KOTO TOURS
"specializing in boutique travel to Japan, celebrating ancient arts and cultural traditions for over thirty years. Hotsprings, festivals, temple gardens, carvers, weavers, paper making, carpentry, pottery, exquisite culinary meals..."
News
CUSTOM TRAVEL
Custom-designed Travel
We design our private 6?person tours for maximum immersion in the culture, arts and lifestyle...savoring tranquillity in Zen gardens, the elegance of fine inns, excellent cuisine??the serendipity of a daytime dip in a hot spring, boat ride from a fishing village, tea around the hearth in a farmhouse, museum exhibitions and art openings...we are always glad to tailor our trips to your requests, and to develop an itinerary suited to you and your friends.
ADVENTURE TOURS
Adventure Tours
Mountain hiking and pilgrimage trails
Cycling & hot springs
Fishing mountain rivers/Kumano coast
Snorkeling & Scuba Diving Yaeyama Islands
Horseback Riding along coastal fishing villages.
LECTURE SERIES
Drawing on our extensive personal experience living and exploring in Japan, we give lectures and workshops for arts groups, university arboretums and public gardens, schools, woodworkers and builders, and private parties interested in travel to Japan.
Architecture and timber frame building
Bamboo: propagation & science, crafts and practical use
Japanese traditional arts and crafts: textiles, ceramics, tea ceremony...
History of Japan
Zen and classic gardens
Shinto and Japan through the ages
MEDIA
Upcoming events:
April 20, 2010: Arts lecture at Maloof Foundation, Alta Loma CA
May 21, 2010 Lecture at Ikebana International, San Francisco CA
June 14, 2010: Lecture at San Francisco Botanical Garden, SF CA
August 2010: Timber frame demonstration, Santa Cruz CA
Autumn trip to Japan: October 8-22
Spring trips to Japan: April 2011
Bamboo Tour to Japan, May 1-11, 2011
Private Tours
AUTUMN PATHWAYS...FESTIVALS & HOT SPRINGS
OCTOBER 8-22 AUTUMN PATHWAYS
On the journey this Fall we follow a 1200-year tradition of pilgrimage where we stay in a mountain temple, eat simple monks' food, relax in a hot springs in a mountain village, join with dancers at rice harvest festivals in three different villages, while following narrow roads and pathways surrounded by verdant forests and abundant flowing water.
This trip is filled with the traditional culture of colorful festivals, Zen temples, hot springs, beautiful countryside, and pristine shorelines. Autumn mists shroud the ridge-tops in the mountaintop fastness of a secluded temple complex... stand at the foot of the cascades roaring out of the pristine forest at Nachi Falls ... retreat in the forest of Ise Grand Shrine where the mighty cedars tower. Our journey through history begins in Kyoto, through the mountains to the fascinating wild seacoast... and returns to Kyoto. Our focus will be slow travel through places where ancient ways remain strong and our personal friendships bring us into the homes and studios of craftsmen, farmers and fishermen.
SPRING 2011
APRIL 3-15 STEPPINGSTONES ON THE INLAND SEA
From earliest times each island was a step from one culture to the next..waves of influence shaped the way of life, customs and crafts...our journey begins in NaraValley, following old routes towards Kyoto, and on to the Inland Sea.
APRIL 15-27 MOUNTAIN VILLAGES & TRADITIONAL ARTS
Nagara River and mountain villages of Gifu have been strongholds of cultures since Neolithic times...hunter-gatherers, farmers, river-fishers...and later castle lords and artisans--formed the local traditions that continue today. This is a time of celebrations, renewed energy for the coming year, preparations for rice planting, with wild-harvested Spring herbs and greens the specialties of the season.
FALL 2011
In Fall 2011 we travel on hidden mountain byways to hot springs villages, and explore coastal coves. Highlights are colorful festivals imbued with traditional spirit, visits with craftspeople and Zen monks...beautifully- prepared meals at picturesque inns...the poetry and adventure of travel in a very special place.
BAMBOO TRAVEL MAY 1-11, 2011
During the annual bamboo shooting season in Japan, each family has a unique traditional way to serve fresh bamboo shoots. This is also the time of year when freshly-cut bamboo poles are split and woven into green baskets for celebrations of the season. The Bamboo Travel of 2011 will focus on following the culture of bamboo...each day as we move from South to North across the Islands, we explore the intimate connection between a rich bamboo history and the artistry of individual craftsmen, viewing this world as only a small traveling group can do. Off the beaten paths in a private van, free to explore...wild forest species...natural forests...enjoying hot springs and daily adventures.
We have organized & guided custom bamboo trips to Japan and Southwest China, and IBC (International Bamboo Congress) group trips to Japan, Bali & Costa Rica. Members of ABS (American Bamboo Society) since 1981. Karl was co-founder of the IBA (International Bamboo Association), does international consulting, workshops/lectures in the U.S. on propagation & cultivation.
About Us
Background
Koto Tours are planned and led by Karl and Ginger Bareis. Now based in California, their initimate association with traditional Japan goes back more than three decades and includes long periods of residence there.
Settling in Japan in 1973, Karl and Ginger began to actively pursue their interests in traditional crafts, with Karl entering a carpenter's apprenticeship, and making shakuhachi (end blown bamboo) flutes; and Ginger beginning dyeing and weaving classes in Kyoto. Over the next decade they continued their intensive studies and Ginger expanded into the Ko-uta style of classical shamisen (a traditional Japanese three- stringed instrument) as well as beginning lessons with a 13th generation tea master.
Vision
"Over the years we have continued to expand our personal ties with Japanese craftsmen throughout Japan, and with these enduring relationships we are able to act as interpreters and educators, delving into specific techniques and describing their formal traditions. The informal meetings we have with Japanese craftsmen create a 'living bridge', as a basis to understanding the foundations of the culture."
When back home in California, Ginger organizes and leads private tours for Japanese and Europeans in California and to other parts of the U.S., and Karl keeps busy building timber frame structures in the Japanese style. See Karl's portfolio of work at www.santacruztimberframes.com
Travel Photo Gallery
COMING SOON!
A collection of photographs from past tours can be viewed through the Travel Photo Gallery link above.
Come experience a visual journey with Koto Tours over the last several decades through Zen gardens, colorful festivals and see the national treasure crafts people Koto Tours have met along the way.
Crafts & Antiques Photo Gallery
Karl and Ginger have been collecting Japanese textiles and crafts since 1973. Connect to the Crafts & Antiques Photo Gallery above.
Pieces in their textile collection such as rare Kimono and Ukata date back to the edo period. Ginger's expertise in textiles has allowed them to amass a private textile collection un-paralled.
Their antique and crafts collection ranges from the larger Tansu pieces to smaller lacquer and bronze pieces dating to the 1700's.
Contact us for requests regarding complete tour itineraries and pricing, further information, or to be added to our mailing list.
Contact Koto Tours:
email: kototours_me.com
phone: 831.427.1034
