Japan Craft Tour 2024 Recap (and registration for 2025!!)

Yes, this is delayed, but also yes, it's been...um....shall we say, busy? 

Our 2024 Japan Craft Tour welcomed five travelers last November, and we were blessed with good humor, wonderful camaraderie, and excellent weather (except for one day)!  

While some of the activities were the same as in 2023 (you can read about them here), we did add some new workshops and visits for 2024.  I think that's what I love about this trip; there's always something new to discover, and our schedule is flexible enough to include new opportunities.

This year, in Tokyo, we made a visit to the Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, a Frank Lloyd Wright building (build in 1921). Originally a girls' school, it is now a community center where we learned the ins and outs of creating wagashi, or Japanese sweets.  Eiyo-san, our teacher, is a 3rd generation wagashi maker, and boy, was he patient!  He taught us two different traditional styles, and then let us freelance for a third.  We finished off our time with some traditional matcha, the perfect accompaniment for our sweets. 

In Kyoto, we added a Furoshiki workshop which was delightful.  Furoshiki is the tradition of using large squares of textiles or fabric to wrap gifts.  It's a bit more complicated than it sounds, but at the same time, the result is beautiful, full of meaning, and sustainable. 

We also visited an open-air flea market at Toji Temple which was fascinating! There were old kimonos, indigo fabrics, pottery, tools as well as some handmade goods and vintage clothing.  We are lucky that our trip coincides with some of these open air markets, and we'll make a point of including one going forward. 

Our 2025 Japan Craft Tour is now open for registration!  We will be including these activities, plus some extras for 2025, and I hope you'll consider joining us!