Private Echizen Lacquerware Experience and Cycling Tour

• • Hibiki SanoSOE Tour Guide

    “We will do our best to guide you so that you can have a fun time in Echizen Sabae and want to come again!”
    Born in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture in 1998. After working as a local government employee, he was in charge of tourism at SOE.

Tour Points

• 01
  Enjoy a bicycle tour of the city on a laquered bike
• 02
  Inside the lacquerware shrine, see lacquered maki-e ceiling paintings made with gilded with gold by craftsmen.
  Feel an important presence in the Kawada district where the god of lacquerware is enshrined
• 03
  Shikiyama Shrine has a lacquerware shrine in its precincts.
  Climb the 200 stairs to get a panoramic view of the Kawada area, and enjoy a beautiful view.
  
• 04
  After the shrine, go on a tour of the lacquer workshop.
  You can learn about the process of making lacquerware while observing an actual workshop.
  
• 05
  You will receive a direct lecture from Mr. Nishikikori at the long-established Nishikikori lacquerware store, which has been in business for over 100 years.
• 06
  A full-fledged painting experience using real lacquer with the tools used by traditional craftsmen

About Tour

• Highlights
• Tour Contents
• Details

• Highlights

  Kawada is a town of Echizen lacquerware with a history of 1500 years. It is said that Echizen lacquerware began when Emperor Keitai successfully repaired his broken crown with lacquer, which encouraged the use of lacquer.

  On this tour, we will visit two such lacquer workshops in the Kawada area.
  *Depending on the situation, we may show you a workshop different from the one shown in the photo.

  

  In the workshop we will be showing you this time,1500lasts for yearsAs a manufacturer in the Echizen lacquerware production area,While handing down the craftsmanship of lacquer that has been handed down from our predecessors to the next generation,We are disseminating the culture of lacquer and bowls.

  

  Nishikikori Lacquerware Shop is a lacquer workshop with a history of over 100 years.
  Nishikikori Lacquerware Store is a lacquerware workshop run by brothers in Kawada, the town of Echizen lacquerware.

• Tour Contents

  

  We will depart on the URUSHI BIKE. URUSHI BIKE is an original bicycle created in collaboration between "tokyobike" and lacquer artisans in the Kawada area.

  *In case of rain, you may have to travel on foot.

  

  As you climb up the Lacquerware Shrine and Shikiyama Shrine, you will find an eye-catching photo spot that overlooks the Kawada area. In addition, one of the pleasures of traveling is finding your own favorite spots while cycling, such as the nostalgic feel of historic townscapes and mountains covered in clouds on rainy days.

  

  During the workshop tour, you will first hear about Echizen lacquerware, and then tour the lacquer painting workshop. You will learn about the depth of Echizen lacquerware while being shown the lacquer and the craftsmen's tools in the workshop, which is normally closed to visitors.　
  *Depending on the situation, we may show you a workshop different from the one shown in the photo.

  

  After touring the workshop, we got back on our bikes and headed to the Nishikikori Lacquerware Store.
  First, Mr. Nishikikori shows us a model, and then we actually apply the lacquer ourselves using the craftsman's tools.

  That's it for the tour. At the end, we will take a commemorative photo.
  A journey through Kawada, the town of Echizen lacquerware, on a lacquered bicycle and experiencing the techniques and thoughts of the craftsmen. Would you also like to visit the production area of ​​Echizen lacquerware?

• Details

  • Tour Details

    code:CIT1003
    Time required: about 3 hours
    Minimum number of participants: 2 people
    Maximum number of people: 4 people
    Tour conductor: Yes. A local guide will guide you.

  • Meeting place

     

    Meeting place	Urushi Village Hall (916-1221-40 Nishibukuromachi, Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, 1-2)
    Access	Approximately 15 minutes by car from Hokuriku Expressway Sabae IC (parking available) By Train 12 minutes by taxi or 30 minutes by bus from Happy Line Fukui Sabae Station
    Parking	Available

    View on Google map

  • Scheduled date

    ・Morning session 9:00~
    ・Afternoon 14:00~

    This tour is on a request basis.
    After confirming the purchase, we will ask you about 3 possible dates and make adjustments.

  • Course content

    1) Gather at Urushi no Sato Kaikan
    2) Tour orientation
    3) Move to Lacquerware Shrine by bicycle
    4) Go up the precincts and visit Shikiyama Shrine
    5) Bike to the lacquer workshop
    6) Lacquer workshop tour
    7) Ride your bicycle to the Nishikikori lacquerware store while enjoying the townscape
    8) Lacquer painting experience at Nishikikori Lacquerware Store

    *Depending on the situation, we may show you a workshop different from the one shown in the photo. Please forgive me in advance.

  • Included

    ・Factory tour fee
    ・Workshop experience fee
    ・URUSHIBIKE, helmet rental fee
    ・Bicycle insurance premium
    ・Guide fee
    　*Transportation is not included.

  • Cancellation Policy

    ・Cancellation 10 to 8 days before the tour date: 20% of the tour price
    ・Cancellation 7 to 2 days before the tour date: 30% of the tour price
    ・Cancellation on the day before the tour: 40% of the tour price
    ・Cancellation on the day: 50% of the tour price
    ・No contact or cancellation after the tour has started: 100% of the tour fee
    　* If it becomes difficult to participate on the day before or on the day of the experience, please contact the following experience directly.
    　Contact: Craft Invitation by SOE TEL 0778-78-9967

  • Points to note

    ・We may guide you together with people from other groups.
    ・Lacquer may cause rashes, so please be careful when participating. If you get a rash, the management/company cannot be held responsible. We ask for your understanding.
    - Lacquer takes time to dry. After the trial, please wait 4 to 5 weeks for the product to be delivered to your home.
    ・Depending on the day, you may not be able to tour the lacquer workshop on your itinerary, in which case we may be able to explain the process at another workshop. Thank you for your understanding.
    ・As the factory is run by a small number of people, we do not carry out the entire lacquering process every day. Thank you for your understanding.
    ・There is no air conditioning in the factory. It's hot in the summer, so please bring your own towel, and in the winter, it's cold, so please wear warm clothes.
    ・Smoking is prohibited on the factory premises.
    ・Photography is allowed, but commercial use is prohibited.
    ・Children over 10 years old can participate (accompanied by a guardian).
    ・If you touch any machines without permission, you may be injured. Please act according to the staff's instructions.
    ・We are not responsible for any accidents, injuries, etc. in the factory caused by the customer.
    ・On the day of the event, you will be riding a bicycle around the area, so please come in clothes that are easy to move around in.
    ・When participating, please come in clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
    

  • Contact

    Craft Invitation by SOE
    Tel: 0778-78-9967
    Email: welcome@soe.or.jp