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Whisking matcha with a bamboo tea whisk

Culture & history

Cooking, tea & craft workshops

Whisk your own matcha, make a plastic food sample, lay gold leaf, paint a plate. Hands-on time that leaves you with something to take home.

Travel tips

  • Most workshops need a reservation, and some are taught mainly in Japanese. Check in advance whether English is available.
  • Some pieces need firing or drying and are shipped to you later.

6 places to go

Tap a pin to jump to that place's description.

  1. 1

    Uji

    Station

    A tea town. Taihoan, a city-run teahouse by the Uji River, offers a chance to whisk your own tea (reservation required).

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  2. 2

    Asakusa

    Station

    Kappabashi kitchenware street, about 15 minutes' walk from Asakusa Station, has shops where you can make your own plastic food sample.

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  3. 3

    Higashi Chaya District

    Attraction

    Kanazawa is Japan's gold-leaf town. Shops around the teahouse district run gold-leaf workshops, by reservation.

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  4. 4

    Imadegawa

    Station

    The Nishijin weaving district. Nishijin Textile Center offers weaving and kimono dressing. About 15 minutes' walk west of Imadegawa Station.

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  5. 5

    Arita

    Station

    The home of Arita porcelain, lined with kilns and pottery shops; some offer painting workshops.

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  6. 6

    Makishi

    Station

    Tsuboya Yachimun Street in Naha, lined with Okinawan pottery workshops. Some let you make your own shisa lion.

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From people who went

Tips about the places in this theme, most helpful first.

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Event dates, operating days, reservation rules and opening hours can change. Please check the official information before you go.

Photo and data credits

Whisking matcha with a bamboo tea whisk Steenbergs (CC BY 2.0) / Wooden teahouses lining the street of the Higashi Chaya District Andrea Schaffer from Sydney, Australia (CC BY 2.0). Cropped and resized.