Items | Nagano: Japanese Lacquerware Craft Tour in the Kiso Valley
Nagano: Japanese Lacquerware Craft Tour in the Kiso Valley
Important Information
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Public transportation options are available nearby
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Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
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Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
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This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
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Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
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This tour takes you beyond simple sightseeing and into the rich world of Kiso lacquerware, one of Nagano’s traditional crafts. Lacquerware is not only beautiful to look at; it is also a craft made for daily life, shaped by wood, refined through layers of urushi lacquer, and finished with techniques that create depth, shine, texture, and warmth. At the Kiso Lacquerware Museum, you will learn about the tools, materials, and traditional methods behind each piece, including how different techniques create different expressions. After this background, you will walk through Kiso-Hirasawa, a historic craft town where lacquerware is still part of local life. With your guide, you will visit local sho...
Highlights
2 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
2 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Guided walk through Kiso-Hirasawa
English-speaking guide
Visits to local lacquerware shops
Shopping support, if needed
Admission to Kiso Lacquerware Museum
Transportation to and from Kiso-Hirasawa Station
Meeting Points
Departure
Please meet your guide in front of Kiso-Hirasawa Station. Your guide will be holding a yellow sign near the station entrance. Please check the meeting location before the tour start time.
Return
Nagano: Japanese Lacquerware Craft Tour in the Kiso Valley
About
This tour takes you beyond simple sightseeing and into the rich world of Kiso lacquerware, one of Nagano’s traditional crafts. Lacquerware is not only beautiful to look at; it is also a craft made for daily life, shaped by wood, refined through layers of urushi lacquer, and finished with techniques that create depth, shine, texture, and warmth. At the Kiso Lacquerware Museum, you will learn about the tools, materials, and traditional methods behind each piece, including how different techniques create different expressions. After this background, you will walk through Kiso-Hirasawa, a historic craft town where lacquerware is still part of local life. With your guide, you will visit local sho...
Highlights
2 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
2 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Guided walk through Kiso-Hirasawa
English-speaking guide
Visits to local lacquerware shops
Shopping support, if needed
Admission to Kiso Lacquerware Museum
Transportation to and from Kiso-Hirasawa Station
Meeting Points
Departure
Please meet your guide in front of Kiso-Hirasawa Station. Your guide will be holding a yellow sign near the station entrance. Please check the meeting location before the tour start time.
Kiso Lacquerware Museum introduces the history, techniques, tools, and finished works of Kiso lacquerware, a traditional craft that has developed in the Kiso Valley over generations. Inside the museum, guests can see a wide range of lacquerware, from elegant everyday items to works by master artisans, and learn how different urushi techniques create distinctive textures, colors, and finishes. The museum also displays tools and materials used in the production process, helping visitors understand the patience, precision, and craftsmanship behind each lacquered piece. This visit provides an essential foundation before walking through Kiso-Hirasawa and seeing lacquerware in local shops.
50 minutes
2
Kiso-Hirasawa is a historic lacquerware town in Nagano’s Kiso Valley, known as one of the main centers of Kiso lacquerware. Located along the former Nakasendo route between Edo and Kyoto, the area developed as a craft town where woodwork and lacquerware became closely connected to the local landscape and way of life. Today, visitors can still walk through streets lined with traditional buildings and lacquerware shops, where a wide variety of bowls, trays, chopsticks, cups, and other handcrafted items are displayed. During the tour, guests will visit local shops, compare different styles and finishes, and learn how to appreciate lacquerware not only as a beautiful craft, but also as something designed for everyday use.
