WorkshopStar Festival Paper Wishes

In ancient times in Japan, people recorded their wishes on paper mulberry leaves on the night of the ‘Tanabata Star Festival’. Join us to make your own paper wish using items produced by two exhibiting artisans: paper mulberry washi produced by exhibitor Junpei Kanazashi and a Toyohashi brush made by Yuki Nakanishi.

Capacity: 2 people per session, each 30 minutes
Cost：¥500

PerformanceAssembling ZEN-An – The Travelling Tea Room

Demonstration & Talk ~Look with your Hands~

A tea master assembles a tea room from a kit whose parts all fit in a suitcase. From joinery to tatami mats, rattan blinds, and washi paper, each component is brimming with traditional artisan techniques. Meanwhile, a totally blind cultural anthropologist demonstrates how to appreciate crafts with your hands. Instructors will give a talk after the performance and demonstration.

Kuniji Tsubaki (Tea room architect, tea ceremony master)

Kojiro Hirose (Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Research, National Museum of Ethnology)

Capacity: 20 people
Cost：¥500 ★

WorkshopStar Festival Paper Wishes

In ancient times in Japan, people recorded their wishes on paper mulberry leaves on the night of the ‘Tanabata Star Festival’. Join us to make your own paper wish using items produced by two exhibiting artisans: paper mulberry washi produced by exhibitor Junpei Kanazashi and a Toyohashi brush made by Yuki Nakanishi.

Capacity: 2 people per session, each 30 minutes
Cost：¥500

WorkshopTea Ceremony

An opportunity to experience tea ceremony and the tools and utensils used through a style called ‘jifuku’ in which participants prepare their own tea for drinking.

Instructor：Soko Kitami (Director, Association for the Promotion of Tea Ceremony Culture)
Capacity : 6people per session, each 30 minutes
Cost: ¥1,000

WorkshopYoga

A chance to experience yoga, which has a close affinity with Japanese culture. It is the perfect way to relax your body and mind while building muscle. Beginners welcome.

Instructor: Tomoko Ura (Yoga instructor, Yoga Alliance (U.S.) certified RYT500)
Capacity: 8 people員
Cost: ¥2,000
What to bring: comfortable clothes for exercise (yoga mats provided)

WorkshopNoh Play

‘Atsumori’ is a famous Noh play with a scene on the betrayal of Oda Nobunaga at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto. Also the name of Oda’s favorite dance, he is said to have performed ‘Atsumori’ as the temple burned to the ground. In this workshop, you will learn how to sing and dance ‘ningen gojunen’ (meaning “human life lasts only fifty years”).

Instructor: Minoru Shibata (Noh performer, Kanze School Shite-kata)
Capacity: 20 people
Cost: ¥500 *
hat to bring: white socks or tabi split-toe socks (fans provided)

Demonstration & Talk~Look with your Hands~

A totally blind cultural anthropologist demonstrates how to appreciate crafts with your hands using some of the objects being exhibited, followed by a talk with exhibitors.

Demonstration by a totally blind cultural anthropologist (Kojiro Hirose)
Capacity: 20 people
Cost: ¥500 ★

WorkshopKimono Experience

Despite being distinctly Japanese fashion, many people hesitate to wear kimono. Please join us for this exhibition and a special chance to wrap yourself in an authentic yet easy-to-wear kimono.

Collaborator: Ginza Iseyoshi

WorkshopStar Festival Paper Wishes

In ancient times in Japan, people recorded their wishes on paper mulberry leaves on the night of the ‘Tanabata Star Festival’. Join us to make your own paper wish using items produced by two exhibiting artisans: paper mulberry washi produced by exhibitor Junpei Kanazashi and a Toyohashi brush made by Yuki Nakanishi.

Capacity: 2 people per session, each 30 minutes
Cost：¥500

WorkshopEdomoji Calligraphy

Try your hand at writing ‘edomoji’ ? the Edo Period lettering styles often found in theatre, Kabuki, and Sumo, as well as on paper lanterns.

Instructor: Kichiya Tachibana
Capacity: 8 people per session
Cost: ¥500 ★
What to bring: Clothes you don’t mind getting black ink on (calligraphy tools provided)

Traditional Storytelling

Storyteller: Teisui Ichiryusai
Program: “Master Craftsman Hidari Jingoro Bamboo Daffodils”

A story about Hidari Jingoro, a famous eccentric sculptor and the subject of ‘rakugo’ comic stories.

What is ‘kodan’? It is traditional Japanese storytelling with a 500-year history, making it even older than ‘rakugo’, plus it offers listeners the chance to experience a Japanese tale with all five senses. There is an old Japanese saying, “professional storytellers talk like they’ve seen these things with their own eyes”. We hope the encounter with this traditional art will truly stimulate your imagination.

Capacity: 30 people
Cost: ¥500 ★

Meet the People Who Represent the Future of Craft
Workshop for students (junior high, high school, and university students)

Everyone interested in crafts, whether as a maker or a user, is invited to come along, get to know our exhibiting artisans, and ask anything you like about their craftsmanship and work. This could be the start of something new, bringing craft into your daily life or helping you discover the wonders of craft all around you.

Capacity: 30 people
Cost: Free

WorkshopKimono Experience

Despite being distinctly Japanese fashion, many people hesitate to wear kimono. Please join us for this exhibition and a special chance to wrap yourself in an authentic yet easy-to-wear kimono.

Collaborator: Ginza Iseyoshi