Hagi yaki is a traditional craft with a history going back more than 400 years. Hagi glass is made exclusively in Hagi using materials produced in Hagi. Both are among Hagi’s most important traditional crafts. You can try learning from an artisan to make your own unique piece. Are you up to the challenge? We also encourage you to experience Japanese culture by putting on a kimono that matches Hagi’s old-fashioned townscape and go on a rickshaw ride! We also have programs for enjoying Hagi’s natural scenery and landscape, such as sightseeing boats that let you view the scenery from the river and the sea and e-bike cycling with a guide.
Make Hagi Yaki Pottery
Hagi Yaki has over 400 years of history, since its beginnings in 1604. ¬This simple pottery with soft texture has many charms, from its fine crazing and mottling, to the subtle variations in color and details. Hagi Yaki is porous and with use, tea will seep into the crazing of the glaze, gradually altering the color of the piece. Pottery fans love it for this phenomenon, know as the “seven disguises” of Hagi Yaki pottery. Recently, artistic display pieces and home use pieces are also being produced. Tourists can visit a climbing kiln or join a pottery class. Experience the tradition of Hagi Yaki.
Make your own Hagi Yaki!
What is Hagi yaki?(Link to Hagi Tougeika Kyokai website)
Visit a kiln and create an original piece of pottery with the guidance of local experts.
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Drawing on Hagi yaki pottery
Create a unique Hagi yaki piece by drawing a picture or lettering of your choice on a cup or bowl.
Hand forming
You knead the clay by hand to shape it. You can make any shape you want.
Electric potter’s wheel
You can feel the texture of the clay and discover what it is like to be a potter by using a pottery wheel.
- Appointment required (same-day appointments allowed)
- The completed piece can be shipped overseas on a later date. (A separate shipping fee is required.)
Make Hagi Glass
Hagi glass is made from the andesite deposits of Mount Kasayama. These raw materials are amalgamated into the finished product in the Hagi glass studios. The moss-green tint, the unique texture, the scratch-resistant surface, heat resistance and the crazing reminiscent of Hagi yaki are the special features of Hagi glass.
What is Hagi glass?(Link to Hagi Glass Studio website)
You can try your hand at making cups, pendants and more.
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Glass-blowing activity
Try your hand at glass-blowing. A professional artisan will instruct you one-on-one.
Glass-sculpting activity
Try your hand at sand-blasting. This technique uses high-pressure jets of sand to grind the surface of the glass. You can etch your own design or lettering into the glass.
Jewelry-making activity
Try your hand at glassworking with the use of a gas burner. You can melt rods of colored glass to make pendants, decorations for cell phone straps, and other unique jewelry.
Wear Kimono
Hagi’s antique atmosphere sets the perfect stage to wear a kimono! Dress up in a kimono and experience Japanese culture. Appreciate the Edo period atmosphere of Hagi with a stroll around the Castle Town area dressed in traditional kimono. Kimonos and yukatas are available for rent at cafes and kimono shops.
Rickshaw
This tour is recommended for those who want to see the castle town and samurai residences while experiencing the atmosphere of Hagi. Seeing the castle town from a slightly elevated vantage point provides a more exceptional experience.
Sightseeing boat
The Hagi Hakkei Tour Boat follows a 40-minute round-trip route. Feel the fresh breeze and enjoy the scenery of Hagi on these small sightseeing boats. This tour boat offers passengers the sight of the residences once inhabited by samurai in the Horiuchi and Hiyako Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Calm weather days may include an ocean detour to beautiful Kikugahama beach. Cherry blossom season is also a favorite time to get a lovely view of the sakura trees along the river banks.
Hananoe Chatei
Visitors can try matcha green tea at Hananoe Chatei, a historic teahouse at the site of Hagi Castle in Shizuki Park. Hananoe Chatei is a teahouse associated with Mori Takachika, a feudal lord who ruled the Hagi (Choshu) domain in the Edo period. It is said that during the turbulent period at the end of the Edo period when the Hagi domain faced various challenges, the lord would discuss current affairs with his vassals and arrange government business in this teahouse. The building has a thatched roof, and the ceiling and columns inside the teahouse are elaborately decorated. The teahouse interior affords beautiful views of the garden. In spring, visitors can enjoy the cherry blossoms, azaleas, and other flowers. The interior is normally closed to the public, but tea ceremonies are occasionally held on an irregular basis.
Kikuya Family Residence — Activity Plan
Our activity plan includes trying matcha (powdered green tea) at the Kikuya Family Residence, an important cultural property. The Kikuya family was a wealthy merchant family that served the Hagi domain as its official merchants during the Edo period. Their house functioned as a guest house for distinguished guests of the domain. Today, the residence, which contains five important cultural properties, is open to the public. Its beautiful, atmospheric garden is a must-see. Visitors can enjoy a variety of experiences, including matcha, kimono dress-up, and rickshaw rides.
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Rickshaw + matcha green tea
You will tour around Hagi castle town, a World Heritage Site, by rickshaw. Afterward, you will try matcha green tea at the Kikuya Family Residence.
Kimono + matcha green tea
Dress up in a kimono at the kimono rental shop and then try matcha green tea at the Kikuya Family Residence.
Kimono + rickshaw + matcha green tea
Dress up in a kimono at the kimono rental shop, followed by a tour of the Hagi castle town, a World Heritage Site, by rickshaw. Afterward, try matcha green tea at the Kikuya Family Residence.
E-bike cycling
FURUSATO CYCLING【Sake, from field to brewery】
The starting point of this tour is the oldest small brewery in Hagi, which has been passed down from generation to generation. From the paddies which produce the sake rice, to a rare tousei factory in which the harvested rice is polished, to a brewery in which that rice is fermented and brewed, you can enjoy the whole story of sake-making.
This tour will show you the unique rural interplay of water and rice, and the commitment of the people who make delicious local sake.
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Stay at Japanese House
Experience authentic culture together with a host family in a traditional house. Get closer to the real Japan.
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