In a bid to encourage visitors, the Japan National Tourism Organisation has highlighted the country's rich and plentiful artisanal traditions, from gold leaf making to ancient paper crafting. Olivia Palamountain reports

According to a recent Expedia survey, 44% of travellers seek local goods they cannot find at home while on holiday.

With this in mind, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) is promoting several craft-focused destinations across the country, including the Echizen-Takefu region in Fukui Prefecture, accessible via the recently extended Hokuriku Shinkansen.

Visitors there can observe ancient knife-making techniques at Takefu Knife Village, learn about soba noodle production at Echizen Soba Village, or visit the Udatsu Paper and Craft Museum, where traditional paper-making methods dating back approximately 1,500 years are still practised. In Kyushu's northwest, the historic pottery towns of Karatsu, Arita and Imari in Saga Prefecture offer insights into Japan's ceramic heritage. The Arita Porcelain Park features a reconstruction of Dresden's Zwinger Palace and provides opportunities for visitors to participate in porcelain-making classes and enjoy traditional Arita-yaki Gozen meals.Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture is renowned for its gold leaf production, accounting for nearly 99% of domestic output over the past 400 years. Travellers can visit Gold Leaf Sakuda in the Higashi Chaya District for manufacturing tours, gilding workshops and to purchase gold leaf crafts.

In Miyagi Prefecture, the Tazen workshop in Sendai offers copper craft experiences where visitors can create their own copper cups or accessories while learning about the 420-year history of "Onakaganeshi" coppersmith techniques.The Tsugaru-han Neputa Village in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, showcases the Neputa Matsuri festival, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. The village features traditional arts and crafts workshops that provide insight into the techniques of the Tsugaru style.These craft-focused experiences offer international visitors opportunities to engage with Japan's cultural heritage beyond typical tourist attractions, providing deeper connections with local traditions and the chance to take home truly distinctive souvenirs.