itinerary

Learn to bind a bento box with cherry bark at Hakata Magemono Tamaki, then fill the finished box with ongiri and an assortment of side dishes.

At the nearby Hakozaki Shrine, learn from the priest guide about the shrine’s connection with Hakata Magemono.
Back in the city center at Ohori Park, enjoy the delicious bento lunch!

Transfer to Karatsu, Saga.

Karatsu-ware is a pottery loved by many tea masters. Visit the kiln of up-and-coming Karatsu ceramic artist, Kaisu Hamasaki, and experience processing clay from the local soil. (Available only from November to April)

Experience pottery making at the historic Nakano Tochi Kiln. Make a tea bowl out of clay processed from the previous day using coil and pinching techniques.

Transfer to Yame.

Yame Fukushima is a “craft town” where artisans continue to hone their skills. Embark on a guided walking tour to meet and visit the workshops of local craftsmen.

Stay the night at Craft Inn 手 [té], an inn renovated from a traditional Japanese building. Enjoy original furniture and fixtures made by Kyushu craftsmen, tableware sourced from the Unagi no Nedoko store, and room wear made from Kurume Kasuri fabric. Relax in the wooden bath made from Japanese cedar.

Enjoy the view of tea fields stretching as far as the eye can see at the Yame Central Tea Plantation.

Enjoy a lunch pairing of organic Yame green tea and game meat-inspired Italian food hunted by the chef himself.

Head to Aizome Kasuri Kobo located in Chikugo, Fukuoka. Tour the workshop, then dye a piece of cloth in indigo and create an original art panel.

Visit bucket maker, Motsunobu Kougei and see how wooden buckets are created out of wood and bamboo.

Enjoy tasting local cuisine prepared by a farming family and learn to make konnyaku (a firm yam jelly) the old-fashioned way, using wood ash.

Visit the Morihiro Forge factory, whose order wait list is said to be eight years long, and see how their knives are made.

Visit Baba Watermill, an incense producer that turns locally gathered cedar needles and Japanese Bay tree leaves into natural incense sticks using the power of a watermill.

At the end of the trip, visit “Unagi no Nedoko”, a store featuring products made by craftsmen from Kyushu and throughout Japan. Specialty products include “MONPE” work-style pants made from Kurume Kasuri textiles, pottery, Japanese paper, glass, bamboo crafts, local toys, and more. Pick up unique souvenirs that represent Kyushu and beyond!

Return to Fukuoka City.