A Stay with a Sense of Place

Set Alongside the Workshops of Gifted Traditional Artisans

Located just 15 minutes by car from Shizuoka Station, Craft Inn Waraku is a truly unique spot to spend a restful night. Situated amidst the forest hills beyond the city of Shizuoka, Waraku is located on the grounds of Takumishuku Craftvalley, a facility dedicated to the preservation and advancement of traditional Japanese handicrafts where you will take part in your chosen workshop. With on-site restaurants providing delicious meals as well, the place has everything you need for a relaxing and rewarding stay.

Beautifully-Constructed Private Villas

To allow guests to relax in complete privacy and comfort, Craft Inn Waraku is home to five beautifully-constructed private villas. When you rent a villa, it is exclusively yours for the duration of your stay, including its private sauna and cypress wood bath. In the spirit of the location, both the interiors and exteriors of the villas feature the abundant use of natural wood shaped by expert carpenters for an effect that speaks to the past while offering a sense of modern ease and comfort.

Other Rooms

Raku

Suitable for up to four guests, this two-storey villa is a master class in the possibilities of wooden design. With two bedrooms and a large living room, there is plenty of space here to kick back and relax. Raku also has a cypress wood bath, sauna, and cold plunge pool.

Fuji

Ideal for families or groups, this two-storey villa is the largest of its kind on site. Along with two bedrooms and a living room, Fuji includes a cypress wood bath, sauna, and cold plunge pool. There is also a refrigerator and washing machine, making this villa particularly suitable for longer stays.

*Please note that room assignments may be subject to change based on availability. If a change is necessary, the rate may vary, and we will notify you of the details beforehand.

Deepen Your Connection to the Region

Experience Local Handicrafts Taught by Master Artisans

One of the most unique aspects of staying at Craft Inn Waraku is its location on the grounds of Takumishuku Craftvalley. This puts you right next door to the workshops where master artisans teach the secrets of local handicrafts that have been passed down through countless generations, offering you the unique opportunity to experience these timeless, delicate techniques firsthand. To provide a memorable hands-on experience, Wabunka will arrange for you to participate in a private workshop that features textile dyeing, bamboo craftwork, or fine woodworking. Please share your preferences in advance.

Craft a Tapestry Using Natural Dye Derived From Green Tea Leaves

If you select the textile dyeing experience, you will be learning how leftover green tea leaves are used to create all-natural, organic dyes that can be used to color textiles in earthy tones. This workshop will be led by Kyoichiro Washizu, fifth-generation owner of his family’s textile dyeing shop, who has been honored with numerous craft and art exhibition awards. First, he will first take some time to explain the process, then lead you through the steps of boiling the cloth in the dye, stencil carving to add designs to the fabric, and discharge dyeing to finish the work. After drying, your tapestry will be ready the next day for you to take home as a keepsake.

Shape and Bend Strips of Bamboo Into a Square Coaster

Guests who select the bamboo craftwork experience will have the opportunity to learn first-hand how incredibly versatile this natural material can be. Your workshop will be focusing on the local variety known as Suruga bamboo craftwork, led by master artisans who have been specially recognised by the Japanese government. After a brief introduction, you will learn to cut the bamboo into strips and bend them correctly, before combining the pieces to form an intricately-patterned coaster. You will receive your coaster at the end of the experience.

Create a Wooden Container Without Nails, Screws, or Glue

If you opt for the woodworking experience, you will be using the time-tested technique of joinery, which involves connecting pieces of wood without fasteners or adhesives. Award-winning master carpenter Katsuhisa Toda will begin your workshop with a brief introduction to the art form, then lead you through the process of shaping the wood with a plane, using machines for fine adjustments, and then assembling your container using joinery. You will receive your container on the following day to take home with you.

An Enlightening and Relaxing Stay in the Quiet Hills of Shizuoka

In Japanese, Shizuoka means “quiet hills,” a name you will find yourself understanding from the moment you leave the city behind and arrive at Takumishuku Craftvalley. Here, life slows down and softens to a point where you can hear the breeze ruffling the leaves in the trees, where you can take some time to appreciate the simpler, yet somehow more important things in life.

A stay in one of Craft Inn Waraku’s private villas, each adorned and appointed with stylish woodwork fashioned by master carpenters, provides you with true relaxation within a space that reflects the spirit of the local area. Through dining on food made from the finest local ingredients and learning to make traditional handicrafts from local master artisans, you will gain further insight into what makes life among these quiet hills of Shizuoka so special and unique.