consists of over 50 washi paper makers. Stroll around the genuine washi village with many traditional Echizen architectual style houses.
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 in Japan. The roof of its shrine is the most complex roof of any other shrine in Japan - it is unique and mystic beauty.
Traditional Washi Paper Making Museum Using Bark of a Tree by Artisan (25 min)
Learn about how handmade washi paper is created by an artisan using the bark of a tree and organic glue made from a plant.
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.
Echizen Knive Village (30 min)
14 knife makers are working in this village (factory) and you can view how artisans/craftsmen manufacture knives from the 2nd floor of its factory including a small knife museum. Individual knife makers sell their knives at a stop.
JR Echizen-Takefu Station
Finish at 4:35 pm.
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
tour fee
-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.
-taxi is required for this tour due to no trains and a few buses.
JR Echizen-Takefu sta. to a lacquerware hall: 1,000 yen taxi coupon subsidised by the governemnt
Lacquerware hall to Yamafutokoro: 1,000 yen taxi coupon
Yamafutokoro to Udatsu Washi village: 3500 yen
Udatsu to Knife Village: 1700 yen
Okamoto Jinja shrine to JR Ehizen-Takefu sta. : 2600 yen
Tour Important Information
*Meeting time, tour duration and spots can be changed at your request.
*Washi paper village is closed on Tuesdays and lacquer hall is closed on the 4th Tuesday.
*This tour requires taxes due to no trains/very few buses in Echizen.
*By setting the lacquer hall as a first destination, you can save 4,000 yen out of the entire transportation cost using 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 JR 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
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
Thomas S.
“Excellent guide”
Yoshie is a very knowledgeable, easy to deal with and fun guide. She tailored made both tours according to our interests and wishes. We enjoyed the days a lot with her. Will definitifely book her services again to explore more of Japan with her. Arigato kozaimas
Yoshie K.
Hi Thomas, thank you very much for your generous review. I am so pleased to hear that you had a good time visiting Shirakawago and Ainokura of Gokayama. You all liked Ainokura, a cute village. There are many other beautiful places in the Hokuriku region. I hope you come to visit again. Thank you. Yoshie
Thomas S.
“Excellent guide”
Yoshie is a very knowledgeable, easy to deal with and fun guide. She tailored made both tours according to our interests and wishes. We enjoyed the days a lot with her. Will definitifely book her services again to explore more of Japan with her. Arigato kozaimas
Yoshie K.
Hi Thomas, Thank you so much for your kind and generous review. When you visited Kanazawa, it was early for cherry blossoms due to the long winter but luckily and coincidentally there was one place in the castle site where you could enjoy full cherry blossoms - I thought it was a big gift for you. I enjoyed guiding you all to Shirakawago and Gokayama as well. I hope to see you again! Thank you. Yoshie
John W.
“Kanazawa full day tour”
Yoshie was a great help in organising our itinerary for our day in Kanazawa. Her English was excellent and she was very organised and knowledgeable. We all had a great time.
Yoshie K.
Hi John, thank you so much for your kind review. I also had a very good time being with you all including a good lunch place which accidentally led us there. Thank you again! Yoshie
$269/ per group
More tours by Yoshie K.
Kanazawa One Day Tour
The city of Kanazawa is very compact and you will be able to feel the appearance of the ancient samurai days in the feudal period as strolling the town and streets.
Echizen Crafts & Workshops - Fukui, Day Trip From Kyoto or Kanazawa
In the ancient period from the year of 710 to 794, Echizen was the capital of gigantic province spreading across the four prefectures in Japan. Due to that, Echizen prospered and has been the producing area of five national traditional crafts today which are all handmade including Washi paper, kitchen knives, lacquer wares, potteries, and tansu chests. It is only in Echizen that you can closely view how artisans/craftsmen produce at their workshops and also experience in making crafts.
Half Day Meditation Tour - Eiheiji Zen Head Temple, Fukui
Zazen is silent meditation of Zen Buddhism and it is performed in sitting. This tour is to have an experience of Zazen at Eiheiji Zen Head Temple where it was founded by Zen Master Dogen who first taught Zen in Japan. The Temple has been filled with the bracing and serene atmosphere of Zen practitioners. Let’s try Zazen to see inside yourself and/or relax in the deep mountains during busy travelling.
Magnificent Cherry Blossom Scenery & Picnic, Fukui - Day Trip
Gorgeous cherry blossom sceneries can be seen along with a long quiet river bank with much less crowds. You feel like the entire cherry blossom is only yours. It is amazingly beautiful! Enjoy walking under a full of cherry blossom. A picnic under the cherry blossom can be provided in the park. After lunch, you have a choice to enjoy 1) the tour of traditional Washi Paper Village and see the artisan creates washi or 2) visiting the Knife Village to view how Echizen Knives are handmade.
Other Popular Unique Experience Tours in Fukui
Half Day Meditation Tour - Eiheiji Zen Head Temple, Fukui
Zazen is silent meditation of Zen Buddhism and it is performed in sitting. This tour is to have an experience of Zazen at Eiheiji Zen Head Temple where it was founded by Zen Master Dogen who first taught Zen in Japan. The Temple has been filled with the bracing and serene atmosphere of Zen practitioners. Let’s try Zazen to see inside yourself and/or relax in the deep mountains during busy travelling.
Traditional Mochi (rice cake) Making by Pestle & Mortar - Half Day Tour
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake that is chewy, very 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 by a pestle and mortar in the Echizen classic farmer's house. You can make an intricate Chinkin pattern by carving with a knife and then gold/silver powder is inlaid into the surface to fix the design w/artisan. It will be quite a unique experience and such fun!