Are you looking for any special souvenir from Japan ??
Or would you like to make anything special in Japan for you, your family or friends ??
There are a plenty of options for that; pottery, t-shirts, food samples, folding fans, etc… and if you look for something small and light, how about making an accessory or chopsticks ??
In Kyoto there is a craftshop where you can try handcraft to make accessories and bamboo items with reasonable price (JPY 1,000 -), such as earrings/ pierces, straps, bamboo chopsticks, lanterns etc…
For earrings and pierces, first you choose one sheet of Japanese paper called washi from various designs.
And you cut or fold the paper to make your favorite shape (you can make even a crane called orizuru, if you want). Then coat the paper to make it glowing and harder.
In the end a staff will sets earrings or pierce parts, finish !
For chopsticks and hairpins (kanzashi in Japanese), you pick up one or a set of bamboo sticks, each of which has different patterns.
The bamboo which the shop provides is more than 100 years old and the pattern on the bamboo comes from smoke made by stove fire in a traditional thatched roof house. Those bamboos were used for a part of the structure of the house and the pattern is made naturally by the smoke, which makes it super valuable ( if you are familiar with bamboo antiques, you would really appreciate the value).
What you did with the bamboo is very simple, just polish it with sand paper first and then with bamboo.
You may think it’s super easy or too simple as a craft, but you’ll love to see how smooth and glowing the surface of bamboo will be after you spend half an hour to polish your bamboo.
For kanzashi, you can also choose one glass ball called tombo dama, which makes your accessory much more colorful and lovely.
You need about 1 hour to make those items. It’s very easy and fun, and you can make your own souvenirs ! Of course it’s fun to make something together with your friends, partner, or family.
Also it’s a good option for a rainy day.
The craft shop is an old house filled with antiques and the owner is happy tell you about his items in the house. If you want to avoid rain, it’s nice to see his little gallery instead of walking in a Japanese garden.
Making an accessory is very easy activity but surely you’ll love it and it’ll be the best souvenir and memory of Japan !!
tokie