Today you have the opportunity to learn more about a traditional Japanese pastime of your choice. These courses are instigated and run by the Women's Association of Kyoto and you will visit the home of one of the members, accompanied by an interpreter who will pick you up and return you to your hotel by taxi. Over the next two hours you will be introduced to the main skills and techniques needed to perform these age old arts and crafts. The ladies who run the courses are proud of their skills and have become masters of these crafts over 10,15 or even 20 years. They are now more than happy to share these skills with you. This is a very personal experience and one which will hopefully stay with you for many years to come.
Upon booking your trip to Japan please confirm which one of the following courses you would like to try:
Tea ceremony, ikebana flower arranging, calligraphy, kimono wearing (male and female), origami, cookery, Koto instrument playing, Japanese dance, samurai armour wearing and finally fabric or paper-craft. Our Japan team have tried several of these courses, do ask your specialist for advice if you are unsure. Each takes place at a different home across Kyoto.
It is possible to combine one of the above courses with origami for a small surcharge or any two of the above for a slightly higher surcharge. Please note that the cookery and samurai armour courses are slightly more expensive than the other courses. Please ask your specialist for more information on these options.
Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Japan specialists
These activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences around where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can suggest tours and activities, such as cooking classes, that will introduce you to the local ways of life.
Maiko are trainee Geisha (Geiko in Kyoto dialect) who train for six years before becoming fully fledged Geisha. They learn skills such as dance, singing, instrument playing as well as how to entertain guests with conversation.
Explore around the Gion district and other parts of Kyoto to help shed some light on the exclusive and mysterious world of the Geisha and other aspects of Japanese culture.
Like nearby Kyoto, Nara was once the Japanese capital and a source of enormous cultural and religious outpourings. Unlike its more celebrated neighbour, however, Nara has survived relatively untouched by modern advances and remains a relaxed town dotted with temples, shrines and parkland.
Enjoy a day of culinary delights with trips to Kyoto's Nishiki Market, Horino Sake Museum to learn all about sake production and then a traditional machiya (tea house) for a Japanese cooking class.
