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Please note that this tour is only available between December and March
Paper-making was historically an important cottage industry in the Tadachi neighbourhood of Nagiso town, where many local farmers would engage in paper-making during the winter months when their fields lay fallow.
The last professional paper-maker retired some years ago, but luckily a group of dedicated volunteers help keep the tradition alive. They offer hands-on paper-making workshops to tourists, and we interpret to ensure smooth communication.
This tour includes a visit to the traditional paper-making workshop, a talk on the techniques and history of paper-making, as well as the chance to make your own Japanese washi paper alongside a friendly local volunteer, who will guide you through the steps along the way. At the end of the day, we’ll leave your finished products at the workshop to dry, and they can send it by post to the final accommodation you’ll stay at before heading home from your Japan trip.
This tour has half-day and full-day options.
more details below
Contents:
Tour Information →
Accommodation – where to stay →
Highlights of the Tour →
Tour Options →
Recommended Follow-up Tours →
Travel Information →
Extra Information →
Google Maps Information →
Recommended seasons to visit:
Winter
(December-March)
・A cozy indoor activity to enjoy in colder months.
・a great half-day accompaniment to a half-day winter hike, or another traditional craft activity
Tour Information:
- Starting & Ending at: Nagiso station, Tadachi station, or your accommodation in one of the following areas: Nagiso (including Tsumago), Nakatsugawa (including Magome), and Okuwa
(see detailed travel info) - Time Estimate: 3-3.5 hours
Accommodation – where to stay:
The most convenient areas for this tour are: Nagiso, Tsumago, or Magome, but Nakatsugawa, or anywhere in the Kiso valley is just fine.
You can find more detailed suggestions for accommodation in and around the Kiso area here.
Highlights of the Tour:
・A visit to the Kiso area’s only remaining washi paper-making workshop, and a discussion of the history and techniques behind washi paper.
・A chat with one of the workshop’s dedicated, friendly volunteers, who will be more than happy to discuss both their work, and life in rural Japan.
・A hands-on activity that’s approachable and entertaining for absolute beginners (including kids!).
・Your own handmade washi paper to bring back home from Japan.
・A relaxed day away from any crowds – the perfect chance to rest up from a hectic multi-week trip across Japan.
・Beautiful winter scenery around the Tadachi neighbourhood, and the chance to spend the rest of the day enjoying the winter sights of Kiso.
Tour Options:
Half-day Course:
This tour start from ¥36,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Full-day Course:
This tour start from ¥46,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
- The above fees don’t include the cost of the washi paper-making session itself (see below for details), or any of your travel costs, museum entrance fees, or meals you may buy on the day.
- Payment is required upon confirmation of your reservation – late payment may result in your tour date being cancelled. (also see our cancellation policy)
Half-Day Tour:
A Taste of Tadachi Paper-Making
Our guiding fee: from ¥36,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees: ¥3,000 per person for the paper-making session
The half-day version of this tour includes a visit to the traditional paper-making workshop, a talk on the techniques and history of paper-making, and a shorter session making your own washi paper. You’ll be able to choose to make one of the following:
(1) 3-4 sheets of A3-sized paper
(2) 6-8 postcards
At the end of the session, your finished products will need to be dried overnight. We’ll ask you to provide the name, address, and check-in + check-out dates for the final hotel you will stay in before leaving Japan. Your washi paper will then be sent by post (at no additional charge) to that hotel.
・Roughly 3-3.5 hours
Combining with Other Half-Day Tours:
The half-day version of this tour can be combined with a variety of other half-day tours, including ones that are not listed here—feel free to check our other Walking Tours and Cultural Experience Tours.
Full-Day Tour:
A Full Day of Paper-Making
Our guiding fee: from ¥46,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees: ¥6,000 per person for the paper-making session
This full-day version of this tour includes everything from the half-day version, but you’ll get significantly more time to practice paper-making. We’ll get lunch at a local restaurant during the tour, and with the extra time in the afternoon you’ll be able to make both of the following:
(1) 3-4 sheets of A3-sized paper
(2) 6-8 postcards
At the end of the session, your finished products will need to be dried overnight. We’ll ask you to provide the name, address, and check-in + check-out dates for the final hotel you will stay in before leaving Japan. Your washi paper will then be sent by post (at no additional charge) to that hotel.
・Roughly 5-6 hours total
Combined Full-Day Tour:
Kiso Crafts Tour: Woodworking & Paper-Making
Washi Paper-Making Tour
&
Nagiso Traditional Woodworking Tour
Our guiding fee: from ¥46,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees:
・¥3,000 per person for the paper-making session
・Woodworking: ¥5,500 per person
This option combines the shorter version of the paper-making activity above with a visit to a local woodworking workshop, where you’ll get to try your hand at traditional wood-spinning Nagiso style. You’ll learn all about the area’s woodworking traditions, and carve your own wooden plate (which you can take home with you after the tour is finished)
・Roughly 5-6 hours total (2.5-3 hours for the shorter paper-making activity, plus 2.5-3 hours for the woodworking activity)
Combined Full-Day Tour:
Washi & Walking: Magome to Nakatsugawa
Washi Paper-Making Tour
&
Nakatsugawa to Magome Walking Tour
Our guiding fee: from ¥46,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees:
・¥3,000 per person for the paper-making session
This option combines the shorter version of of the paper-making activity above with a half-day hike along the Nakasendo trail.
After a morning of making washi paper, we’ll have lunch at a restaurant nearby and then proceed to Magome to explore the scenic Nakasendo post town. Then, we’ll walk the roughly 3 hour hike through city, suburb, farming hamlets, and bamboo forests on our way to Nakatsugawa (where there are plenty of places to stay overnight, as well as convenient train connections to Nagoya, Matsumoto, and the Kiso area).
If you’re planning on staying overnight in Magome over the tour, we’ll reverse the direction of the walk, and go from Nakatsugawa to Magome isntead.
Please note that this will be a winter hike, and the trail may be icy in places – we can provide rental walking poles and crampons for guests who dont have their own.
・Roughly 6-7 hours (2.5-3 hours for the shorter paper-making activity, plus 3.5-4 hours for the Nakasendo hike)
Recommended Follow-up Tours:
Many of our customers string together several of our day tours for a guided multi-day trip along the Kiso valley. We’d generally recommend 3-5 days to get the most out of the area.
We think the following are especially good for a follow-up tour (or for a tour the day before this one):
Kakizore Gorge
Walking Tour
(Full Day)
Hidden away in the mountains between Nagiso town and Okuwa village, the Kakizore gorge is a perfect option for anyone looking for a follow-up to the Magome-Tsumago tour. Not too steep, and not overly long, this route nevertheless boasts both stunning waterfalls and serene pools of crystal-clear water straight from the mountains.
Southern Kiso
Cultural Experience
Tour
(Full Day – combining
2 half-day tours)
This combination of two of our half-day Cultural Experience Tours provides the opportunity to not just see the southern side of the Kiso valley, but to experience it hands-on.
you can choose two of the following activities:
(1) Nagiso Traditional Woodworking Tour
(2) Traditional Soba Noodles Making Tour
Magome to Tsumago
Walking Tour
(Full Day)
Our most popular route (and for very good reason), this hike passes between two of the most picturesque historical towns along the Nakasendo trail—Magome and Tsumago—with stunning natural views of imposing mountains, lush forests, and raging waterfalls along the way.
Travel Information:
This tour can be done as a day trip from Nagoya or Matsumoto, but we’d generally recommend staying overnight somewhere in the Kiso area—either before or after the tour (ideally both).
Where the tour starts:
This tour starts at Nagiso station, Nakatsugawa station, or Tadachi station.
Alternatively, our guide can meet you at your accommodation and accompany you to the paper-making workshop (we’ll ask you to pay their travel costs in this case).
Our advice on getting to Nagiso station
Our advice on getting to Nakatsugawa station
Where the tour finishes:
The tour finishes at Nagiso station, Nakatsugawa station, or Tadachi station.
Alternatively, our guide can accompany you back to your accommodation (again, we’ll ask you to cover their travel costs).
Nagiso Station:
– plenty of accommodation options nearby
Nakatsugawa Station:
– plenty of accommodation options nearby
Tadachi Station:
– no accommodation options nearby, but train access to Nakatsugawa, Kiso-Fukushima, Shiojiri, etc.
You can find Google Maps information for Nagiso station, Tadachi station, and Nakatsugawa station below.
Extra Information:
Recommended places to stay:
You can find suggestions for accommodation in the Kiso area here. The most convenient spots for this tour are Agematsu and Kiso-Fukushima, but anywhere in the Kiso valley is just fine.
Cancellation policy & other info:
Please see our full cancellation policy, as well as other information, here.
How to get your luggage around:
You can find information on local luggage transportation companies here.
Travel insurance:
Please note that we do not provide travel insurance – we recommend you purchase your own.
