3 Places You Can Try Kimono, Calligraphy, and Brush-Making! Experience Japanese Culture in Hiroshima!

When you visit Japan, you might be thinking, “Yeah, sightseeing is great and all, but I want to immerse myself in the culture as well! “.  Well, you’re in luck! In Hiroshima, you can go to “Okeiko Classroom” and sign up for many different workshops! Today, I will introduce three of them to you. Some do require you to apply for participation in advance, however, so if you see one you like be sure to check beforehand.

Okeiko Japan

At “Okeiko Japan”, you can participate in a Japanese tea ceremony, practice traditional calligraphy, cook Japanese food, and, last but not least, try on a kimono! Their shop is on Miyajima Island. I recommend their package deal.

Over the course of two hours, you get to try everything – tea ceremony, calligraphy, cooking, and trying on a kimono! For someone who wants to try many different things, this workshop is perfect.

In the tea ceremony workshop, you don’t just sit and learn about what goes on during the ceremony, you participate in an actual traditional ceremony.
The calligraphy workshop lets you choose between drawing large characters on calligraphy paper or a rice scoop, which you can bring home with you as a souvenir.
Finally, the cooking workshop challenges you to make a rice ball, popular still in many Japanese households today. If you do try on a kimono, don’t forget to take a commemorative photo!

Facility Information

Wa-Cul-Know

At “Wa-Cul-Know,” located within Hiroshima City proper, you can try tea ceremony and calligraphy as well as a number of different workshops that change daily.

Of their many workshops, I want to introduce you to their “Shukkeien Course.” Tea ceremony and calligraphy are included in this package deal as well, but what sets this apart from the other workshop is their wonderful Buddhist sutra-copying and incense-making workshop.
While copying Buddhist sutras may sound very difficult, they do have a beginner-level course in which you trace the mantras onto a piece of paper.
Finally, “Wa-Cul-Know” has you wear a kimono for all of its workshops; for anyone looking to try on a kimono, “Wa-Cul-Know” should be your first choice!

Facility Information

Fude no Sato Kobo

*The facility will be closed for half a year for renovations, from November 5th, 2018 to the end of April, 2019.

Located in Kumanomachi City in Hiroshima Prefecture, Fude no Sato Kobo is home to the world-renowned “Kumano Brush” brush-making workshop. They also have fun workshops where you can create your own personalized Japanese-style tapestry, or take a drink coaster, shikishi cardboard, or other material and personalize it with artwork.

In the extremely popular brush-making workshop, you can learn about any two of twelve industrial art forms from a traditional industrial artist. If you make your reservation a week or more in advance, they will even carve your name into the handle of your brush! This is not a workshop you want to miss out on!

There are also several Kumano Brush related items on display throughout “Fude no Sato Kobo.”
Don’t forget to visit the Kumano Fude Select Shop and Museum Shop and pick up some Hiroshima-themed souvenirs while you’re there!

More Details: Fudenosato Kobo, Learn The Tradition and History of Brush Making in Kumano, Hiroshima

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Writer InformationMaasa Kishida

Translator InformationThomas Schinas