Let's make only one original onigawara in the world
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Kyoto, Japan
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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Overview
Take a deep dive into Japanese culture at an *onigawara* workshop in Kyoto and leave with a one-of-a-kind souvenir that is more personal than anything you could buy. Learn how to make these traditional "demon-faced tiles," a type of ornamentation found on the roofs of Japanese buildings, particularly temples.
- Get hands-on in Kyoto and craft a unique souvenir
- Learn about the purpose of onigawara in Japanese architecture
- After firing, the onigawara is delivered to your home
- Small-group workshop (maximum five guests)
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Epron
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 瓦工房 You家 kawarakoubouyouya373-2 Yamazakichō, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0841, Japan
Please come to my store, a 10-minute walk from Shimizu Gojo Station. Please look for the name Kawara Kobo You on Google Maps.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 5 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 58 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
John_V, Jul 2026
Very fun and not too challenging for beginners. Instructor offers to ship your final creation to you (after 30 days of drying), which you can choose to do (costs 4000 yen for one sculpture or 6000 for two)
Laminda_N, Jun 2026
Our faces turned out so cool!!! I can’t wait to get them in the mail and hang them on the wall. I did this activity with my husband and teenage son. They weren’t thrilled that I signed us up for it, but they quickly changed their tune once we got started. It was so much fun! And the instructor was fabulous! He walked us through every step and to our surprise all three of our faces look awesome! In case anyone is wondering (as I was before booking), the shipping ended up being around $50 USD. That was for three faves being shipped to Omaha, Nebraska in the States. I’m sure the price fluctuates with circumstances, but that’s what it was for us. And we were thankful that we had Yen on us for paying the shipping fee at the end. Have fun!!!!
Michael_U, Jun 2026
With the guidance of our instructor, Mr. Youya, we were able to create a wonderful keepsake.
He was patient as well as informative. I would definitely recommend this experience.
Julie_G, May 2026
We loved our class - it was very informative and so much fun! It included step by step lessons for making the faces, so it wasn’t difficult at all.
Jessica_L, Apr 2026
Wonderful! So fun and an amazing sensei! Highly recommend if you enjoy working with your hands and with clay!
Lauren_S, Feb 2026
We absolutely loved this onigawara (traditional ridge-end tile) workshop in Kyoto, it was amazing for all ages and skill levels!
From start to finish, the experience was warm, fun, and creatively inspiring. Our teacher/artisan was incredibly kind, patient, and encouraging, taking us through the process step by step so even complete beginners felt confident and excited. The hands-on instruction made every moment enjoyable and accessible.
What sets this workshop apart is the unique souvenir you take home your very own piece of art that’s deeply connected to Japanese culture and history. Instead of just buying something generic, you walk away with a personal piece woven into Kyoto’s architectural tradition.
Another uncommon and fantastic bonus is that your fired tile is shipped to you after the experience, something you don’t often get with pottery classes!
This was one of the most memorable cultural experiences we had in Kyoto, and we highly recommend it to all visitors — families, couples, solo travelers, and art lovers alike.
David_M, Dec 2025
Lovely time, seeing the quite varried results that the family made. They were definatly unique, from looking like a baby dropped on the floor to a stack of tubes and triangles.
Madeleine_B, Nov 2025
Had the best time! The instructor was amazing, clear instructions meant that even though I am creatively challenged I still managed to make a great looking statue. Shipping went smoothly and my statue arrived undamaged. I ended up being the only booking that day and they didn’t cancel the entire class, which I always appreciate. Perfect experience!
lilian_m, Nov 2025
This is a great creative experience!!
The teacher is an artist and gives you the opportunity to create a great Japan ease piece of art with a great meaning and history.
It is a very nice and easy way to get creative with natural high temperature ceramic with a process that will not fail and looks amazing !
I do recommend this experience for everyone !
Carol_S, Nov 2025
Working with clay to make onigawara, the traditional demon-face tiles found on Kyoto roofs, was a delightful and fun experience! Yuya, our instructor, is a master onigawara artisan who patiently makes every step very easy and enjoyable, even for those who've never worked with clay before. We had a lovely afternoon and will have our finished onigawara delivered to us once they've been fired in the kiln. The process gave us an appreciation for the dedicated labor that goes into making Kyoto's beautiful, traditional artifacts. Highly recommended!
Julia_S, Nov 2025
I definitely recommend this! It was a really nice way to spend a morning, very relaxing and peaceful. Yuuya-san is a wonderful teacher (and amazing sculptor!!) who is able to break down a complicated end product into very easy steps. I’d definitely do it again!
Christina_B, Oct 2025
Our group had a great time spending the afternoon crafting onigawara. Trust the process. They all turned out fantastic and different
Hamilton_L, Oct 2025
How can you go wrong making a snarling guardian? The teacher scoped the project well to the time allowed; it is a step-by-step build where the pieces are a set list but shaped to your own design.
OLIVIA_O, Sep 2025
Amazing experience! This is definitely a hands-on unique activity in an intimate space with a knowledgeable and encouraging guide. It ended up just being us and that was even better for personalized attention! We were given water and a place to store our luggage.
Kristy_D, Jun 2025
Great activity for teenage children who love to be artistic. Kids both had a great time. Instructor was friendly, patient and showed how to complete all the required techniques. Can’t wait to receive the finished product in 2 months.
Michele_C, Jun 2025
Our family thoroughly enjoyed this unique experience. Neither of us had worked with clay before. Yuya was a very patient instructor. He explained and demonstrated each step of the way. We didn't think ours would turn out great but, in the end, we were pleasantly surprised. The entire process takes 2.5 to 3 hours so just be mindful of that if you have other things planned for the day. There is also a separate shipping fee at the end which we thought was fair. We were told the drying process takes 1-2 mos. Highly recommend this activity.
Milt_K, Apr 2025
Yuya is a talented artist who knows how to instruct complicated finished products by breaking down the process into manageable steps. Each of our tiles came out unique and personal to our style and skill. His conversational style in English was clear and to the point. He was always encouraging and only offered suggestions to help and enhance the clay design. His care for his students was top notch. Looking forward to seeing our tiles home. Definitely not just for tourists. This is a different and unique Japanese experience for all.
Michael_B, Apr 2025
Such a unique experience! This was something that you just don't find other places. We had six people in our class with one instructor. All individuals were adults except for my 17yr old daughter. The class was fast paced and still took almost 3hrs. It's a challenge to keep up and create something that comes together at the end. For most of the experience I thought my onigawara was ruined and misshaped. Though by the end it looked amazing! The instructor spoke decent English and made sure all of us understood the steps necessary to create a beautiful complete piece. My only critique is that shipping is paid separately at the end of class (in cash) based upon a random figure. Understand why it's done this way, but who wouldn't want their onigawara shipped home & would appreciate knowing the cost in advance . Since it takes approximately one month for the clay to dry out, you must have everything shipped to see your final product. Small detail when thinking of the overall experience. Believe this is a must for anyone visiting Kyoto who enjoys creating something with their hands.
Melissa_B, Apr 2025
Wonderful experience!!! We had a great time and all of our Onigawara came out great! The instructor, Yuya, was lovely and very patient. It was fun to hear about his family’s business.
Liesl_R, Feb 2025
A lovely creative, relaxing afternoon in the craziness of a busy holiday. Yuya was a wonderful host, he patiently took us through the steps of making our own onigawara. The all looked different with the same recipe
corey_b, Feb 2025
Instructor is very friendly and patient with inexperienced clay worker he’s very open to answering questions and even asking questions himself he speaks English very well with only little stumbling here and there
James_S, Dec 2024
The teacher knows some English, not too much for casual conversation but enough too give good instructions. Note, be prepared to potentially get dirty if you have butterfingers. Very fun, and impressed with how my little oni turned out!
Katrina_R, Nov 2024
Yuya is a wonderful instructor and delightful company. We had a fantastic time and we are absolutely thrilled with the final product, which we received in the mail a few weeks later. This was a great learning experience and it was especially fun to see the real onigawaras around Kyoto and compare ours!
LinghaoZhang, Oct 2024
This was such a unique and great experience! Our host You-san was super kind. The selection of Oni wara as the objective is superb. And while it seems challenging at first, You-san broke it down into traceable pieces and will also provide hands on guidance and help if you ask. And there is no real time limit - he will make sure you finish it even if you are a bit slower. He also makes friendly conversations with us despite not speaking perfect English. Overall a great experience and I would recommend anybody who’s up to make some clay work with their hands.
P.S. I am a complete novice with clay work and I was able to finish it reasonably well in about 3 hours.
Kevin_P, Oct 2024
Yuya was such a great instructor and broke down each step in simple ways. The experience of making these talismans was so fun and very memorable. It felt like Yuya was our friend from Japan who invited us over to his studio and showed us something unique outside of the "tourist-y" things. Would definitely recommend this to all our friends!
Marissa_B, Oct 2024
Amazing experience and a great break from walking around the city. I was surprised at how well all of the group’s onigawara came out. Our instructor did a fantastic job guiding us through the process. Would definitely recommend for anyone looking to make their own souvenir.
Renee_M, Oct 2024
Since it was just my husband and I, we had a private lesson with Yuya-San. We had a great time making our own onigawaras. Looking at a finished example, I never thought that I would be able to complete a decent-looking onigawara. But thanks to Yuya-San’s patience and instructions, I was thrilled with the result. Yuya-San will be firing our works in his kiln in the coming weeks, and then will send it to us. I plan on putting our onigawaras in our garden to protect us and ward off evil. I highly recommend this experience. Arigato gozaimasu, Yuya-San.
RaphaelPascal_E, Sep 2024
The instructor is very nice and knows how to explain the steps for creating the onigawara so that laymen can understand it well. Also, for non-japanese speakers, the instructor knows English pretty well.
James_L, Sep 2024
This is such a fun and unique experience and a great way to bring home a truly meaningful souvenir. Neither myself or my wife are skilled at pottery, but it was so much fun watching our creations come to life. Our instructor Yuya, was very kind and a great teacher. This was definitely a highlight of our trip and we cannot wait to see the final product.
Marc_C, Jul 2024
My teenage daughter and I booked the class for our visit to Kyoto this year. It was a fun activity for both and we had a great time chatting with Sensei about various topics while our onigawaras took shape under his precise and patient guidance. My daughter was even able to add her own twist for a truly unique piece! Can't wait to have them delivered!
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