Japan Craft Tour Recap: Fall 2025 and Spring 2026

Yes, we actually went twice this year. And yes, it was worth it both times.

Our Japan Craft Tour has become one of my favorite things we do at m.a.b.e.l — a small-group, craft-focused trip to Tokyo and Kyoto that I run alongside my husband Tetsuya.  And while the format generally stays the same, each trip I discover something new.

In a nutshell, our trip welcomes six to eight participants and we spend three days in Tokyo, take the Shinkansen to Kyoto, six more days of workshops and wandering and very good food. No Japanese required. No prior craft experience required. Just genuine curiosity and a willingness to make things with your hands.

Fall 2025: November in Japan

I love fall in Japan. The weather’s amazing. The leaves are starting to turn. And I find it a nice pause before the busy-ness of the US holiday season.

We started, as always, in Nihonbashi — one of Tokyo's most interesting neighborhoods, where old merchant culture meets very contemporary design.  It’s a fun neighborhood for poking around, and in typical Edo fashion, each street turns up surprise vista.  While in Tokyo, we visited Cohana (with a surprise workshop with Aitor Saraiba,, made temari at NONA Temari, and visited Myonichikan (an original Frank Lloyd Wright building) where we created wagashi with a third-generation maker. We boarded the shinkansen for Kyoto.

In Kyoto, the Fall group did sashiko stitching with Yoshikawa-sensei, yubinuki at Atelier Ricca, and a morning at Setsuko Torii's machine knitting studio — described by one participant as "magical." I am always so appreciated of Torii-sensei; she’s quite busy and when we can visit her studio, it’s always a treat!. 

We also walked through the torii gates at Fushimi Inari, explored the Toji antique market, and ended with shabu-shabu on the last night. The day trip to Tokushima for indigo dyeing at Watanabe's was, as it always is, the day that everyone talks about longest.

One participant, JoJo, put it this way: "This was an experience like no other. It was life-changing for me not only because I found my way back to my heritage, but also it changed my perspective on how much I had to be grateful for in my life."

Spring 2026: late February into early March

It’s been years (decades even!) since we’ve been to Japan in the early spring, and boy, this season did NOT disappoint! The weather’s a bit more temperamental, but to see the ‘just on the cusp of blooming’ buds was totally worth it!  Also of note: late February is so much quieter than the fall. So our February group got a bonus– a quieter, more intimate version of Japan — plum blossoms, uncrowded temples, and the particular gift of feeling like you have a city mostly to yourself. 

While the schedule remained the same, our spring group had a few new activities. At Cohana, we had a workshop with Tokyo quilt artist Reiko Kato as a special guest, and in Kyoto our Sashiko instructor Yoshikawa-sensei led us on a textile-focused walking tour. We also made kumihimo bracelets at Domyo (a 400 year old silk braiding company). 

"I can't explain how special the two of you made our trip. You seemed to have thought of everything." — Melanie

"Fantastic! You captured the fun! This adventure was so special." — Laurie Bilbruck

"I finished the scarf — it was an easy knit showcasing lots of great patterns." — Martha Van Loon (who apparently kept knitting all the way home, which, given the flight time, is exactly the right response to this trip)

What Makes These Tours Work

I'm sometimes asked why we keep the group so small — six people maximum — when we could certainly run larger tours and make the economics work better. The answer is simple: we visit working studios. We're guests in spaces that belong to people who have spent their lives building something. A group of six can move quietly and receive real attention. A group of twenty cannot.

What's Next 

The Fall 2026 Japan Craft Tour is sold out. Both dates filled faster than we expected, and we're truly grateful.

Spring 2027 is in the planning stages. We expect to announce registration in the newsletter in late summer 2026 — which means if you're interested, subscribe to the mailing list. Of course, you can also email me with any questions you may have. 

Hope to see you in Japan soon!