Ninja & Pottery in Central Japan Off The Beaten Track Part 1 japan-guide.com

From covert ninja culture to scenic tea fields to outstanding hikes, Central Japan has something for everyone with its wide variety of experiences and traditional culture. Conveniently located between Tokyo in the east and Osaka and Kyoto in the west, Central Japan is a worthwhile addition to any Japan travel itinerary. In this three-episode series, we're going on a six-day trip familiarizing ourselves with ninjas and ceramics, getting an immersion experience to green tea and the local food culture, visiting some historic sites, as well as hiking in the Japan Alps. My name is Raina Ong, reporting for japan-guide.com, and over the next six days, I'm going to take you off the beaten track in Central Japan. Here's the plan. On day one, we start our trip at Chubu Sentra International Airport, where we take the high-speed boat and train to Iga to learn about the ninja and stay overnight at a potter's house. On day two, we have a hands-on pottery experience in the morning, and after, take the train to Kakegawa to spend the night in a tea farmer's traditional Japanese-style house. Day one. I'm at Chubu International Airport, and I'm going to take the high-speed boat across the bay to Tsu in Mie Prefecture. The boat ride is going to take about 45 minutes. From Tsu, we take trains to the city of Iga. Located in a small plain surrounded by mountains, Iga City, commonly referred to as Iga Ueno, is most famous for its ninja. Iga and a neighbouring city of Koka in the north are well-known for being the birthplace of ninja. Much about ninja has been covered in pop culture, but these covert spies and assassins who adept in combat, subterfuge and natural sciences were extremely good at covering up their traces and left only scant records of their skills and lifestyles. I visit the Ninja Museum of Iga-ryu in Iga Ueno, an all-in-one facility where one can learn all about the Iga ninjas. Behind me is what looks like a regular farmhouse, but is it really? Let's go inside and take a look. From the ninja house, the visiting route leads to two exhibition halls where displays of ninja tools and everyday life utensils can be seen. One of the highlights not to be missed is the exciting ninja show performed by skilled ninja actors who do stunts and tricks using ninja weapons. This is my chance to prove my ninja skills after all that ninja education. Would-be attackers, be warned. After that really fun ninja experience at the Ninja Museum of Iga-ryu, it was time to move on to my accommodation for the night. An approximately five-minute ride on the ninja train brought me to Iga Ueno Station, from where it is a short walk to my accommodation, a renovated farmhouse. The beautifully renovated traditional home is managed by the Tanimoto, a family of potters with an illustrious lineage in creating igayaki, which is ceramics made using local Iga clay. The house is decorated with artwork by the family and their friends, and guests can use ceramic dishes made by the Tanimoto family. I'm at Sakowan, one of two lodgings owned by the Tanimoto family, and as you can see, the family has impeccable taste and it feels like I'm staying in an art gallery. The accommodation has a fully equipped kitchen and I take the opportunity to make myself a simple dinner, then spend some time relaxing at my accommodation before turning in for the night. Day two. Iga ceramics, or igayaki, is a traditional craft of Iga, with around 400 years of history. The local ceramics gained recognition during the early 17th century, when igayaki tea bowls, water jugs and flower vases were used in tea ceremonies. Over time, the variety of igayaki grew to include dishes like plates, bowls and pots used in everyday life. I could not be more fortunate to be able to have a look at the galleries and studios of the Tanimoto family and take a pottery class with them. Yuko-san is a ceramic artist with a background in textile art. Her vibrant and bold works command attention, and there is a sense of flow and movement in the large pieces of work. After the visit to Yuko-san's studio, it was time for my pottery lesson with her husband, Tanimoto Kei. Characteristics of classical style Iga ceramics include handles or ears and markings made by spatulas used to smoothen the clay. Modern Iga ceramics, however, do not contain these distinguishing marks, but instead commonly sport the glassy green or matte black colors typical of Iga ceramics. Kei-san and I talk about his art philosophy while we make a simple plate together. It was very interesting to learn from the artist himself. I sign my name on the plate I make, and this is the final product. After that wonderful morning with the Tanimoto family learning about Igayaki, it was time to move on to my next destination. I get back on the train and make my way to my accommodation in Kakegawa. Kakegawa is one of the top tea growing regions in Japan, and my accommodation for tonight is a traditional tea farmer's house surrounded by tea fields. The charming 70-year-old farmhouse retains a number of its original fixtures like the open-roof rafters and some antique furnishings. One unusual detail in the farmhouse is this metal bathtub known as Goemon-buro, which is traditionally heated by burning wood below the tub. A highlight of staying at the farmhouse was making a local Kakegawa specialty for dinner together. I'm with my host Yamada-san and we're going to be making Imojiru, which is a Japanese yam soup using Japanese yam. And in this pot we've got the miso soup base. So for dinner I've got the bowl of soup which I made with my host earlier, as well as a variety of local dishes and some of them contain tea or tea leaves. And that was episode one of our six-day trip through central Japan. Be sure to join us on episode two as we continue on the third and fourth days of our trip immersing in green tea, enjoying the local food culture in Nagoya, and visiting an open-air museum. For more information about this trip or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive up-to-date travel guide first-hand from Japan. Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan. Happy travels!