3 September: ARRIVAL IN JAPAN (Flights to be arranged by you)

On arrival at Fukuoka Airport, transfer to your hotel in central Fukuoka for 1 night on a bed & breakfast basis where you will be met by your Guide.

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4 September: ARITA
Via local train, we visit Arita in Saga prefecture – famous for Arita-ware. First, we visit Kyushu Ceramic Museum, where you can view Karatsu-yaki, Imari-yaki, and Nabeshima-yaki as well as around 1,000 pieces of Arita-yaki from the famous private collection of the Shibata family. In Arita, some 150 shops selling ceramics line the streets, and collectors can shop 'til they drop! Stay in nearby Imari for 2 nights. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner tonight.

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5 September: IMARI
We will start our tour at Gen-emon kiln, home to one of Japan's most famous ceramic artists. Then we will head to the pottery village of Okawachiyama, which has a long history of producing its unique own ceramics in the secret kilns built in the mountains. Aside from browsing the numerous shops, we will explore this beautiful village and visit the Imari Nabeshima-ware Exhibition Hall. We’ll return to Imari late afternoon.

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6 September: IMARI TO KYOTO VIA KURASHIKI
After checking out of the hotel in the morning, we take a Bullet train to the picturesque village of Kurashiki, where rows of houses and streets form a townscape with a traditional old-world atmosphere. We'll visit the Ohara Museum, the first Western art museum in Japan. We then travel eastward on the Bullet Train to Kyoto – the cultural heartland of Japan – and check in to our hotel in Kyoto for 4 nights.

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7 September: SIGHTSEEING IN KYOTO
After breakfast, depart on a full-day tour of Kyoto by private coach. The trip begins with the beautiful temples and gardens of Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion then enjoy a series of Zen Buddhist rock gardens at Daitoku-ji Temple. Following lunch at Kyoto Handicraft Centre, we will visit Kodaiji temple. Your Guide will then show you the area around Kiyomizu, historically the city's leading pottery-making neighbourhood, and even today the narrow cobblestoned ways are lined with shops selling delicate Kiyomizu ware.

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8 September: KYOTO
We'll start today with a visit to Nishiki-koji Street Market, a local food market. Then we will visit the Raku Museum, showing 450 years of tradition in pottery. We will move on to Sanjusangen-do Temple, which features a magnificent display of carved wooden, gilded statuary. We walk a short distance to the Kawai Kanjiro House, the shrine-like house of the great folk-art revivalist potter Kawai Kanjiro.  If the time allows, we'll go on to the Fujihira Ceramic studio where you can see the process of making Kiyomizu potteries and their techniques and arts by Japanese potters.

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9 September: KYOTO AT LEISURE
Spend your free time in Kyoto at leisure.

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10 September: KYOTO 
After breakfast, we visit some local ceramics studios and meet local artisans. 

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11 September: KYOTO TO TOKYO
After breakfast we travel onwards to Tokyo where you will stay for 3 nights. Before we go to our hotel, we'll head to Meiji Shrine where we should be able to see some traditional Japanese-style weddings taking place as it's a Sunday.

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12 September: TOKYO AT LEISURE
Today is yours to enjoy at leisure!

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13 September: MASHIKO DAY TRIP
After breakfast, we head north to Mashiko where the highlight today is a visit to the Shoji Hamada Memorial Mashiko Museum. In the evening we will have our Farewell Dinner back in Tokyo.

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14September: DEPART JAPAN
Self-transfer to Tokyo Airport.