As a travel writer and the author of guides to Japan for several decades, I had the great fortune to see places not usually shared with the general public––hard-hat tours of venues before they opened, museum exhibits not yet ready for prime time, restaurant kitchens, private tea ceremonies with a master sensei, tours of an artisan’s studio, and hotel suites hardly anyone could afford.
I especially remember a morning many years ago in Kawasaki in Mie Prefecture, which served as Ise City’s business district during the Edo Period (1603-1868). As I was getting ready to check out of a Japanese inn (Hoskidekan, now 100 years old), the elderly proprietress insisted that I first take a look at a 300-year-old wholesaler’s house, being restored to tell the story of how warehouses along the river were once served by boats delivering goods. I told her I didn’t have much time before catching a train, so we jumped on bicycles and pedaled furiously to inspect what is now the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum. I was so impressed by the grass-roots efforts to save a historic district at a time when old buildings were fast disappearing, I gladly added it to the next edition of Frommer’s Japan.
Another powerful memory is of Gyokusen-en Garden in Kanazawa, with a 400-year history and famous for its tea ceremony. I was the only customer, and when the woman conducting the tea ceremony said that we should value this moment because it was the only time in our lives when our paths would cross, it brought tears to my eyes. It was reminder of how we should live our lives among strangers every day.
I was grateful for my many first-hand experiences, mostly because back when I first started writing about Japan in the 1980s, there were few opportunities for foreign visitors to learn firsthand about Japanese handicrafts and cuisines. Not only were they few and far between, but most workshops were offered only in Japanese. Today, classes in English can be found all over the country, offering an insider experience into Japanese culture. Whether it’s a tea ceremony, knife-forging workshop, indigo dying class, or making your own miso, participating in one or two cultural experiences will greatly enrich your stay in Japan.
For me, taking art classes or learning new cooking techniques is kind of like being a kid again, full of discovery and mostly just plain fun.
To learn more about workshops and classes offered in Japan, see my article Learning about Japanese Culture one Handicraft at a Time, published by East-West News Service. For more immersive experiences, see my blogs Japanese Tea Ceremony Soothes the Soul and Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens.
