We visit Mashiko village outskirt of Utsunomiya, capital of Tochigi prefecture. Making Mashiko famous is Hamada Shoji after he moved to Mashiko. Mas...
JR Utsunomiya station
Hamada Shoji Memorial Mashiko Sankokan Museum
Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art
Jonaizaka (Kyohan center and Mashiko ware shops)
Higeta Indigo Dye Studio
Cafe lunch in the bush setting
Saimyoji Temple (Statue of Laughing King of Hell)
JR Utsunomiya station
We visit Mashiko village outskirt of Utsunomiya, capital of Tochigi prefecture. Making Mashiko famous is Hamada Shoji after he moved to Mashiko. Mashiko ware was for daily use ceramics like pots, plates as such. Therefore it was not really an art, initially but since Hamada Shoji settled in this village, practical utility and artistic beauty combine to make us comfortable life. Now Mashiko village accept a lot of artists from other area. Actually not only artists but entrepreneurs. You can enjoy nice Cafes in Mashiko. You can enjoy cups, plates using Mashiko ware and food itself is superb. So we visit this town and see museums and shops and also indigo dye factory. In Saimyoji temple, we can see a laughing King of Hell statue.
Guide fee
Transportation Utsunomiya-Mashiko
Admission fees (Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art 600 yen, Hamada Shoji Memorial Mashiko Sankokan Museum 800 yen)
Lunch at Cafe (own expense)
If you want to enjoy Nikko, please think about staying Nikko or Utsunomiya, I will take you around the night tour if you stay in Utsunomiya.
A friendly and accommodating guide. Informative and energetic. Much fun. Thank you Jack for a wonderful day. We couldn’t do everything you had planned but we enjoyed every moment. Really worth the experience.
Thank you for being with me your last day in Japan. Hope you come back to Nikko someday and stay more time. Have a nice flight back to Switzerland!
Nikko is a special place and it was very easy to travel there because of JR passes and meeting Jack at the Utsunomiya station. Great day trip, Jack was flexible and we adopted due to situation and time. Nice, calm and full day, thanks!
We had a great experience in Nikko. We had decided to Greedy Nikko Tour with jack. This was a combination of Nature and culture. Jack, not only speaks excellent english, but also can manage the time well. He is extremely accommodating and is a fabulous guide. We had a great time. Greedy for more Nikko, thanks to Jack!
Thank you Narayan. I enjoyed a whole day today. Nice weather, nice people. Hope enjoy the rest of your trip!
It absolutely poured while in Nikko, yet Jack managed to find a way to make our day there special nonetheless. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history, kind and an absolute pleasure to spend a day with. A very big thank you again for such a special day.
Thank you for your compliment. All cherry blossoms are gone but a lot of flowers are everywhere. I'm glad you enjoyed the day. I enjoyed walking with your beautiful girls who behaved very well.