(All Reviews) Other Cultural Experiences (Cultural Experiences), Tokyo tours & activities, fun things to do in Tokyo | VELTRA

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All Reviews for Other Cultural Experiences in Tokyo

Overall Rating

4.70 4.70 / 5

Reviews

30 reviews

Beginner-Friendly Japanese Koto Harp Music Lesson in Tokyo

Didn’t have the lesson!

Reviewed by: Anon, 2023/04/14

Ended up at wrong location. So didn’t have my lesson. Had many messages and knew of change of address but patchy wifi meant I didn’t receive all the information - the last one had misleading address details. Am sure it would have been a fabulous experience.

Comments from activity operators

We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience due to the address change that misled you to the wrong location! We have changed the information about location to make it more clear!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2023/04/13
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Origami Paper Folding Class in Traditional Asakusa

A very nice introductory class in origami

Reviewed by: Jay, 2020/03/01

If you want to try traditional Japanese origami and learn the basic forms this is a great class. It is also centrally located in Asakusa where there are tons of popular tours sites within walking distance so you can make a day out of this.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2020/02/10
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Origami Paper Folding Class in Traditional Asakusa

Good but too short

Reviewed by: Colin, 2020/01/06

We paid for an hour long class, but the class only went for 30 mins and we only made one thing. A bit disappointing with our 10 year old girl who was so excited. The woman was nice, but this was not worth $USD 28 per person at all. Overall disappointing.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2020/01/04
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Introductory Karate Class with English-Speaking Master in Nakano

Great moment. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by: steve, 2019/11/17

We had a great time doing this karate class.
The instructor was very good and professional.
The other participants were also very nice and patient with us (beginners).
It was also really fun to meet japan people during this activity and interact a little bit with them.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/11/13
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Introductory Karate Class with English-Speaking Master in Nakano

Great experience

Reviewed by: Marina, 2019/11/16

We had a great karate lesson that mixed several martial arts in a very well organized manner.
Sensei Jun showed us techniques, Kata and we got to try different styles, always supervised by Sensei. The other students that were in the class were very supportive patient when sharing their knowledge, which made the experience even more enjoyable.
After class we all shared time together and to know the rest of the class a bit better.
Overall a great experience that left me wishing I'd stay in Tokyo a bit longer just to continue training with Sensei Jun.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/11/13
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

A super fun introduction to Sumie Ink painting!

Reviewed by: Jack Devereaux, 2019/04/11

The whole class was a blast! We learned about the origins of the painting, different techniques, and other aspects of Japanese culture.

The instructor, Yuta, was a very knowledgable, funny man, and a fantastic teacher! Eager to share said knowledge, and make the class as fun as possible.

The class itself, was super chill, and relaxing, as sumie should be. The gallery is full of Yuta's father's paintings, and helps create a calm, and beautiful environment to paint in!

If you're in Tokyo, then defiantly give this class a try! It' so much fun. The gallery is in a great area too, perfect for book lovers.

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2019/03/28
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

surprised,,best thing I did in Tokyo

Reviewed by: charles, 2019/04/03

surprising that i can better understand asian art... its history and art techniques, now art in Japan is more meaningful,, which makes my stay here more enjoyable..
charles

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/03/27
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

I found the class educational and cultural.

Reviewed by: Heather Hunt, 2019/03/23

The Studio location was easy to find using details provided.
From the moment I arrived I was welcome, the class and lesson was prepared.

The teacher was knowledgeable in the history of Sumi’e; his English was excellent and he engaged my interest, the process was explained well and he gauged well my ability.

I left the lesson pleased with what I had learnt and excited to continue learning more and experimenting with Sumie.

I would definitely recommend this class as a must do cultural experience:

Value for money, honestly I would happily have paid more, the ability and experience of the teacher was excellent.


Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2019/03/21
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Lovely activity

Reviewed by: Jess, 2018/12/29

A great afternoon ..easy to find art gallery location lovely fun tutor, we did 5 paintings (my favourite was the bamboo), and my 16 yet son loved it. Best value activity we did in Japan.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2018/12/27
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

lovely activity

Reviewed by: Jess, 2018/12/28

easy to find, great host, fun cultural activity. my son (16) and I really enjoyed this. great value for money too and we got to take our art home.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2018/12/27
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Origami Paper Folding Class in Traditional Asakusa

A lovely experience

Reviewed by: Jess, 2018/12/26

My son (16) and I really enjoyed this. Was fun too. Tutor was lovely and went at our pace. We made several items and she gave us lots of oragami paper to take home too. Great value and suitable all ages.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2018/12/25
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Sumie Ink Painting!

Reviewed by: QGC, 2018/09/10

I would love to do this again to paint some more pictures. The instructor was very friendly, the session was relaxed and fun!

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2018/08/23
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Shodo Lesson at the Home of a Calligrapher in Central Tokyo

Excellent Shodo class!

Reviewed by: Carter, 2018/08/09

Well worth the time and just north of Akihabara, this was an amazing Shodo class that taught my family more than just one character. She let us make the ink we would use later to write everything with the calligraphy brush. The instructor explained the different characters used in Japanese and how one was derived from another, showing and letting us write those too. Then we got to chose a word to practice writing for the final draft on heavy duty paper. This would also include our names in Japanese, which she translated and included on the example that we followed. After many practice papers, we did the final draft, which was signed with the instructor's red stamp.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2018/08/06
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Fun!

Reviewed by: C. Victoria, 2018/07/04

Had so much fun with this.The instructor was very clever teaching and has a lot of knowledge around the history of the art. Good sense of humor and his English is good. Absolutely worth my time.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2018/06/30
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Great experience

Reviewed by: Gray, 2018/05/15

I really learned something about how to handle the brush for sumi painting. The teacher was terrific to work with, very positive and engaged. I would like to take the next lesson. Wonderful view of the world through painting.

  • The teacher led me through making this

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2018/05/13
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Karate Lesson and Calligraphy in Nihonbashi

The experience

Reviewed by: Nay, 2018/02/24

It’s was an awsome experience would definitely do it again

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2018/02/02
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Fun with Yuta!

Reviewed by: Granger, 2018/01/29

Sumi-e is much more than a painting activity, it's a glimpse into another world...another way of seeing... This 2 hour-ish experience only scratches the surface, so if you don't have 2-3 years to explore Sumi-e it is probably a great alternative! Yuta was a fun, encouragingly positive instructor with a good heart. The studio is an absolutely gorgeous workspace. You are surrounded by a master's work for inspiration.

  • Here there be dragons! (And cats...lots of cats!!)

  • Thanks, Yuta!!

  • The charming, light-filled studio is full of inspiring works.

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2018/01/27
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Sumie Ink Painting

Reviewed by: McKenzie family, 2017/10/10

Yuta was an engaging and insightful teacher, who speaks English very well. Very good with our kids and with a great motto that there are no mistakes in Sumie art, just personal expression. Thank you for this fun activity and lessons. We have already bought brushes, ink, a cloth and paper to continue learning more.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2017/10/07
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Amazing experience!

Reviewed by: William, 2017/09/17

I would highly recommend taking this class. I love sumi-e ink paintings from before, for their graphic powerful qualities. Back home I had painted a bit from before, making myself familiar with the medium and some techniques - but - this was exactly the sort of introduction I was hoping for.

The teacher was super friendly, helpful and fun. He thought me different techniques to use, stories about how sumi-e came to Japan, and the philosophy behind the art form. Our talks were super inspiring and I know I will take up painting once I'm back home again later this year. There, all my washi papers will await me, bought in Tokyo at a great art store I got directions to after the class.

Really, thank you!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2017/08/31
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Great hands-on cultural experience!

Reviewed by: Anka, 2017/09/01

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!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/08/26
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Origami Paper Folding Class in Traditional Asakusa

Highly recommended

Reviewed by: Jen, 2017/06/30

This was a great class. The instructor was very friendly and spoke English really well. My husband and I did this class for our 1 year wedding anniversary and we both loved it. Highly recommend this class.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

It was really worth !

Reviewed by: Bertrand, 2017/05/21

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 !

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/05/13
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Origami Paper Folding and Furoshiki Cloth Wrapping Class in Tokyo

Great learning experience!

Reviewed by: Melissa G., 2017/05/14

It was fantastic to talk with the instructors about the history of furoshiki and experiment with different wrapping styles. We learned a lot and ended up buying some wrapping cloth later in our trip to use back at home!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/04/06
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Sumie Ink painting lesson

Reviewed by: Lynette, 2016/11/29

This lesson was a very enjoyable experience, with a bit a history included. I was the only one in the class and would highly recommend it.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2016/11/01
1 people find this helpful!
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Origami Paper Folding Class in Traditional Asakusa

Great class!

Reviewed by: kristy, 2016/11/16

This was a great origami class! We were a group of 3 adults and 3 kids. The teacher was terrific with the kids, even when one of them decided not to do origami and instead cut and pasted the paper into different shapes. I really enjoyed making the origami flowers that looked so difficult, but were actually easy. There was sufficient instruction for complete beginners, yet the class was also interesting for those who had done origami before. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2016/11/13
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Amazing experience

Reviewed by: Johanna Hazan, 2016/10/21

Yuta was a very kind, very patient and very interesting person to meet.
Through painting he taught us the symbolism of Japan. The time flew by so quickly that I can back for a second time.
Sumie is a craft that I will bring back with me home.i will continue to draw and practice the techniques you showed. I am very grateful for this experience

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2016/10/19
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Fun, Practical and Relaxing Introduction to Sumie

Reviewed by: Aaron Eames, 2016/08/28

The location is close to the station, maybe three minutes from the nearest exit, and the shop itself is easy to find being on the main road. The session itself takes place in the shop/atelier, the walls lined with sumie works on general sale. In the lesson I learnt a little about sumie history, techniques and styles. The instructor speaks English well and is friendly and patient. I painted five small pieces following his example which featured bamboo, Mt. Fuji and cherry blossoms and was able to take my attempts home. He gave me good advice and directions to a washi (Japanese paper) store after the session. I recommend the experience to anyone interested in sumie and wanting to give it a try!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2016/08/26
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Fun Sumie Ink Painting Lesson in Tokyo with English Speaking Instructor

Really fun!

Reviewed by: Fresca, 2016/05/06

I am not at all artistic, but even I was able to make pretty ink paintings! The teacher was really nice and funny, and the class was the perfect length. He showed me how to do landscapes, which was cool.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
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Ikebana Flower Arranging Class with an English-Speaking Instructor in Tokyo

awesome experience

Reviewed by: Jennifer , 2016/04/03

did this class with my mum for her 70th birthday and it was brilliant. the teacher was so lovely and knowledgeable about Ikebana, we learnt a lot and had a great time. they were even so gracious in organising the space nicely so we could have photos taken with our arrangements. would recommend to anyone who is interested in this beautiful Japanese art.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2016/03/31
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Beginner-Friendly Japanese Koto Harp Music Lesson in Tokyo

Excellent introduction to Koto Harp!

Reviewed by: David UK, 2015/12/21

The teacher was very good, her English was excellent and she explained everything very clearly. With no previous experience I was able to play a tune very quickly and the lesson was structured to allow me to play the tune with additional notes to add further detail / harmony to the melody.

The teacher was very patient and clearly knew her instrument very well; I felt that the lesson was worth every penny and was a unique and memorable experience.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
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