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
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culture conveniently located between
tokyo and 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 rayna ong reporting for
japanguide.com and over the next six
days i'm gonna take you off the beaten
track in central japan
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here's the plan
on day one we start our trip at chubu
centre international airport where we
take the high-speed boat and train to
eager 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
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i'm at chubu international airport and
i'm going to take the high speed boat
across the bay to zoo in near prefecture
the boat right is going to take about 45
minutes
from two we take trains to the city of
eager
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located in a small plane surrounded by
mountains iga city commonly referred to
as iga ueno is most famous for its ninja
iga and a neighboring 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 coveted 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 the skills and
lifestyles
i visit the ninja museum of igariu in
iga ueno an all-in-one facility where
one can learn all about the iga ninjas
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behind me is what looks like a regular
farmhouse but is it really let's go
inside and take a look
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okay
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from the ninja house the visiting route
leads to two exhibition halls where
displays of ninja tools and everyday
live 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
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this is my chance to prove my ninja
skills after all that ninja education
would be attackers be warned
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[Applause]
after that really fun ninja experience
at the ninja museum of igadir it was
time to move on to my accommodation for
the night an approximately five minute
ride on the ninja train brought me to
igao 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 eager 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
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day two
igor ceramics or igayaki is a
traditional craft of ega 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
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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 yukosan studio it was
time for my pottery lesson with her
husband tanimoto ke
characteristics of classical style iga
ceramics include handles or ears and
markings made by spatulas used to
smoothen the clay
modern eager ceramics however do not
contain these distinguishing marks but
instead commonly sport the glassy green
or matte black colors typical of eager
ceramics
k son and i talk about his art
philosophy while we make a simple plate
together
it was very interesting to learn from
the artist himself
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foreign
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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
kakigawa
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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 fuels
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
its metal bathtub known as goemon bureau
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
imojitu which is a japanese yam soup
using japanese yam and in this pot we've
got the miso soup base yoroshiku
nagashima
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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
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goodbye
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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
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for more information about this trip or
to watch another video click the links
on the screen now or head over to
japanguy.com
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happy travels
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you