Japan · JAPANESE CRAFT AND CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
13 reviewed
Two hours with a teacher who has done one thing for thirty years beats a shelf of souvenirs. These 13 workshops cover brush work, indigo dye, knife sharpening, paper and ceramics, with prices, session lengths, and which ones send you home with something usable.
Make your own Tokyo Shinjuku chopsticks in a one-hour kanna class, choose Japanese wood, and leave with personalized souvenir chopsticks.
“Friendly, but inexperienced, people. Blunt tools, which does not help the experience and, all by all; way to expensive.”
Make your own chopsticks in Ginza, choosing from 24 woods and two lengths, then plane, sand, oil, and optionally engrave your pair.
“A lot of fun! And they let us stay a bit longer to get our chopsticks just right.”
Make Kyoto chopsticks in Gion: shape raw wood with a hand plane, sand and oil the finish, and optionally engrave your name in Japanese.
“We loved learning the process of making chopsticks. Our teacher was very patient. The engraving process was very neat! This will be our souvenir from Japan!”
Tokyo sumo in Ryogoku, with chanko nabe, mochi pounding, and hands-on wrestling time near Ryogoku Station.
“This was a lot of fun and very educational!! I even got to make mochi!!! Would definitely recommend”
Learn Kintsugi in Tokyo, with step by step repair using gold lacquer. Wear a samue, meet Taku in some classes, take home your piece.
“It was a great experience, well explained and very accessible to non Japanese speaking participants.”
Carve your own wooden chopsticks with a Tokyo artisan, learn chopstick culture, and take home finished chopsticks the same day.
“Very helpful staff and a lovely souvenir. Definitely an arm workout if you're not used to that, but a great end result!”
Learn matcha in Asakusa near Tokyo Skytree. Quiz, whisking, and sweets pairing in a 1-hour English class, $22 per person.
“I had such a great time at this matcha class! I learned so much about the preparation and proper techniques for making matcha, and the hands-on experience made it even more fun. The instructor was knowledgeable and welcoming, and the whole class felt relaxed and engaging. Highly recommend for anyone who loves matcha or wants to learn something new!”
Forge your own Japanese-style knife in Kyoto with real blacksmithing, hammering and sharpening, then take it home boxed and bagged.
“Our favourite activity we did in Kyoto! Relatively easy to access via transport and a short walk, we came out with two great souvenirs. Would definitely do again if we are ever in Kyoto.”
Make mochi the traditional way in small groups in Osaka, then taste your creations with classic toppings and tea for about one hour.
“Entrance is from the canal side, not the Dontobori street. A fun interactive activity, hearning a short history about mocha and then experiencing how to do it. You will do it ypurself and then enjoy it at the end. The ladies are very friendly and polite, but that s something usual with japanese people.”
Build a custom Game Boy in Akihabara. Pick your parts, rebuild a DMG-01, and take home a working handheld in 2 hours.
“Amazing and friendly staff, really easy to get along with and talk to. The process of getting to build the gameboy is so much fun and i loved the mini history lesson on Nintendo’s hand held consoles.”
A 1.5 to 2 hour sumo-themed show in Ryogoku with chicken chanko hot pot, mochi pounding, and ring challenges by pro wrestlers.
“It’s a must do activity. We had a lot of fun. The staff and sumo wrestlers are genuinely good. My family enjoyed it a lot.”
Make authentic kintsugi in Tokyo with Master Taku, using real Urushi lacquer and pure gold, then take home your repaired plate.
“We took the authentic kintsugi workshop and had Junko assist us in repairing our plates. It was very easy to understand and was taught at a good pace. Highly recommend to anyone looking to try this art.”
Japanese calligraphy in Roppongi: write kanji on a fan and hanging scroll with matcha, then make a personalized hanko stamp to take home.
“Amazing experience, amazing teacher, so much fun! I recommend it to everyone!”
