Only three places remain on this one-off November journey into the studios, workshops, and traditions of Japan’s master makers. View this email in your browser Call us: +1-212-518-1618

KOGEI: A JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN'S LIVING NATIONAL TREASURES

12–22 NOVEMBER, 2026

This November, Remote Lands will lead a one-off small-group journey into the world of kogei, Japan’s living traditions of fine art and craftsmanship. Developed with KOGEI USA and with special thanks to Onishi Gallery, the 10-night journey offers private access to Living National Treasures and other distinguished makers working across ceramics, lacquer, metalwork, textiles, woodwork, and related disciplines.

From Tokyo and Kyoto to Yamanaka Onsen, Kanazawa, and Kurashiki, guests will enter private studios and workshops, meet artists whose techniques have been refined over generations, and take part in hands-on encounters that would be exceptionally difficult to arrange independently.

With departure now approaching, just three places remain for the November 12–22, 2026 journey.

LEARN MORE

WHAT IS KOGEI?

Workshop in Okayama

Often translated simply as “craft,” kogei in Japan carries far greater weight. It refers to objects shaped by the human hand with technical mastery, cultural continuity, and artistic intent. It encompasses traditions refined over generations, where material, process, and authorship remain inseparable. This journey approaches Japan through that world — living expressions of heritage, where skill is refined over generations and passed down from mentor to mentee through the ages.

MEETING THE LIVING NATIONAL TREASURES

Woodcarving Studio in Inami, Toyama

At the heart of the journey is access to Japan’s Living National Treasures: master artists formally recognized by the Japanese government  for preserving Japan's intangible cultural heritage. Encounters throughout the itinerary include private studio visits and conversations with leading figures in ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, woodwork and textiles. Through long-standing relationships with Onishi Gallery and KOGEI USA, guests are welcomed into often off-limits studios and workshops where the discipline, philosophy, and precision behind each practice are revealed firsthand. These visits are often paired  with hands-on sessions, allowing for a closer understanding of the techniques that define each tradition.

A JOURNEY SHAPED BY CRAFT

WAKO Ginza

The journey opens in Tokyo with a private event and soirée at WAKO Ginza, where guests enjoy exclusive use of the iconic flagship’s top floor and access to Wakō Gallery, setting the cultural and artistic tone for the journey ahead. In Kyoto, encounters with contemporary artisans unfold alongside temple and museum visits that place these living traditions in a wider cultural setting. In Yamanaka Onsen, the pace slows for deeper immersion, including ceramic workshops and more intimate exchanges with master makers. Kanazawa brings a dense concentration of studio visits across multiple disciplines, while the final stretch in Kurashiki and Okayama introduces Bizen pottery, swordsmithing, and other traditions that remain deeply rooted in place.

FROM STUDIO TO PROCESS

The art of Kutani Yaki, crafted by hand.

Private access is only part of the story. At several points along the journey, guests move beyond viewing into guided workshops with master makers, encountering Kutani porcelain, metalwork, and Yuzen textile practice through process as well as finished form. These are closer encounters with the material disciplines that define Japanese craft at its highest level, culminating in moments such as dining with the renowned ceramicist Tokuda Yasokichi IV on plates created by the artist himself in his private studio. 

THE JOURNEY BETWEEN

Ryokan Kurashiki For all its depth and rigor, the journey never loses its sense of ease. Accommodation has been chosen with the same care and sense of place as the program itself, balancing contemporary hotels with traditional ryokans that are appropriate for each stage of the journey. Travel combines private transfers with Japan’s rail network, including the must-experience shinkansen bullet train, thus giving the journey a distinctly Japanese rhythm. On all Remote Lands-organized touring days, guests are accompanied by their own private English-speaking guide, plus private car and driver, so that a trip defined by rare access never feels logistically demanding.

THREE PLACES REMAIN

Janu Tokyo

Access of this depth is rarely assembled within a single itinerary. With just three places now remaining, this is the final opportunity to join a journey designed not simply to observe Japan’s living craft traditions, but to enter the studios, workshops, and creative worlds of the artists preserving them.

The journey departs November 12, 2026. Pricing is from $85,000 per couple, based on double occupancy, with solo pricing from $82,410.

For more information, or to secure one of the remaining places, enquire through Remote Lands' website or simply reply to this email.

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