Japan Craft Tour with Paige: Your Gateway to Cultural Workshops and More! 🇯🇵
Embark on a journey with me as we delve into the heart of Japan’s rich cultural tapestry.
What’s Coming Up?
Stay tuned for a treasure trove of workshops and activities captured during my tours across Japan. From traditional crafts to modern delights, each video is a window into the soul of this enchanting country.
Connect with Japan
Whether you’re a culture enthusiast, a travel buff, or simply curious about Japan, this channel is your passport to an authentic experience. Join me in uncovering the beauty, craftsmanship, and stories that make Japan truly extraordinary.
Subscribe and Explore
Don’t miss out on the upcoming adventures! Hit the subscribe button and be part of our community exploring the wonders of Japan together.
Arigatou Gozaimasu for joining me on this exciting journey!
0:00 Opening
0:32 Introduction
0:58 Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo
1:16 Cohana – Tour Orientation by Mr. Kawaguchi, CEO of Cohana, distributor of high quality handcraft tools using Japanese traditional craft arts
1:47 NONA Temari – Workshop, making traditional Temari balls
2:29 Tsukiji Fish Market – Tokyo’s gastronomic wonderland
3:07 Shinkansen (Bullet Train) trip to Kyoto with tasty Bento-box
4:00 Intro to Handcraft workshops in Kyoto & Tokushima
4:20 Setsuko Torii Knit works – Knitting workshop (including how to read Japanese patterns)
5:55 Watanabe’s – Natural Indigo Dyeing workshop in Tokushima
6:52 Atelier Ricca – Yubinuki Making workshop, Kyoto
7:32 Intro – visiting roof tile manufacture and Tenugui Museum
7:43 Irakato – Kawara maker in Awaji Island, Hyogo
9:24 Hosotsuji Ihee Museum – Tenugui Museum you must see
9:56 Intro – Sightseeing spots in Kyoto
10:27 Kinkakuji Temple – World famous Golden Pavilion
10:54 Fushimi Inari – Home of Iconic red gates (Thousand gates)
11:36 Gion Shinbashi dori – Glimpses of Gion’s Charm
12:14 Kyoto Goshi – the former palace of the Emperor of Japan
12:25 Kiyomizu Dera Temple – Embracing tradition amidst Kyoto’s hills
12:56 Intro – Japanese foods
13:23 Japanese Cuisines we ate – we didn’t take all photos but they are all super delicious!
14:11 Kyoto Insider Sake Experience – Sake tasting workshop with food paring
14:39 Sayonara Party
14:56 Closing
Travel presents an amazing opportunity to explore new places and cultures and importantly, create new connections. And as a maker. Is there any better way to do this than through the lens of craft? Hi, I’m Paige, founder of m.a.b.e.l, and I created my Japan Craft Tour to facilitate those connections between makers.
Over nine days, we in Senthusiastically explore modern interpretations of traditional Japanese craft learning from Japanese artisans representing the best of their trades. Welcome to the Japan Craft Tour Digest. Our first stop is the Sensoji Temple and Asakusa. We went there early in the morning
On our first morning in Japan to beat the crowds. That was a good choice because this temple does get crowded during the day. On our first day we visited Cahana. Cahana interprets traditional Japanese craft into modern tools for people who hand-sew and work with their hands.
And it was a delight to hear from the Kawaguchi is how they find their artisans and create the different products. But first on Workshop was NONA Temari. We learn just how hyper local this small business is. They have their own dye garden right outside their shop
And they hire local women to scan all their flossers and threads. They do their dyeing in house as well. Their workshop space is on the second floor and it’s there. We learned how to make traditional Japanese tamari balls So here we are at Tsukiji market.
It’s about 10:00 in the morning and it’s off because it’s also a national holiday today and Culture Day. And we’re just sort of eating at the various stands, going all the way around. We. We tried some grapes and we got some Sirloin from the stand over here. It’s super good. It’s Wagyu.
So the like the Japanese beef, it’s A-5 rank beef, which means of super tender. And it’s absolutely flavorful and delicious. After two days in Tokyo, we boarded the Shinkansen to Kyoto. Here’s a pro-tip. The upgrade to the green car is totally worth it.
It’s a lot more comfy and two and a half hour trip just speeds by. It also is only about $30 at this point. We made our way to Tokyo station to catch the Shinkansen or the bullet train to Kyoto. Of course we made sure to grab some Ekiben or lunchboxes
For our two and a half hour trip. Typically, you do not eat on Japanese trains and busses or public transportation, but that’s not the case on the Shinkansen. In fact, everybody stops and picks up an Ekiben to enjoy on their trip. So our craft focus in Kyoto involved three workshops and two visits.
We had workshops with Setsuko Torii, a knitwear designer with Atelier Ricca, for Yubinuki (Japanese Thimbles) and Indigo dyeing at Watanabe’s. in Kyoto. Our first workshop with was with Setsuko Torii at her studio, which was conveniently right by our hotel. Torii Sensei’s studio was just beautiful.
It’s a series of rooms that just keep opening up one right after the other, and we really enjoyed our time there. The first room that you walk into is actually where Torii sensei has her ready-to-wear clothing and that was so much fun to look at. Our workshop included some instruction
On how to read and interpret Japanese patterns. And then we got right down to knitting these beautiful vests that Torii sensei had designed just for our group. We were knitting with two yarns held together a silk mohair blend with a washi paper. We used a larger needle, a US size ten,
Which created a really open and airy fabric. Of course, we did not finish our projects that day, but we learned enough so that we were able to complete them on our own at home. A highlight of our trip was a visit to Watanabe’s an Indigo dye farm.
Meeting their pet goat and then learning about Resist dying from Dante. Their colors were kind of preferred, but to get that kind of intensity and color, there wasn’t a difference. I made it mine twice. Oh, yeah. So you didn’t. You didn’t oxidize it enough? I didn’t want to. I wanted.
So we dyed both bandannas using some resist techniques, and then we did dip dyeing with some T-shirts and. Oh, my gosh. But I loved that. And Dante told us to, like at Atelier Ricica in Kyoto, we learned the traditional art of Yubinuki or thread wrapping around thimbles.
This work is done with silk threads and it’s on a very, very small scale. But it was so much fun and we ended up with these beautiful necklaces which are just really lovely. And yes, my hands are still blue from the indigo dyeing. We also visited
A Kawara or a Japanese roof tile manufacturer and took a trip to a Tenugui, which is a kitchen towel, Museum. On our way back from Watanabe’s. We visited IRAKATO, a Kawara or Japanese tile maker in addition to the traditional Japanese roof tiles. They also make several products for Cahana,
One of which they are demonstrating here you can see that they insert the clay into the mold. Once it’s in the mold, they bring it over to the press where it gets pressed into shape. They remove the excess first by hand, and then with a scraper, and then they very
Gently release the clay from the mold using this piece of plastic, and they get it to adhere so that the form of the shape comes out perfectly. And this is what the finished products look like at Cahana. Also in Kyoto, we visited the Tenugui Museum, Tenugui, a traditional Japanese cotton kitchen towels,
And they are printed with the most delightful artwork. This museum had towels that were up to 100 years old. But the most interesting part was the entrance ticket was actually a Tenugui that you ripped the end off of to gain entrance to the museum. While
Our focus is off, we also had time to visit some of the must sees in Kyoto, like the Fuhimi-Inari shrine, which is home to the thousand red gates, we visited Kiyomizu-dera, and the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. There was also free time on our floor, and our guests had the ability
To go and visit some gardens. And for example, the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and other sites. No visit to Kyoto is complete without a visit to KinKakuji or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. We visited a beautiful day and you can see that the fall foliage is about to change.
And it was just a peaceful, delightful day. We also took an early morning visit to Fushimi-Inari, again You need to get there early in the morning, otherwise it gets just really, really crowded. Here we are continuing to climb, but it’s not really climb. It’s sort of a slight downhill incline. And you comment.
It’s a wonderful meander through the birdsong and it’s beautiful. Strolling through Gion is also a must do. It’s just so picturesque. And again, during the daytime hours, not as crowded as during the evening. Some of our group went exploring and went to the Imperial Palace,
Which had some areas newly opened to the public. So here we are at Kiyomizu-dera and we are going to climb up there and obviously a pretty spectacular view of the Kyoto out of there. This wooden temple was originally built in the seven hundreds and most recently renovated in 2008.
Its most noticeable feature is the veranda that juts out from the main hall, offering an impressive view of Kyoto. It goes without saying that any trip to Japan should also focus on the food. We had some of the best Japanese food Sushi sashimi, of course, Anago, which is eel a variety of different
Types of food at izakaya and even Bentos on the Shinkansen. We we had a little bit of everything and it was absolutely delicious. We had so much fun trying all the different types of food from eel to noodles, sushi and sashimi. A myriad of small plates.
All of the food was just really delicious and so much fun to try. The group favorite had to be the Izakaya or Japanese pubs, which had little plates and something just for everyone. Another important part of Japanese culture is saké. While in Kyoto we took advantage of this and
Did a saké brewery tour as well as a tasting with a food pairing. This was quite informative. All good things must come to an end. Our last night we had a sushi dinner as part of our Sayonara Party. See you next year. This first Japan tour was a dream come true,
And I’m thrilled that we’ll be going back in November of 2024. So if you’ve been telling yourself, Someday I’ll get to Japan, let me tell you that someday is now. I hope to see you on art and craft tours. And if you’d like content like this, click the like, unsubscribe button below
And visit our page for more videos in detail about our Japan Craft Tour.