Crafts / Kintsugi / Tokyo

Kintsugi in Tokyo

Five workshops, from a one-hour group class at about US$10 to private sessions from ¥36,700. Three things separate them: whether the lacquer is natural urushi or a substitute, whether you can eat from the piece afterward, and how much of the teacher's time you get.

Prices checked 10 Nov 2026, in the currency each site showed; Wabunka prices are in yen, the currency it charges in · Some links may earn us a commission

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The short version

If you want the cheapest hour ZEN Craft Kintsugi Workshop A one-hour shared class in Asakusa. Brass powder, and the plate is for display only. US$9.99 · Klook If you want real urushi and gold Kintsugi Tsugu Tsugu A repair studio in Ebisu, booked direct. You finish a prepared piece with natural lacquer and 23K gold. ¥22,000 · Direct If you have your own piece to mend Utsuwa Omusubi HANARE A private two-hour session in Minami-Aoyama, held in English. You can bring a broken piece. From ¥33,600 · Wabunka

Side by side

Cheapest on the left, as listed. Scroll sideways on a phone.
Group classZEN Craft Kintsugi Workshop
Small groupKintsugi in Ginza (AGARTA)
Small groupKintsugi Tsugu Tsugu
PrivateUtsuwa Omusubi HANARE
PrivateUtsuwa Nihonbashi Mutoh
Price per person
US$9.99 (listed as 50% off)
€68
¥22,000
From ¥33,600
From ¥36,700
Length
1 hour
1.5 hours
1.5 hours
2 hours
1.5 hours
Group size
Shared class. Maximum size not stated.
Up to 8
Up to 6. Private if you pay for 6 places.
Your party only, 1 to 8. Priced for at least 2.
Your party only. The listing says 1 to 8 in one place and up to 6 in another.
Where
Asakusa, Taito
Ginza, Chuo
Ebisu, Shibuya
Minami-Aoyama, Minato
Nihonbashi, Chuo
Lacquer, as listed
The listing says "authentic urushi lacquer and gold powder" in its highlights, then says the workshop uses brass powder.
Synthetic lacquer, with metallic powder in place of gold
Natural urushi and 23K gold powder. The piece is partly prepared before you arrive.
Natural urushi over glue and putty. Silver powder finish; gold costs extra.
A lacquer substitute in the standard session. Genuine urushi is a paid add-on, requested 3 weeks ahead.
You take home
Your plate, same day
Your piece, same day, packed for travel
A finished piece, same day, in a drying box. Pickup later or paid shipping also offered.
Your piece, same day, in a wooden box. Usable after two weeks.
Your piece, same day, boxed
Safe to eat from
No. Decorative only, according to the listing.
The listing recommends decorative use only. Not microwave-safe.
The studio calls its 23K gold finish a food-safe approach.
Not stated
Not stated
English
English-speaking staff
Instructor teaches in English and Japanese
Not stated on the studio's page. Its Klook listing says English-speaking staff.
Held in English
English-speaking host or interpreter included
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours before
Up to 24 hours before
Free period not stated. Full charge if you cancel 1 day or less before.
Up to 11 days before
Up to 2 days before. 30 days with the urushi add-on.
Reviews
5.0 from 571 on Klook.
4.9 from 53 on GetYourGuide.
None shown
43 on Wabunka. No star score shown.
8 on Wabunka. No star score shown.
Book
See on Klook
See on GetYourGuide
Book with the studio
See on Wabunka
See on Wabunka

Before you book

Read past the headline. Words like "authentic" and "traditional" appear on listings that use brass powder or synthetic lacquer. The materials are usually spelled out further down the page, under the small print.

Nobody does a full repair in an afternoon. Urushi, the tree-sap lacquer used in traditional kintsugi, cures over days, and a complete repair takes weeks. Short classes either use a faster substitute or let you do one or two steps on a piece prepared in advance.

Ask about food safety. Two of these five say their pieces are for display only. Two don't say either way. Check before you eat or drink from one.

Urushi can irritate skin. It is related to poison ivy and some people get a rash. Studios that use it provide gloves, and one asks guests to sign a health form.

Check which price you are looking at. The cheapest class was listed at 50% off when we checked. Private sessions show a lowest per-person rate that can rise with party size, season and add-ons such as gold powder. One Klook listing leads with the price of a different, shorter class.

The five workshops

No. 001-1Group class

ZEN Craft Kintsugi Workshop

1 hour · Shared class · Asakusa Tosei Building, 9th floor · Listed on Klook as "The Art of Kintsugi: Traditional Golden Repair in Tokyo Asakusa"

The cheapest of the five, with classes starting every hour from 9am to 6pm. You choose a plate, piece it back together and finish the seams in gold color. The headline of the listing promises authentic urushi and gold powder. Further down, it says the workshop uses brass powder and that finished pieces are decorative only and not food-safe. Go by the second description. One standard plate is included and nicer plates cost extra; the listing doesn't give those prices. Payment on site is by card only. The same operator sells a 90-minute class in the same building for US$18.59, also listed as 50% off.

Reviewers liked: Welcoming, patient instructors who explain each step. Easy to find, and several people say it worked well for solo travelers and families.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint in the reviews we read. Plate upgrades add to the price.

Summarized from the reviews Klook showed first (5.0 from 571).

Pick it if you want the cheapest, shortest introduction and a souvenir to take away the same day.

Skip it if you want real gold or a piece you can eat from. The listing says brass powder and decorative use only.

US$9.99 per person · listed as 50% off · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on Klook
A group of students and an instructor repair ceramics around a shared table Photo: GetYourGuide
No. 001-2Small group

Kintsugi in Ginza (AGARTA)

1.5 hours · Up to 8 people · Daiwa Ginza Building, 3 minutes from Ginza Station · Listed on GetYourGuide as "Discover the Art of Kintsugi in Ginza"

A 90-minute class for up to eight people in a room inside a café near Ginza Station. The listing is plain about its materials: synthetic lacquer instead of natural urushi and metallic powder instead of gold, so the piece can be finished in one sitting. Tools, a ceramic piece and a soft drink are included. The listing also says the venue may change depending on availability; if it does, you can accept, rebook or cancel for a refund. Not suitable for children under 10.

Reviewers liked: One instructor is named again and again for clear English, patience and the history he works into the class. Finished pieces are packed carefully for the trip home.

Reviewers didn't: One reviewer wanted more hands-on time, because the class waited for a slower participant.

Summarized from reviews on GetYourGuide (4.9 from 53).

Pick it if you want a small class with a listing that says exactly which materials it uses.

Skip it if you want natural urushi or real gold, or you need the location fixed in advance. The listing says the venue can change.

€68 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on GetYourGuide
Three students in masks repair ceramics with fine tools at a long wooden counter Photo: Tsugu Tsugu
No. 001-3Small group

Kintsugi Tsugu Tsugu

1.5 hours · Up to 6 people · Ebisu studio · Booked on the studio's own site

A kintsugi repair studio that sells this class on its own website. It uses natural urushi and 23K gold, and it is open about what 90 minutes allows: a full repair takes weeks, so the pieces are prepared in advance. In the first half you do one middle step, chosen by the staff, on a shared piece that stays at the studio. In the second half you apply lacquer and gold to a pre-repaired piece that you keep. Gloves are required. The piece goes home in a drying box, which stays closed for a day to a week, and you do a final clean yourself. The same class is on Klook at US$139.09. The US$41.75 shown at the top of that Klook listing is for a different one-hour accessory class that uses epoxy and brass.

Reviewers liked: Not stated. No reviews are shown on the studio's booking page or on its Klook listing.

Reviewers didn't: Not stated.

No review summary. Neither the studio's site nor Klook showed reviews for this class when we checked.

Pick it if you want to handle natural urushi and real gold in a group of six or fewer, and to book with the studio directly.

Skip it if you want to repair a piece from start to finish, or you want to read reviews first. The studio's page says ages 13 and up; its booking form says 12.

¥22,000 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 Book with the studio
Hands brushing powder onto the repaired seam of a white cup painted with a blue rabbit Photo: Wabunka
No. 001-4Private

Utsuwa Omusubi HANARE

2 hours · Private, 1 to 8 people · Minami-Aoyama, near Kotto Dori · Held in English

A private session in the gallery room of a tableware shop whose parent wholesaler dates to 1896. You join the pieces with glue and putty, listen to a talk on the history and ideas behind kintsugi, then apply urushi and a silver powder finish. Gold powder is an upgrade and the listing doesn't give its price. You can bring your own broken piece if you send its size and a photo when you book. Tea and sweets follow. The listing says a minimum charge for two applies, so a solo visitor should expect to pay more than the headline price. Guests sign a health form because urushi can cause a rash.

Reviewers liked: A warm, patient host who knows the craft, and a talk on history and philosophy that reviewers single out. People describe the room as calm and the pace as unhurried.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint in the reviews we read. Gold powder adds to the price.

From 43 reviews on Wabunka. No star score shown.

Pick it if you want a private session in English, or you have a broken piece of your own to repair.

Skip it if your plans might change. Free cancellation ends 11 days before, and the price assumes at least two people.

From ¥33,600 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on Wabunka
A fine brush drawing a gold line along a crack in a speckled gray tea bowl Photo: Wabunka
No. 001-5Private

Utsuwa Nihonbashi Mutoh

1.5 hours · Private · Nihonbashi · English-speaking host or interpreter

A private session at a lacquerware and tableware wholesaler founded in 1923. The listing calls this a simplified, modern version of kintsugi: adhesive, putty and a lacquer substitute, with gold-colored lines brushed on at the end. The piece you repair is Arita, Kyoto or Kutani ware chosen by the shop, and the price covers it. An add-on lets you finish a piece with genuine urushi that the instructor has started for you; the listing doesn't give its price. The piece can't go in a microwave or dishwasher. The listing gives two different maximum party sizes, so confirm yours when you book. Minimum age 13.

Reviewers liked: A patient, welcoming instructor, and having the session to themselves. Staff also passed on tips for the rest of Tokyo.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint, though there are only eight reviews.

From 8 reviews on Wabunka. No star score shown.

Pick it if you want a private session and a piece of Arita, Kyoto or Kutani ware to take home, with cancellation up to two days before.

Skip it if you expect natural urushi at this price. The standard session uses a substitute, and genuine urushi costs extra.

From ¥36,700 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on Wabunka