Alternative ways to experience classic Japan

22.08.2023 - 08:17 / nationalgeographic.com

While many first-time travellers to Japan will spend much of their time in the futuristic metropolis of Tokyo, the true soul of the country is found beyond the city limits, shaped by sublime wilderness and rooted in ancient pastimes. To the south, discover the peerless beauty of the Seto Inland Sea, best explored by cruise; meanwhile in the far-flung north, unspoilt volcanic islands offer adventurous hiking trails and rich culinary heritage. 

Japan offers up portals to the past, too: meet some of the last artisans creating samurai armour; learn the time-honoured skills of ceramists; and partake in a tea ceremony run by Kyoto’s revered geikos, a type of entertainer and hostess unique to Kyoto and Japan's west. These experiences combine to unlock unsung, ancient and wild aspects of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Distinguished by their masked helmets, complete with bristled moustache, it’s easy to imagine why samurai were so feared. Although Japan’s feudal class of warriors is long gone, it remains world-famous and visitors flock to see vestiges of old samurai culture locked behind museum glass. However, in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima, the masters of the Marutake Sangyo armoury are keeping one part of the samurai culture alive, hand-making original samurai armour using 300-year-old methods. Every detail is designed to their customers’ specifications, with each piece taking up to a year to complete. And while it's possible to visit Marutake's Samurai Store in Tokyo, ordering custom-made armour from the Kagoshima workshop is a one-off opportunity.

“Travellers tend to be absorbed by the quality of the craftmanship” says Joshua Lassman, founder of Untold Japan, which offers visits to the workshop on its tours. “There are countless pieces of samurai armour in castles and museums around Japan, but what a visit to these artisans offers is an intimate encounter with living history.”

Many of Japan’s arts and crafts are so familiar around the world, they've become part of many non-Japanese languages; origami, manga, bonsai. But one of the most widespread and historically important is pottery. Japan’s history and culture can be traced through its ceramics, with excavations in 1998 revealing earthenware from 14,500 BCE: some of the oldest ever discovered.

Today, Japan’s pottery crafts scene is still thriving, with differing styles across regions, prefectures and even cities. It’s best experienced at the remote villages of Arita and Imari, or the coastal city of Karatsu, all located in the Saga Prefecture of northwest Kyushu. Here, you can join pottery classes with local experts, easily booked through specialist tour operators. Informative visits cover everything from collecting the clay, and the shaping and