All Reviews for Art & Crafts Workshops

The experience was great. The instructor knew a lot of English and was a good teacher; she worked with me to design my own custom piece. I am in love with my new little piece of art and I would recommend this opportunity to anyone who wants an experience different than the tourist spots. (It is a bit tough to find...when you arrive at street level, walk straight ahead about 10-15 feet and turn right onto the street. It looks like an alley, but it is not. Look for small blue signs with the house number. When you find the store that sells glass and crystal ware, you have arrived. The location/house is on your left side.)

The curry is a bit tricky to make, but the results are great. Note that as the curry is wax it can't be kept in direct sunlight or it will melt!
Instructor was very nice and helpful. Great experience.

This was great - lots of fun and the instructor was kind, patient and friendly. Highly recommended!

I experienced Edo Kiriko for the first time!

After choosing a glass, I received a brief explanation of the machine and then immediately practiced with a practice glass. I was so nervous thinking, "Wait, we're doing it already?" (laughs)

At first, I wasn't very good, but gradually I got the hang of it and was able to engrave my favorite design onto the glass. It was fun to work at my own pace. The instructor was also in a spot where it was easy to talk to them, which made for a very pleasant environment!

Since I made it myself, I ended up with a glass that I feel very attached to!

江戸切子を初めて体験しました！

最初にグラスを決めたあと、軽く機械の説明を受けたらすぐに練習用グラスで実践。
えっ、もうやるの？とドキドキでした（笑）

最初は下手でしたが、徐々に出来るようになって、自分の好きなデザインをグラスに刻めるようになりました。
マイペースに作業できて楽しかったです。
先生も話を聞きやすい場所にいて下さるので、とても嬉しい環境でした！

自分で作ったためにとても愛着の持てるグラスに仕上がりました！

I strongly recommend this workshop to whoever is interested in more hands-on experiences of Japanese culture! It's definitely suitable for all ages and abilities. The instructor is such a friendly and communicative person. The workshop was, as we expected, very hands-on as we did a lot of painting using different traditional techniques. Moreover, we learnt so much about the sumie painting and its role in the Japanese culture. A big thank you for this enriching cultural experience!

The frustration of not being able to carve as I wish. It also requires quite a bit of time and concentration. But even if I make mistakes, the instructor will fix them for me (laughs). In the end, it turned out to be something I was satisfied with. If I do it about three more times, I wonder if I'll get used to it and become better. It turned out to be a nice souvenir, so I'm glad.

思うように削ることができないもどかしさ。そして、結構時間と集中力が必要とされます。
でも、失敗してもお兄さんが直してくれます(笑)
最終的には、満足のいくものになりましたよ。
あと三回くらいやったら、慣れて上手になるかなあ。といったところです。
いい記念品になり、よかったです。

This was a great lesson. I learnt a lot and had a fun time. The homemade cake was amazing!
Learning the techniques was interesting and lots of fun!
Thank you fun such an informative class. Pretty happy with the finished product!

We really enjoyed this activity. The instructors were great! The food samples are one of our favorite souvenirs from Japan. We highly recommend this activity!

Even though I was quite late for my workshop (train faults), the instructors were really sweet about it, letting me catch my breath before the lesson started! The sweets and coffee that were served were very nice for a hot summer's day, and the lesson itself was well taught, patiently and with a lot of attention. I would totally come back for another experience/workshop, and I hope to be back next year again!

可愛いパフェのサンプル体験楽しかったです。
でも、私と娘には、ちょっと簡単なだったかな？あっという間にできてしまったので、もう少し上級、自分で個々の材料も作って、パフェとかできるといいなと思いました。チャレンジしてみたいです。

We had a reaaly good time with Yoshiko and Yoshiichiro!
The description of the route was very helpful, we had no problems in finding the studio.
While we attended, two older Japanese people did some gold repair as well. We had a lot of fun together!
The hosts gave us sweets and tea, and we talked a lot about our Japan travel.
We worked on chipped tea cups. The people who do a regular course a few times a months had more complicated things like broken plates.
The hosts also told us where to buy the materials in Japan.
It is a very good experience to get a glimpse in the possibilities of this technique.
But bear in mind that you wont be able to do a big piece in the given time.

I was so looking forward to this class & it did not disappoint! Mr. & Mrs. Kuge are so friendly & patient. I restored a Meiji era tea cup & it is beautiful. Two long time students were working on their pieces while I was there, so I could see what more complicated repairs look like. I bought all the materials to take home to do in my own in Australia!

After spending a minth in japan this was one of my favourite things to do. I would definitely reccomend this activity for any tourists. The owners were absolutely lovely, gave us a brief history on food models and then we got into the activity. We made mini parfait photo clips and got to choose 5 toppings before assembling everything. I would love to do this again if i was back in tokyo!

I was working quietly. Since I went with friends from the company, there were a lot of us, but they were able to accommodate us properly. I'm glad we could have fun while making it.

黙々と作業していました。会社の友達と行ったので、大人数でしたがちゃんと対応いていただけました。楽しく作れて良かったです。

Was interesting and difficult to do it so perfect as they have but was very good class. Loved it

This was a fun and unique experience I don't think I would get the chance to try anywhere else. The staff's English was no problem to understand, and the mixture of history within the workshop was interesting as well. Plastic food goods can be found all over Japan, including being sold as souvenirs at certain stores, so having the opportunity to make your own is a lot more memorable than buying one in a shop!

It took about an hour and a half to create the original glass. It's within a 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station, making it convenient to use during your sightseeing in Asakusa.

First, you choose your favorite glass, consult with the instructor to decide on the design, and then draw a sketch. I opted for deep lines instead of traditional patterns. After practicing the basic cuts, it was time for the real thing! With guidance, I cautiously placed the glass against the rotating blade. Gradually, I learned how to control the pressure and carve deeper, but cutting long lines straight was challenging. After several attempts, I completed it.

It's a great experience, and you get to take the glass home as a souvenir or keepsake. Next time, I want to try traditional patterns as well.

約1時間半でオリジナルグラスが出来ました。
浅草駅から徒歩5分圏内。浅草観光の空き時間にも利用できます。

まずは好きなグラスを選び、先生と相談しながらデザインを決め、下絵を書きます。
私は伝統的な柄ではなく、深めのラインのみを選択しました。
基本のカットを練習してから、いざ本番！
手ほどきを受けて回転する刃に恐る恐るグラスをあてます。
少しずつ力加減が分かり深く彫れるようになりましたが、長めのラインを真っ直ぐにカットするのが難しい。何回か繰り返して完成。
体験が出来て、グラスを持ち帰れるので、お土産や記念になります。
次回は伝統的な模様にも挑戦したいと思います。

This is a very nice class and a very pleasant experience. Our whole family, including my 84-year old Japanese mother-in-law and our two adult children took the class together while on vacation in the Tokyo area. All the materials are provided and the introductory project of repairing chipped or cracked china cups and bowls (also provided) is easily accomplished during the time available. The Kuge family were very patient teachers and provided delicious homemade refreshments. They also packed the completed projects securely for the trip back home. We highly recommend the class if you are interested in this ceramic repair technique.

The Kuge's are a kind, patient and funny couple. They are very intuitive when you ask them questions. Mrs Kuge says many Japanese do not even know about kintsugi. There were 3 other students when we arrived. Two had been coming doing other projects and one had an expensive mug that broke. She wanted it repaired and found out about kintsugi and was there for the first time. Two of the students spoke English and was able to help explain and interpret but without them the Kuges would have eventually been able to understand and explain. The process takes 2-3 hours to complete while we converse, work, have cake and coffee and laugh. The studio is tiny but very comfortable. There are many examples of their work to inspire you and they are so beautiful. They show you everything you need and the process to repair and paint the gold on. My piece had 2 very small chips and a small crack but my son has 3 chips and a significant crack. If I had known what I should be looking for I would have chosen something with more damage rather than by the design on the piece. After the experience, on our way back to the hotel we stopped at Tokyu Hands and purchased the pigments and lacquer to do it at home. They have kits there but the kits include flammable liquids that would not pass inspection to bring on a plane. They have two types of lacquer and one of them is not flammable.

I highly recommend this experience, especially if you enjoy working such your hands, if you have any artistic bent or want to learn a traditional but disappearing art form.

We had a bunch of fun making fake food. Everything about the workshop was fun and easy, definitely recommend it for a unique holiday activity. Doesn't matter if you don't speak a lot of (or any in our case) Japanese. You get by just fine.

Very friendly, cool, and yet very professional teacher.
As I was alone on that course, my wife (who is japanese) was also welcome to stay and join the course.
We learnt many things about the history of Sumi-e, while we were practicing.
The teacher has a lot of humour. It was a very good experience, and a good combination between fun and concentration.
I really recommand, not only to beginners.
Arigato gozaimasu !

I had a lot of fun doing this class and the owners are delightful people! The cup that I repaired is very cute and they treated me like family. Thank you for everything!

We loved making ramen bowls here! The instructor even helped us customize our bowls to make them vegetarian looking, which we loved. Would definitely return!

Fantastic English speaking instructor. A lot of fun to do as a couple! We had a blast and love our beautiful glasses.

The experience is well organized and enjoyable, the host is super nice and communicatable, I really enjoy talking with them and share my veiw on Japan and travelling.
It is elementary and no need to worry about the skill.

We went on a Sunday afternoon to do a Kintsugi class. This couple of teachers were available. The class is very instructive and we could work on the pottery we brought. This art of mending broken things is very ancient and it appealed to so this classes. We were very happy and it took us two hours to go through all the process ad glueing and patching. We were invited tea, cheesecake and a Japanese watermelon! We would be very pleased if we did more classes with them, but unfortunately, we have to leave in a few more days! Thanks, Yoshiko and Yoshiichiro

I participated because my child wanted to make something. It's not a large group, and the staff members accompany each group, so it's suitable for small children. It's simple, so adults seem to enjoy making things like lettuce or tempura more.

子供が作りたがっていたので参加しました。大人数ではなくてスタッフさんがグループごとについてくれるので小さいお子様でも可能。簡単なので大人はレタスとかテンプラの方が楽しそうです。

We attended this evening to learn how to prepare kintsugi as complete novices, the class was great with many things to learn over 2 hours. When we return we will be sure to spend more time at Kume crafts! A+

Fun-filled two hours learning how to assemble a bowl of Japanese raman noodles food sample. The instructor Mr Saito is very friendly and helpful. We talked half in English and Japanese (my broken Japanese simply makes the class even more funnier.)

Really realistic food sample. All semi-finished parts and tools are well-prepared waiting for me when I arrived at the workshop.

Good for children to adults, in particular for those who would like to have some interactive hands-on experience.

A fantastic workshop locationed in a serene area of Tokyo. Staff are extremely nice and helpful, and they speak English perfectly. Unforgettable experience, worth visiting twice.