Top Kyoto Craft Classes - page 5

It’s a lot of fun - an hour out of the blazing sun (August) - making your own memento of Japan. We loved it - from 14-60 years old. It’s notexpensive but if you want different wood or want it to be engraved that bumps the price up. 2000 yen for engraving. The wood cost varies. The guy is super helpful and spoke great English. One of our group broke their chopstick while planing and another one was provided free of charge.

This is a super fun, though not easy crafting experience. Though their English isn’t great, they try hard and are patient and kind. This can take a while to do as you need to trace over the image many times. We didn’t realize the cost of the bags/cloth you’re dyeing are included already. For the thicker bags, you can actually choose a different pattern for the backside. You can’t do this if using a thinner material that is only meant for one sided dyeing. We spent almost 2.5 hours here and it was a fun and memorable time for us all.

This was a great activity with our kids aged 10 and 15. We signed up for the 9:30 am class and it was a bit busy, but it didn't interfere with our experience. It seemed less busy when we left at 10:30. Each group is assigned their own instructor who walks you through the chop stock making process from start to end. Our guide JIGNA was fantastic; she was so patient and thoughtful. It was slightly tougher than I thought, but she kept reminding us that our sticks were perfectly imperfect. When you book online, you pay for the basic wood chopsticks, which I would recommend because the more expensive wood is also harder to chisel/sand down if you are a rookie. We also opted to do the engraving afterwards, which added on an additional $50, for 4 people's chopsticks. All in all, the activity cost us about $100 USD and was really fun. We got some cool souvenirs, pictures and memories to take with us.

We spent our day in Uji before taking the train and walking over to the location for this event (which is conveniently located on Google Maps). While we were expecting something that was heavily manufactured for tourists, we realized this is just a small kitchen/room in the middle of this small town with 2-3 people running the facility. We were also expecting to be attending this tasting with a number of other people, but we were surprised to learn we were the only couple for this timed tasting, which made everything feel like a personalized and private event — perfect for our honeymoon. Kiyomi was our sake sommelier and she made our experience one to remember. She took care to build out the 1.5 hours with an excellent presentation on learning how to read sake labels and understanding exactly what goes into the process of making sake — all before even taking a taste of the 7 curated sake bottles. What was nice, too, was that each sake was paired with food to help you differentiate and try on new tastes, which Kiyomi provided note cards so that we can take home and rediscover what worked for us personally. We truly had a wonderful learning and tasting experience and we would not hesitate doing this again with a different variation of the excursion, as they offer multiple versions. Highly, highly recommended!

I really liked our tour guide. His name was Nico, I believe. He had a very pleasant disposition and was also a schoolteacher in Kyoto. He created a great experience & helped us appreciate the history, culture, people, & significance of what we were seeing & eating.

This sake tour was an absolute highlight of our trip. From start to finish, our tour guide Jimmy was warm, personable, and genuinely enthusiastic. He made us feel welcome while sharing fascinating stories about sake history and brewing techniques. His explanations were clear and engaging, and he happily answered every question with patience and knowledge. The tastings were thoughtfully paced and well curated, showcasing a great variety of styles so you can really appreciate the differences. A big plus, he offers several tour options beyond the sake tour. We learned about his Nara excursions and food-focused tours, which sound fantastic for anyone wanting to explore more of the region. If you want a fun, informative, and friendly experience with someone who clearly loves what he does, book this tour. You’ll leave with new knowledge, great memories, and probably a favorite bottle or two.

Wonderful experience with kids. Cute and fun and not too long of a commitment if you’re trying to fit a bunch in. Kids had a great time and I got some really fun photos to remember. Guided tour was animated and engaging. Little packed in… so if you’re claustrophobic, make other plans.

This was a wonderful tour. Most famous market in Kyoto. My guide was exceptional, Miku. She was so kind and enthusiastic. The foods and fish market and wagyu were amazing to see. The strawberries and fruits and all the beautiful foods. It was a celebration in a way of all the foods in Kyoto to watch the traditional food stalls. It was illuminating too with festive decor and trading beauty. Lots of action and felt like heart if Kyoto. We even had great snack and also stop at a cute little place for Wagyu beef. Best highlight of my trip to Kyoto. Did it my first day. It was outstanding! Do not miss.