I try my hand at Kintsugi, the 2000-year-old craft of mending broken ceramics. Tableware is revered here, and repairs can take a month for a single chip. Guests can gain an understanding of the delicate nature of the art in an hour-long experience.
At KAI, the carefully chosen tableware complements the exquisite meals served during the omakase-style breakfasts and dinners. Look closely, and you may be able to spot a piece that has been painstakingly repaired.
Guests choose their own ceramics for a sake and cheese experience in the Bengara Lounge that overlooks the original public bath, just outside of KAI. I watch as bathers in robes and slippers dart across the quiet streets, hopping between onsens. Steam rises from vents in the paved roads where the only constant is the sound of water trickling underground. The peaceful silence is a welcome change after the bustle of Tokyo.
The next day I’m chauffeured northward to Bed & Craft, a collection of six Japanese-style homes in tiny Inami, a charming artists’ village known for woodcarving, which sits on the slopes of a misty mountain.
My traditional house is filled with ceramics from local artist Maekawa Wato. It has a beautiful Japanese garden, an outdoor tub, and a kitchen. I spend a few hours exploring Inami’s main street, known for its hidden wooden cats – the town provides visitors maps on where to find them. Then I wander down to Nomi, Bed & Craft’s small Italian restaurant specialising in locally sourced smoked seafood and vegetables.
I have a woodblock carving session with Kaoru Kamo, a master lacquer carver. His family has been practising this art since the Meiji era. Kaoru invites me into her home for a three-hour lesson, and I decide to continue the cat theme and carve a maneki-neko, the iconic beckoning cat.
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The finished product is far from perfect – missing a nose, as I later discover – but it’s definitely coming home with me as a souvenir, representing my new-found appreciation for the skill and craftsmanship behind traditional Japanese arts.
It’s been a journey of discovering the art of slow travel, where the true beauty lies in the moments of quiet reflection and the art of simply being present.
THE DETAILS
TOUR
Inside Japan’s 15-day Hidden Zen self-guided tour, from $14,154 a person, twin share and includes accommodation, meals and experiences. See insidejapantours.com/au
FLY
Qantas flies direct from Melbourne and Sydney to Tokyo daily, and from Brisbane three times a week. See qantas.com
STAY
KAI Kaga is in Kaga Onsen. Rooms from ¥18,700 ($200) a night.
See hoshinoresorts.com/en/hotels/kaikaga
Bed & Craft, Inami, Toyama: Mitu from ¥19,000 a person. See bedandcraft.com
The writer travelled as a guest of Inside Japan.
AloJapan.com