Make something in Japan

Learning a craft from the people who practice it is one of the best ways to take a piece of Japan home with you. We compare the most popular workshops by price and depth, so you can pick the one that fits.

No. 001Kintsugi in TokyoQuick classes and traditional lacquer, comparedNo. 002Knife and sword making in TokyoSharpening classes and working forges, comparedNo. 003Chopstick making in TokyoHand-planed pairs and painted ones, comparedNo. 004Indigo dyeing in KyotoNatural indigo vats, from a small class to a private session
See all crafts Or by city:TokyoKyotoOsaka
Ceramic bowls and plates repaired with gold seams, arranged on a wooden table Photo: Wabunka

Pick a craft

A fine brush drawing a gold line along a crack in a speckled gray tea bowl Photo: Wabunka NO. 001 Kintsugi Broken ceramics repaired with lacquer and powdered gold. Short classes use a modern adhesive. Traditional lacquer needs days to cure, which is why those courses run longer and cost more. 10 workshops · Kyoto, Tokyo · checked 10 Nov 2026 Two pairs of hands holding a kitchen knife against a whetstone on a sharpening bench Photo: Wabunka NO. 002 Knife and sword making Sharpen and finish a ready-made kitchen knife in an hour, or forge a blade from sword steel at a working smithy. 16 workshops · Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo · checked 11 Nov 2026 Five unfinished wooden chopstick blanks in different woods, fanned out on a gray table Photo: Wabunka NO. 003 Chopstick making Plane a square stick of wood down to a tapered pair and oil it, or paint and decorate a ready-made pair. Most classes take about an hour and you leave with the chopsticks. 4 workshops · Tokyo · checked 11 Nov 2026 A hand lifting cloth from a vat of dark indigo dye Photo: Wabunka NO. 004 Indigo dyeing Bind a piece of cloth, dip it in the vat, and watch it turn blue as it meets the air. Sessions run from under an hour to three. You take it home that day. 8 workshops · Kyoto, Tokyo · checked 11 Nov 2026 A hand with tweezers arranging pressed flowers and leaves on a framed sheet for washi paper Photo: Wabunka NO. 005 Washi paper Paper made one sheet at a time from mulberry bark. Classes are usually short, and you leave with what you made. 7 workshops · Kyoto, Tokyo · checked 11 Nov 2026

Pick a city

Crowds crossing the Shibuya scramble intersection at night, with neon signs and tall buildings Photo: Timo Volz / Unsplash Tokyo Edo-period crafts in the older eastern districts, and newer studios across the city. 23 workshops across 5 crafts The golden Kinkaku-ji pavilion beside a pond in Kyoto Photo: Katiya Rivera / Unsplash Kyoto The old capital. Many workshops here have stayed in one family for generations. 17 workshops across 4 crafts Osaka Castle above its stone walls and a bridge, surrounded by green trees Photo: Jeremy Santana / Unsplash Osaka The merchant city. Sakai, just to the south, has forged kitchen knives for centuries. 5 workshops across 1 craft

How this site works

How we compare

We haven't taken every class. Our comparisons come from published listings and reviews, and we link to the sources.

Some links may pay us a commission. You pay the same price either way. Commission has no say in the order of a list. Read the disclosure.

Prices change. Each listing shows the date we last checked it.