IZHAR NEUMMAN
Handmade Paper Maker
Izhar Neumann - Handmade paper
Trips to Japan
Tioli Aviv_ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d__cc781905-lb-2055bb-3155bb
Emphasis on culture and nature 11-25 March
With an emphasis on art March 29 to April 14 (14 nights)
There are places left for a trip as part of "Journeys-Exploration Trips" _ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
For details and registration_ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
A special trip in winter -February 2020 has also been postponed to 2021
North Snow Festival, Gardens in Kyoto, Hot Springs in the South and Plum Blossom Festival_ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ For details and registration
Small groups of up to 8 people, feel free to contact me to coordinate a date and topic
background
After studying at the paper workshop in Be'er Sheva, I traveled to Japan in 1984 to study paper making using the traditional method. Paper making is a traditional craft that passes from father to son and is done in certain villages where the conditions are right. For two years I learned the Japanese language and was an apprentice to two masters. Deliver a workshop here. Link to his photo from the national geographic website
Kobayashi lives in a small village at the foot of the Japanese Alps, named Kadoide.In addition to his work he initiates and works to develop tourism to the village to try and show the uniqueness and thus perhaps return to the aging village young families. To this end he and his friends have renovated 2 traditional houses with a Kayabuki thatched roof in which we will stay, and also encourages local artisans to preserve their work and teach.
The nature of the trip
Out of a desire to share Israelis with the experience of life in a Japanese village, I decided to initiate a slightly different trip of staying in the village with hiking in the area, experimenting with local crafts such as weaving straw sandals, making kozo paper, making buckwheat noodles and making direct contact with the villagers.
In 2010, the first trip took place and since then, more than ten trips have been made for small groups of a special nature, including a group of artists, groups for photography enthusiasts in collaboration with _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad_f5 " Family trip, art trip in collaboration Etti Gissis, trip for a couple, trip following the poet HAIKU Basho, to the far north and more.
I learned a lot from the tours I guided and received countless reinforcements for the special nature of the tours. 136bad5cf58d_
My ambition is to go out with groups of 6 people (anyway the group will not appoint more than 12 person) and less.
בתוכניותי העתידיות גם טיול לאי הדרומי המרתק OKINAWA, טיול בעקבות ספריו של KAWABATA,טיול רגלי בהרים סביב קיוטו עם לינה In monasteries and more.
On each trip we meet with artists and craftsmen and participate in various workshops, also in the field of food and music.
Most of the hikes start in the village and end in Kyoto, the city of gardens and temples, with the middle part dedicated to nature and the beauty of the different seasons in the mountainous region of Japan.
The trip is planned according to the season as well as according to the nature of the group and special desires. In any case it is not a trip to "sites" and providers.
The trip lasts about two weeks. It can also be extended. For those who want to continue independently, I give tools and guidance.
Village Kadoide
The village is located in NIIGATA province, north of Tokyo, at the foot of the "Japanese Alps ", not far from the Japanese Sea that separates Japan and Korea.
This is a typical village, which does not appear in the tourist books, its inhabitants make a living from growing rice and in the past many were engaged in producing paper from special strawberry plants that they grew in the summer. The winter is very snowy (snow reaches 3-4 meters!) Today Kobayashi is the last paper maker in the village and he will host us in the big workshop he set up.
We will stay in a traditional house with a tatami floor and a roof of kayabuki straw and the kind kitchen ladies will pamper us with the village food. We will make trips to the beech grove, to the rushing river
And we will get to know some of the villagers who are so happy to meet people who have come from afar!
Nature and the seasons
Japan is a mountainous country, teeming with rivers and forests. Of spruce.
Although Japan is located in a similar latitude to Israel, the climate is different and it is blessed with four distinct seasons and the beauty of nature changes greatly.
The cherry blossoms are famous all over the world but the Japanese also worship the autumnal fall. Thousands of haiku songs have also been written about the white winter and the rainy and green summer.
The hikes I like to do on the fringes of the season-late fall and late spring which then have to migrate to distant places to “catch” the bloom, and the tourist sites are already emptied.
For the daring, winter is a great season of sitting around the coals in irori and snowshoeing, and one can migrate to the warmer southern islands.
"Winter, spring, summer, autumn, winter ..."
Kyoto 京都
"I will miss Kyoto ... and I will miss Kyoto" as one of the famous haiku poems of the great Japanese poets, Basho. For some more of his songs
Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, celebrating its 1220th anniversary this year, served as a religious, ritual center and home to the imperial dynasty (the most detached and longest in the world), also called the City of 1000 Monasteries. And also art, ceremonies, and philosophy .The Zen Gardens, the Tea Ceremony, the Caligaphia and the Ink Paintings, Flower Arrangements ... and more and more, were developed to a degree of perfection in long periods of peace that the Japanese island knew. A conscious closure cut off Japan from the influence of the West until the middle of the 19th century, and Kyoto, which survived destruction during the Second World War, preserves the cultural pockets.
We will dedicate the last part of the journey to this wonderful city that invites heaps of beauty in all seasons and is tempting to return to it again and again (as some of the hikers have already done with me).
For objects in modern Japan, it is possible to combine a "jump" to OSAKA or to migrate east (as Emperor Meiji did in 1869) to the eastern capital - TOKYO. The journey, which lasted about a month and was described in many woodcuts, ended in 3 hours on the super-fast train that does not stop even if Mount Fuji is discovered among the clouds ...
Azlaot
Sample program (from a variety of options)
Landing in Osaka and traveling to Kyoto
We will start the trip in the city of Kyoto_ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ the magical and its surroundings 4 _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5
From there we will drive to the MINO area - an area known for ceramics, sword and paper production.
TAKAYAMA- The morning market along the river, the temple path ...
Travel between the Alps burning in the colors of the fall to MATSUMOTO The capital of the Japanese Alps, where the authentic fortress _b5bd_858_8 Travel north in the Nagano area rich in wonderful landscapes,
Hot springs, monasteries hidden in the mountains, waterfalls, ancient cedar trees. Combined segments hiking in the mountains
Travel to Kaduida and relax in the village atmosphere including a visit to a paper workshop_ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
Travel by SHINKANSEN express train to Tokyo. We will spend 3 days
In the vibrant city - traditional and modern districts, lights, shopping and home - a total of two weeks
A detailed plan below. For registration, questions, requests - please contact us
Price -, all trips (out of town by attached car), 2 meals a day (usually morning and noon), workshops, museums, performances ... $ 4500 Excluding flights. Prices for flights to Japan range from $ 700-1500
Registration fee - 500 NIS (included in the trip price)
The trip is intended for a small group that allows flexibility in the conduct of the trip._ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ The pace of the trip is relaxed._ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
A special trip went out in the fall of 2019 where we walked the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route which was recognized by UNESCO and is a brother to the Camino de Santiago route in Spain
The monk in kanmanji reveals a scroll with a poem in Bashu's handwriting from 1689
Trip Aviv_ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ 2016
We returned from two trips laden with experiences, photos and memories
The second trip that was in May was slightly different in its format, time and theme-
We were only 6 people and it was wonderful!
May turned out to be a great month to hike - warm weather, little rain and spectacular blooms of peonies, azaleas and even cherries in the far north.
We made a journey in the belly of the famous haiku poet Basho, who wrote a journey-poetry book called "The Narrow Road to the Far North" oku no hosomichi.
The journey introduced us to his songs in magical places and opened gates for us among the Japanese, we climbed sacred mountains, visited temples, reached magical beaches where Bashu visited in 1689._ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
The landscapes remained as in his descriptions except for the area of Kisakata Bay to which Bashu went especially, but an earthquake in 1804 raised the ground level in the shallow bay by two meters (!!)
So today the whole area is sown rice fields
Small islands with pine trees -
No less beautiful view than a bay
The famous Matsushima
Thank you letters
