Experiences For Solo Travelers

Key Features

• Experience the soft touch and splendor of Japanese ink paintings in a private atelier acclaimed by numerous national embassies.
• After learning the brush techniques with authentic tools and materials, try your hand at reproducing an ink painting masterpiece.
• Your painting will be prepared as a work of home decor to be taken home on the day.

Key Features

• Learn the complete modern kintsugi process in a day, which is easy to recreate at home
• Take home one of Japan's renowned ceramics—Arita-yaki, Kyo-yaki, or Kutani-yaki—carefully selected by the artisan for your experience
• Take your time in carefully repairing the ceramic

Key Features

• Learn all about Japanese scents and scent blending directly from expert Megumi Fukatsu at the historic Kudan House on this Wabunka-exclusive private plan
• Using ingredients mainly derived from plants that can be found in Japan, create your own unique, all-natural scent
• Take home your finished scent along with a Kyoto hinoki (cypress) wood diffuser

Key Features

• Learn all about the personal seal culture of Japan in the ancient capital of Kamakura, and witness the craft skills of those who carry on this tradition
• Receive personalized guidance from Tsukino on selecting materials, typefaces, and lettering to create a seal tailored to you
• Take home your hand-finished seal in a beautiful carrying case, with optional paid upgrades such as Nishijin kimono weave or Imari-yaki porcelain

Key Features

• Experience e-shakyo — hand-copying Buddhist imagery — in a tranquil private space within a restored kura (storehouse)
• Paint a water-themed mandala designed by artist Mami Otaki, and take your finished work home
• A calming meditative experience for those interested in art, Buddhism, and Japanese spirituality

Key Features

• Learn the art of crafting delicate, elegant Japanese confections from a master at Kyoto confectioner Tokiya
• Enjoy a top-class wagashi demonstration and delight in fresh-made sweets with tea
• Take home your handmade fresh and dried confections, plus Tokiya's original seasonal wagashi

Key Features

• Create a personalized knife by hand at the swordsmith's forge, designing the blade pattern and making a 15cm long blade
• The swordsmith will provide guidance on crafting your knife, along with sharing his knowledge on Japanese swords and their proper appreciation
• The blade can be crafted from tamahagane, a high-purity steel material traditionally used in Japanese sword making

Key Features

• Special limited solo experience, including a guided weaving experience and studio tour
• Create a unique textile piece with a master weaver
• View thousand-year-old restored textiles and other valuable pieces

Key Features

• Experience an authentic tea ceremony with thorough explanations, getting involved in the preparatory stage to learn all about the hospitality and aesthetic traditions behind tea ceremony
• Enjoy a rare brew of koicha thick tea made with top quality organic leaves grown without pesticides
• Everything you will need for an authentic tea ceremony will be on hand so you can immerse yourself to the fullest. Take home a souvenir ceremonial fan, confectionery knife, and kaishi tea ceremony tissue paper

Key Features

• Rent out a wood-construction traditional villa and former residence, and bask in the ambience created by its hand-curated collection of sophisticated luxury furnishings
• Nobuharu Nakanishi, popular confectioner of traditional wagashi, offers a demonstration that showcases his masterful artisanal skills crafting these colorful treats for the taste buds and eyes alike
• Try your hand crafting three nerikiri confections that Nakanishi created to embody the seasons of Japan. Enjoy one fresh-made on the spot, and take the others with you for later

Key Features

• Challenge yourself to make a utility knife (approximately 20 cm long) from start to finish, learning each step of the process at Asano Kajiya, just one Shinkansen stop from Nagoya Station
• Learn from Taro Asano or a skilled apprentice who has inherited his 30 years of experience in bladesmithing and teaching both in Japan and abroad
• Make a one-of-a-kind knife that is uniquely your own — the knife's finish will vary depending on factors such as the weather and even your disposition