TOUR | 2024 Kyoto Textile Adventure

Mobility
Okan Arts tours explore vibrant cities, rural areas, and artist studios so mobility is important. Japan is a country that tends to build up and stairs are a common feature. You will be welcomed into private homes and ateliers where seating may be limited or even on the floor.

To experience this tour to the fullest and keep up with the rest of the group, we request that you are able to:

• Walk up to three miles throughout the day

• Walk on rustic pathways and stairs, often with no handrails

• Ascend and descend steep stairs with a handrail

• Stand for 40 minutes to one hour (for presentations in small artisan ateliers)

• Sit on the floor (not on your knees) for up to one hour

Food
Most traditional Japanese food is free of the common allergens of dairy and peanuts. However, on your trip to Japan we cannot guarantee allergen-free meals. 

If you have severe allergies or food restrictions, please assess your comfort with eating in a different culture with a language barrier. 

*Please note that if you have a gluten sensitivity or intolerance, most soy sauces —a common seasoning in Japanese foods— contain wheat.

Face Masks
Tour members may be asked to wear a face mask for some outdoor and indoor activities.

Tour Contract
Within 24 hours of paying your Deposit, you will receive the Tour Contract via email. You must return the completed and signed Tour Contract to Okan Arts within one week to finalize your tour booking. 

Cancellation
If you cancel your booking before the published start date of the Tour, Okan Arts will work to fill your place.

If your place is filled, you will receive a refund of your booking fee, less $425.

If your place is not filled, you will forfeit 100% of your booking fee.

Okan Arts recommends that you purchase Comprehensive Travel Insurance with Trip Cancellation Coverage.

COVID-19
If your tour is canceled due to Japan closing its borders to travelers, a full refund will be made which constitutes a full settlement.

In the event of a tour cancellation, Okan Arts is not responsible for any additional expenses prepaid by you, such as airline tickets, passport fees, or visa fees.

With Okan Arts, you travel with like-minded textile and quilting enthusiasts who want to be inspired by the people, places, and traditions of Japan.

Okan Arts offers more than tailor-made itineraries and knowledgeable tour leaders—we care that all our travelers have an extraordinary experience! 

• Japan, our only tour destination, is our specialty
• our tours cap at 16 participants–with two leaders and a Japanese Tour Expert
• we design trip-of-a-lifetime tours with insider events and hands-on workshops
• accommodations are single occupancy in 4- and 5-star hotels
• includes all breakfasts, a Welcome Dinner, a Farewell Dinner, and additional special group meals
• includes transit and transfers within Japan during the stated days of the tours

YOUR TOUR LEADERS 

	Victoria Stone, co-owner of Okan Arts, has a lifelong passion for textiles and sewing. Victoria co-led the 2020 Okan Arts Quilting & Textile Tour of Japan where participants appreciated her insider tips on intriguing shops, local restaurants, and after-hours adventures.
	Sanae Naito, an internationally recognized chusen-dyeing artist, is a long-standing lecturer at Joshibi University of Art and Design. As a homestay student, Sanae lived in Kirkland WA where she honed her English skills. Sanae leads a design studio in Tokyo where she creates her own line of chusen-dyed textiles.
	Yumi Sugai, our Japanese Tour Expert, started working as a tour guide in 2000. Since then, Yumi has traveled all across Japan with many visitors from abroad. You will never feel a cultural gap once Yumi appears.

Included

• A 12-day quilter and textile lover's tour with exclusive visits, experiences, and workshops as stated in the Itinerary
• 11 nights in a 4- to 5-star hotel, single occupancy
• All breakfasts (B), and special group lunches (L) and dinners (D) as stated in the Itinerary
• Two co-leaders and one Japanese-speaking guide
• All tour transportation and transfers within Japan 

Not Included

• International airfare
• Passport and visa fees
• Travel insurance
• Emergency medical travel insurance – required
• Personal expenses, shopping money, taxis, and meals when on your own

It was such a great experience and the group was very special. I had a wonderful time.
Lynn H - Aiea HI

The workshops were great — so was the food.  I especially enjoyed the Kyoto hotel where we stayed.  It was well-located; we could walk many places from there.
Toni B - San Francisco CA

Thank you for being flexible and doing side excursions. Giving us a Suica card and Tokyo subway/train maps was a great idea. 
Lily K - Aiea HI

I hope that others will be able to have the rich and rewarding Japan experience that I had! 
Ellen M - Santa Cruz CA

I had such a memorable experience, one I’ll never forget. No drama. No negativity. All love and respect. 
Jude S - Los Angeles, CA

I do feel lucky indeed, to have had the special opportunity to travel with Okan Arts to Japan.
Mary K - Chattanooga TN