Is your idea of a group tour getting on a bus and being taken around efficiently to famous sights by a tour guide?
Group tours may bring to mind trips to well-known places, but a company offering a completely different style of travel, Yoshiiya BASE Inc., has been established in Kurashiki City.
It is a travel company that plans and operates tours incorporating experiences and opportunities to exchange with local people, including “TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL.”
The first tour focused on folkcraft.
I was invited to a monitor tour that deliberately spotlighted a niche field, the “Super Experiential Tour to Feel Kurashiki Folkcraft,” and took part.
Here’s a detailed look at what the tour included.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in May 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Features of TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL
TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL has unique features not found at other travel companies.
Here are three features that set it apart.
- Destinations are mainly in the Takahashi River Basin
- Target audience is international travelers
- Exchange with local people and fellow participants, and experience the area with all five senses
The Takahashi River Basin is an area that includes Kurashiki City, Soja City, Hayashima Town, Asakuchi City, Satosho Town, Kasaoka City, Yakage Town, Ibara City, Takahashi City, and Niimi City.
With licensed guides on hand, international travelers who do not understand Japanese can participate with peace of mind.
The fact that it is a locally focused travel service for international visitors alone sets it apart from other companies.
▼It also stands out in the details that make it special.
- Runs tours themed around the Takahashi River
- Helps participants experience the story behind each tour
- Helps participants appreciate the guides and interpreters themselves as part of the appeal
The first tour, held in November 2022, was themed around folkcraft.
▼Tour itinerary
| Time | Tour activity |
|---|---|
| 9:30 a.m. | Meet at Ohara House Katalyzer |
| 10:00 a.m. | Talk by Mr. Yamamoto, owner of Toworu Mingei |
| 10:30 a.m. | Guided tour of Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft |
| 11:15 a.m. | Head to Koshoryo while enjoying the streets of Kurashiki |
| 11:40 a.m. | Choose folkcraft tableware |
| Noon | Make sushi rolls and enjoy eating them |
| 2:00 p.m. | Visit Teshigoto no Mise Kurashiki Mingei and Toworu Mingei |
Before we get into the tour, let’s meet the guides.
The tour guides
Here are the people involved in the first tour.
Hara Hiroyuki of Yoshiiya BASE Inc. works to revitalize the local community, including by running the cafe “Hoshi no Hikari no Sumiwatar i.”
In his opening remarks, he encouraged participants to “enjoy the tour and experience the story that is unique to TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL.”
The tour coordinator who keeps everything running smoothly is Oura Shota.
Here is a summary of Oura’s comments in the tour brochure.
Beautiful scenery and food at photogenic restaurants are easy to find online and in travel magazines. Cultural content, on the other hand, often struggles to get into the spotlight. These tours delve deeply into what makes the guides special, making them memorable.
By shining a spotlight on a niche field, the tour becomes something unique and memorable.
Instructor Yamamoto Takanori explained folkcraft in an easy-to-understand way, even for beginners.
Yamamoto is the second-generation owner of Toworu Mingei, a long-established folkcraft shop in the Bikan Historical Area.
Hara Naoko taught the sushi-roll-making session.
Apparently, when her daughter was a student, Hara used to make sushi rolls for her to take in her lunchbox.
She taught participants how to make sushi rolls, a dish tied to that memory.
The interpreter was licensed guide Sensaki Yuko.
She translated even the more complex explanations of folkcraft into clear English.
It is an important role, connecting the instructors and participants.
Sensaki’s cheerful manner and careful English helped participants who had just met feel at ease.
Tour itinerary
The approximately five-hour tour was packed with activities and left a lasting impression.
Even though I’m from Kurashiki, this was my first time exploring the Bikan Historical Area with a focus on folkcraft.
Here’s the tour itinerary in chronological order.
Learn about folkcraft at Ohara House Katalyzer
The journey began at Ohara House Katalyzer.
We learned about folkcraft from Yamamoto at the book cafe on the grounds.
Here’s a brief summary of Yamamoto’s explanation.
The thinker Yanagi Muneyoshi introduced folkcraft to Japan.
He first encountered folkcraft when he saw a vessel brought back as a souvenir from Korea.
Although its maker was unknown, he was struck by the white vessel, made using cutting-edge techniques.
He wondered whether similar things could be found in Japan, and began traveling around the country.
In the places he visited, he came across tools and wooden statues that were not considered special at all by their users and were simply left lying around.
Yanagi, however, believed that they embodied a beauty born of everyday life and were valuable.
The Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft houses the folkcraft items Yanagi collected from across Japan.
After hearing Yamamoto’s explanation, the mystery of why Kurashiki folkcraft was featured on the tour was solved.
After Yamamoto also gave a lecture on the appeal of folkcraft items, the group headed to the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft.
Experience folkcraft at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft
Opened in 1948 as Japan’s second folkcraft museum, the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft
makes use of a rice storehouse dating from the late Edo period.
Upon entering the museum, we found folkcraft items from Okayama on display in the first room.
Some are still in use today, while others have disappeared from everyday life.
Photography is normally prohibited inside the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft. We were granted special permission to take photographs this time.
The exhibits made us realize just how completely our lifestyles have changed.
As we looked around, Yamamoto offered explanations at various points.
Speaking about the beautiful sashiko clothing, Yamamoto said, “The patterns were added not to make the clothes fashionable, but to strengthen the fabric. But the result was a beautiful finish.”
Since these folkcraft items were made for family rather than for sale, and designed to last and be practical, durability seems to have been essential.
Aesthetic design was not the goal, yet the finished pieces were beautiful.
Through Yamamoto’s explanations and our own observations, we were impressed by people’s ingenuity and realized how important it is to notice the beauty hidden in everyday objects.
The Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft also has folkcraft items from overseas.
Looking at a chair whose corners had been rounded through years of use, we could tell that its owner had taken good care of it.
I felt that imagining what an unknown craftsperson had in mind when making an item, and how its owner treated it, helped me connect more deeply with folkcraft.
Making sushi rolls and using folkcraft tableware
After experiencing folkcraft, it was time to make sushi rolls.
I photographed the foreign participants as they made sushi rolls.
With instructor Hara Naoko’s guidance, the participants took on the challenge of making sushi rolls for the first time.
They seemed to be struggling to spread the vinegared rice over the nori.
Some participants couldn’t handle the rice paddle well and spread the rice by pressing it with their hands.
The rice was squashed, but the person seemed to be having fun.
Once they had cut the sushi rolls, they chose their favorite folkcraft plates and arranged the pieces on them.
The plates’ shapes and colors and the ways the sushi rolls were arranged all differed, bringing out each person’s individuality.
Even if the shape is a little uneven, sushi rolls made with care taste delicious.
Comparing their rolls with the person next to them and praising one another, the group enjoyed a fun meal together.
Buy folkcraft items at folkcraft shops
After the meal, we visited two folkcraft shops.
Our first stop was Teshigoto no Mise Kurashiki Mingei.
It mainly sells folkcraft items made of wood and bamboo.
Unlike the exhibits at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, these were all items for everyday use, such as chopsticks, wooden bowls, and wooden spatulas.
The folkcraft items suddenly felt much more familiar.
Our second stop was Toworu Mingei, the shop owned by our instructor, Yamamoto.
This shop also sells glassware and pottery.
The lighting was kept to a minimum, making use of natural light, much like at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft.
Yamamoto explained that the exhibits at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft are displayed without spotlights, making use of natural light, “so their appearance changes depending on the time of day and the weather.”
Just like the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, the appearance of items at Toworu Mingei must change depending on the time of day and the weather.
It was a shop with an artistic sensibility, almost like a folkcraft store.
From the Writer
The tour, which focused on folkcraft and lasted about five hours, was packed with experiences, from seeing things firsthand to tasting local food.
There was also time for participants to connect with one another, and, as Oura put it, the experience was memorable.
I’ve explored the Bikan Historical Area countless times, but I’d never looked at the town from the perspective of folkcraft.
For me, it was a chance to discover a new side of Kurashiki, though it had been there all along—I simply hadn’t noticed it.
TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL delves into aspects that even locals may not have noticed, introducing them through experiences and exchange.
I’m looking forward to seeing what kinds of tours they offer in the future.
TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL Information
| Name | TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL |
|---|---|
| Location | Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Varies by tour |
| Website | TAKAHASHIGAWA TRAVEL |
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