Traditional Wood Charring Workshop in Kanazawa

Kanazawa is famously known as the city of arts and crafts, and while you can find art workshops throughout Japan that you can easily participate in, it is rare to find one like yours that offers you a chance to truly experience Japan's traditional arts in the form of paulownia woodcrafts, as well as an opportunity to step inside an actual workshop and have a conversation with the artisan who has dedicated their life to pursue arts. Your translator will be there to ensure that the communication between you and the artist is as smooth as possible, and you will be able to bring home with you a traditional paulownia wood coaster that you make yourself!

Step inside a woodcraft studio that has been in business since 1913 and try your hand at charring your very own paulownia wood coaster. Iwamoto Kiyoshi's work is known for being very light and highly resistant to water thanks to the charring technique used on the outer surface. As part of the experience, you will also get a tour of their workshop and learn about the various tools and machinery used for crafting. Overview of what you will be doing: 1. Use a gas burner to char the outer surfaces of a coaster made from paulownia wood. 2. With the buffer machine inside the workshop, buff the surfaces to remove the soot. 3. Imprint a logo of your choice (from 2) onto the buffed coaster with a branding iron. 4. Enjoy a browse of the storefront to see what you might want to pick up in addition to the coaster and bring home as a souvenir! An important note: It will take around a day for the artisan to finish up your work. If you will still be in Kanazawa, you can pick it up by yourself or have us deliver it to your hotel. Otherwise, we will ship it to your next accommodation. For this reason, we ask that you participate in this workshop at least 4 days before you leave Japan.

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.