Traditional Mochi (rice cake) Making by Pestle & Mortar - Half Day Tour
Joined 2019
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!
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Echizen-Takefu Station
- meet at JR Echizen-Takefu station
Chinkin Technique Workshop at Lacquerware Hall (60 min)
Echizen is the lacquerware production center of Japan. Make Chinkin pattern on a lacquerware by carving with a knife and then gold/silver powder is inlaid into the surface to fix the beautiful design.You can learn a delicate and intricate Chinkin technique from an artisan. All kinds of lacquerware including chopsticks, bawls, plates, luncheon mats etc are displayed and sold at lower prices.
Yamafutokoro Farmer's House (150 min)
Experience of making mochi (Japanese rice cake) from steamed rice by pounding with a pestle and a mortar. Then make round-shaped mochi by hand, filling with sweet red beans and also covered with crushed peanuts. It will be a great fun and memorable experience.
Lunch
Enjoy eating your handmade mochi after making it! Explore backyard mountain to see eatable wild vegetable.
Echizen-Takefu JR station - finish
Ending Point
Echizen-Takefu 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.
-transportation related to the tour:
taxi is required for this tour due to no trains and less buses.
JR Echizen-Takefu sta. to a lacquerware hall: 1,000 yen using a taxi coupon subsidised by the governemnt
Lacquerware hall to Yamafutokoro: 1,000 yen taxi coupon
Yamafutokoro to JR Echizen-Takefu sta.: 5,700 yen
Tour Important Information
* Tour duration and a place of lacquerware can be changed at your request.
*This tour requires taxes due to no transportation or less operation of buses. (Please see tax fares in Included/Not Include.)
*Please let me know in advance if you have any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
The lacquerware hall is closed every 4th Tuesday. When it is closed, washi paper museum is recommended to visit. Artisan will show you how the traditional washi paper is made using the bark of a tree.
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
Martin B.
“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
Martin B.
“Excellent Kanazawa sight seeing day”
Having been so impressed with Yoshie’s communications and the planning of our craftsmen visits in Echizen, the previous day, I asked her to plan us a site seeing day in Kanazawa. As with Echizen it was expertly planned to take account of the potentially high July heat and humidity!!! Just enough information, and some intriguing questions kept us motivated in the 36C temps and 46% humidity. Her choice of restaurant for lunch was another excellent choice. She was also very helpful with suggestions for a Tea Ceremony which we did the following day, and the less well-known Incense ceremony. Very highly recommended.
Yoshie K.
Hi Martin, thank you so much for your thoughtful words. I was totally overwhelmed that you all completed the tour with the energy and humour under such intense heat. I was very pleased to see you all ate up Japanese dishes served for lunch. Thank you for inviting me to the interesting incense ceremony. Thank you for everything! Please take care. Yoshie
Nicolai L.
“Excellent tour of Kanazawa”
We spent an excellent day in Kanazawa with Yoshie guiding us competently through all the major sites and had planned an excellent lunch at a local restaurant and even some gold leaf craftsmanship for us to try :) We would never have been able to plan and see so such on our own.
Yoshie K.
Hi Nicholai, thank you so much for the review with your warm thoughts. I am very pleased that you enjoyed the tour in Kanazawa although it was hot weather. Your children were so patient. We talked a lot on a tour - I very much enjoyed it :) Thank you again! Yoshie
$214/ per group
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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.
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