10 DAY TRADITIONAL TEXTILE TOUR

max 8 participants
  • Kyoto
  • 10 days
  • 1 - 8 people
  • Walking

Experience the magic of Japan found in textiles, craftsmanship, and living tradition

This tour centres on the craftsmen and women, as well as the skills that shape Kyoto’s cultural fabric. Over ten days and seven textile workshops, all within Kyoto, the Traditional Textiles Tour will provide its participants with many such magical moments. From trying the centuries old weaving and dyeing techniques used in the creation of kimono, to wearing them and even repurposing the precious textiles into something new.

What's included

  • 10 nights accommodation at the Hotel Intergate and the Gion Yoshi-ima ryokan
  • 8 guided days and 2 free days
  • Breakfast and lunch on all guided days in Kyoto
  • Welcome and Sayonara dinners featuring Kyoto’s unique ‘kaiseki’ cuisine
  • Transportation in Kyoto on all guided days
  • Limo-bus reimbursement to/from KIX or ITM airport
  • All workshop fees

Hands-on workshops

  • Sashiko embroidery
  • Seasonal flower embroidery
  • Remaking a vintage kimono into a pouch
  • Yuzen silk dyeing
  • Shibori silk dyeing
  • Kumihimo silk strap weaving
  • Tsuzureori silk weaving

Also included

  • Dressing in kimono (with optional hair and make-up)
  • Tea ceremony in kimono
  • … and a rickshaw ride in kimono 🙂
  • Shopping for fabrics, both antique and new, as well as other craft and fabric items in the Teramachi shopping arcade
  • Shopping at Chionji handmade craft market (free day option)
  • Visit to the Kyoto Museum of Craft and Design
  • Visit to the Nishijin Textile centre in the weaving district of Kyoto
  • Meeting Nishi-san, a Japanese textile artist working in Japan and abroad, to learn about the history of Kyoto textiles
  • Meeting with Umeha-san, a working geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha), to learn about her extensive kimono collection