Japan with Heath Ceramics

Day 1

Welcome to Tokyo! For newcomers and seasoned visitors alike, this city never disappoints. It’s a comingling of the centuries-old and the futuristic, a place of tradition and innovation. This morning we’ll dive right into one of Japan’s cultural treasures with a live Noh performance. This 600-year-old classic art form blends theater, music, dance and drama with performers in vibrant masks (instead of the make-up of Kabuki). After we’ll visit Musée Tomo, with its exquisite collection of contemporary Japanese ceramics.

Our first meal together is a real treat: lunch at NOBU, owned by legendary chef Nobu Matsuhisa. After lunch, we’ll turn our sights toward Tokyo’s most beautiful Japanese garden, Kiyosumi, a delicate warren of lakes and stepping stones and a royal tea house. We’ll round out the evening with an intimate welcome dinner to remember!

Day 2

This morning we’ll head deep into the Japanese countryside to visit Mashiko and meet well-regarded potter—and close friend of Robin and Cathy—Akio Nukaga, who will give us a behind-the-scenes look at his studio and introduce us to other local potters, including Toyo Kobayashi.

After a soba lunch, we’ll continue our art-filled afternoon with a visit to the Hamada studio kiln, located in the awe-inspiring house of master ceramicist Shoji Hamada. His decision to set up his kiln here in 1930 was largely responsible for transforming this once-sleepy town into a center of the mingei Japanese folk art movement. Next, we’ll turn our sights to further artful exploration at Daisengama pottery studio before heading back to Tokyo for an evening to explore on our own.

Day 3

Today we explore Tokyo the Heath Ceramics way. We’ll each receive a list filled with favorite galleries, shops, and restaurants, curated by Robin, Cathy and Modern Adventure. We’ll use these recommendations as our guide, feeling free to stop at anything else that catches our eyes. With its Blade Runner-like highways, subways, and skyscrapers, its seedy back alleys, vast temple complexes, tiny shops and tinier speakeasies, there’s no such thing as a wrong turn.

We’ll meet back up in the evening for dinner, an immersive hands-on experience in making delicious sushi. We’ll prepare different types of rolls including temari (ball-shaped), nigiri (hand-shaped) and gunkan maki (oval with nori wrap). We’ll learn all about the history of sushi-making in the process, then enjoy the fruits of our labor as we go.

Day 4

Today we’ll head to Naoshima, the once-sleepy fishing island nestled along the Inland Sea. Today, Naoshima is a destination for art pilgrims the world over, thanks to the vision of artist Saichiro Fukutake. Getting here will be half the fun: first, we’ll take a Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Okayama, making sure to arrive at the station early enough to the elaborate, clockwork-like rituals with which porters greet each train. Next, we’ll take a short drive to Uno Port, where we’ll catch the ferry to Naoshima, reveling in the soft breezes off the sapphire waters.

Upon arrival, we’ll turn to the work at hand: tackling the dozens of museums and art projects that adorn the island, turning every new path, corner, and horizon into something whimsical and unexpected. Our highlights include the Chichu Museum, built mostly underground to avoid disrupting the natural landscape; and House Project, with seven formerly empty homes taken over by artists for truly unique gallery and installation spaces.

Day 5

This morning we’ll cross the deep blue waters of the Inland Sea by private ferry to visit another renowned art island, Teshima, the “island of abundance.” We’ll visit the Teshima Art Museum, a concave shell of a building that perches on a hill overlooking rice terraces and the sea below like a water droplet trembling at the moment of landing. We’ll also spend time exploring Christian Boltanski’s Les Archives du Cœur to hear the heartbeats of thousands of people gently humming, with a chance to have your own heartbeat recorded as part of the exhibition.

After lunch, we’ll explore Teshima Yokoo House, a lovingly restored traditional private house facing the harbor with three separate exhibition areas. Then we’ll hop back aboard our ferry and cruise back to Naoshima for an afternoon on your own to explore the island further (preferable by bike) or even stop by the Naoshima Bath house, created by artist Shinro Ohtake, where visitors drink in incredible art while—you guessed it—taking a bath. We’ll reconvene in the evening and enjoy dinner together.

Day 6

After breakfast, we’ll head by Bullet Train to Kyoto with time to explore and enjoy lunch, before a private visit to the gallery and studio of Jun Kawajiri. He is the 14th generation of a family making pottery since the 18th century, a master artisan of exquisite contemporary ceramic works melding extruded shape, bright color and imaginative wistfulness. He will be on hand to introduce us to his masterfully produced tablewares.

In the afternoon we’ll have a time to settle into our hotel before meeting back up for dinner, courtesy of a traditional Kyoto geisha. For the first half of the evening, we’ll be treated to an ancient performance that requires years of schooling and apprenticeship to perfect; afterward, we’ll enjoy a conversation with the geisha over dinner.

Day 7

Today starts with an early morning visit to the spectacular Sanjusangendo Temple, which houses 1,001 carved wooden statues of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Next we head to an ancient Zen temple in Kyoto for guided meditation, followed by a traditional tea ceremony, all the while admiring the quiet beauty and grace of the hushed, painstaking ritual.

After lunch, we’ll have the rest of the afternoon to explore Kyoto on our own, wandering its canals and back lanes and admiring its traditional townhouses and bustling food markets. Our dinner tonight has a firm focus on traditional tsukemono (pickled vegetables) in a hip modern setting: pickled lotus root, white turnips, komatsuna (mustard spinach), and plenty of pescetarian options.

Day 8

We spend today in pursuit of inspiration, looking at how art and design can carry influence across industries. First, we journey to Osaka to visit Truck Furniture. Owners—and Japanese counterpart husband-wife-duo to Robin and Cathy—Kise Tokuhiko and Karatsu Hiromi use their designs to emphasize and accentuate the natural beauty of materials and connection. Their approach is an inspiration for Heath Ceramics and you’ll see why.

We then set out for culinary inspiration, walking Osaka’s heavenly markets in search of the perfect bites. From juicy and vibrant fruits and Japanese pickles to Osaka’s specialty takoyaki pancake balls, everything is fuel for the imagination. We’ll have a delicious lunch in the country’s foodie heart and soul, followed by a demonstration of Wabōchō, or fine Japanese cooking knives, which are all about the perfect cut. We’ll return to Kyoto and have the rest of the afternoon to take in any last sights, eat any last bites, then meet up for a last amazing farewell shabu shabu dinner with the group.

Day 9

Our journey has come to an end. As we say goodbye to our new friends, we know that we’ll have to return, and soon. In the meantime, the soul of Japanese craft will travel home with us, helping us find the beauty wherever we look.