While visiting Kyoto and touring the various temples and shrines, many visitors want to get more deeply involved in traditional Japanese culture. In the city of Kyoto, you can experience various Japanese cultural activities such as zazen meditation, making Japanese sweets, walking around in kimono, and getting made up like a maiko (apprentice geisha). In this issue, we will introduce paper milling, a process of making Japanese paper by hand. There is also a course to make a handmade red seal book using yuzen Japanese paper.
Hotel staff members of The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa have actually experienced this course.
Kamitowa Shop
The shop is located a 20-minute walk from The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa, and is a center for the transmission of washi paper to people in Japan and abroad, as well as to children, and offers hands-on workshops in paper-making and washi crafts.
The shop sells not only Kyoto’s washi but also red seal impression books and Japanese binding notebooks so that visitors can actually see, touch, and purchase washi of different characteristics depending on its production area.
If you come by train, it is a 9-minute walk from Karasuma Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line or Shijo Station on the Kyoto Municipal Karasuma Line (Exit 24).
Hands-on Workshops
In addition to making postcards and tapestries using handmade Japanese paper, there is also a course in which you can choose your favorite yuzen washi paper to make a red seal book.
Hands-on experience menu example
Paper milling: 4 postcards
This is an experience to make four original postcards by making Japanese paper.
Fee: 2,800 yen (tax not included) Duration: 60 minutes
Making a red seal book
Choose your favorite pattern of yuzen washi paper to make a traditional Japanese red seal book.
Fee: 2,500-2,800 yen (tax not included) Duration: 45 minutes
Opening hours
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays (10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For other times, please contact them by e-mail or phone.
Reservations can also be made at The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa.
SHOP DATA
Kamitowa kyoto
| Address | 345 Sanjo-cho, Rokkaku-agaru, Shinmachi-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8205 |
| TEL | 075-756-4723 |
| Trial days | Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday (10:30-17:00, reservation priority required) |
*Reservations are available on request except for the above days, so please contact them using the inquiry form or by phone.
