Create Unique Souvenirs of Your Travels with Our Handmade Experiences

At our store, the Hida Takayama Crafts Experience Center, you can enjoy over 10 different crafting activities anytime without needing a reservation. Try making traditional Sarubobo dolls, hand baked senbei crackers, or painting lucky cats, among other crafts. We are a specialty store for handmade experiences and we take cash and credit card for your payment.

Come and create lasting memories of Japan with us!

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Information

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Experience Menu

Tax Included

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  Matcha Ceremony Experience

  From 7,000yen per person

  This is a Matcha ceremony experience that is

  easy to participate in with chairs and a table.

  The experience will be guided by Miho Ohmori, a certified tea master.

  Enjoy an authentic tea ceremony where you can

  learn about the culture and taste high-quality matcha.

  The experience uses matcha bowls from the Koito pottery in Takayama.

  This is a reservation-only experience for groups of 5 or more.

  ● Please Reservation Premium Plan

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  Making Sarubobo Doll【Popular】

  2,500yen

  The Sarubobo doll has been a traditional amulet in the Hida region for many years. Making one by hand adds an extra sense of attachment. This is a genuine crafting experience where you’ll stuff the body with cotton and sew the body and head together to using needle and thread. But don’t worry – our instructor will provide thorough support to help you to complete your doll.

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  Making KANJI T-shirt

  1,800yen~

  Let’s make kanji T-shirts!

  Choose your favorite kanji.

  Use an iron for heat transfer to finish!

  Perfect for yourself or as a souvenir!

  Now, what character will you choose?

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  Making Sarubobo Bean Bags【Popular】

  2,500yen

  This is a cute Sarubobo beanbag that fits in the palm of your hand. Choose two favorite colors from a selection of nine. You’ll sew the body, which is shaped like a small bag, and then stuff it with beads. Finally, attach the head to the body to complete your beanbag. The finished Sarubobo is very cute and makes a charming decoration for your entrance or room.

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  Rabbit Sarubobo Doll

  3,000 yen

  Rabbits are cherished in Japan as symbols of good fortune, and when combined with the lucky charm known as ‘sarubobo,’ you get the ultimate amulet with the power of both.

  Handcrafted with care, this unique charm is designed to bring good luck into your life. Embrace it and invite fortune to your side! The body and head together to using needle and thread. But don’t worry – our instructor will provide thorough support, so you’re sure to complete your doll.

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  Painting of Ema

  2,500yen

  These are ema votive tablets made using “Sanchu Washi,”  an 800-year history paper from Kawai, Hida City.

  You can freely paint the ema using pens on the silk-screen printed design.

  You can also challenge yourself with calligraphy using brush pens or stamp on them.

  There are both right-facing and left-facing versions, so please choose the orientation based on where you will display them.

  (The horse should face inward, as if running into the house.)

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  Painting a Sarubobo Clay Bell

  2,300 yen

  Decorate a sarubobo-shaped clay bell using pens to create your own unique design. These bells are believed to bring good fortune and protect against evil. This is a fun activity suitable for both children and adults, allowing you to make a personalized sarubobo clay bell just for yourself.

  It also includes a charm made from cherry blossom wood.

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  Painting a Luckey Cat Clay【Popular】

  2,300 yen

  Try decorating a lucky cat with your own designs.

  There are three types available: A right-handed cat attracts wealth, a left-handed cat invites people and a cat with both paws raised brings both.

  Paint your lucky cat beautifully and invite good fortune into your life.

  This lucky cat also functions as a piggy bank.

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  Painting a Luckey Cat Clay (Small)

  1,500 yen

  Try decorating a lucky cat clay with your own designs.

  The cat’s raised right paw symbolizes attracting wealth, while the left paw represents inviting people.

  Paint your ‘maneki neko’ beautifully to bring good fortune into your life.

  ※ Buying the kit itself is also available.

   

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  Baking Rice Crackers 'Senbei'

  800 yen（8 pieces / per person）

  Bake salted rice crackers in a specialized kiln.

  The dough starts out small but gradually puffs up.

  Be sure to turn them regularly to avoid burning!

  [Ingredients: Rice, Sugar, Sea Salt & Amino Acid]

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  Making Snow Globe

  2,800 yen

  Our instructor will guide you in creating a custom snow globe scene using handmade mascots.

  There are several types of powder to make it snow inside the dome.

  Note that it takes some time for the glue to dry completely.

  After taking it home, you’ll need to add water and powder yourself after 3 to 4 days.

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  Making Scrap Wood Puzzle

  2,500yen

  This eco-friendly experience uses scrap wood from trees grown in the Hida region.

  You’ll arrange the wood pieces like a puzzle and then bond them together.

  The finished product can be displayed on a shelf or used as a flower stand.

  Wood pieces stamped with a traditional gassho-style house mark indicate that they come from the symbol tree of Takayama, the Japanese Zelkova.

  ※Takayama city has been selected as a SDGs Future City in 2021.

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  Making Chopsticks & Case【Popular】

  2,500 yen

  To maintain a healthy forest, thinning out excess trees is necessary. In this experience, you’ll create chopsticks and chopstick holders from thinned Hida-grown cypress, which has a lovely aroma. Handmade chopsticks make a wonderful souvenir from Japan and are perfect for your meals at home.

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  Sarubobo Mobile

  2,800 yen

  Small and cute sarubobo and butterflies are adorable.

  We use ‘chirimen’, a traditional Japanese fabric, so the mobile has a distinctly Japanese feel.

  Display it in your room to experience Japan.

  The workshop involves using a needle and thread.

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  Making Braided Cords

  2,300 yen

  Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese technique that has been used for centuries in items like kimono cords and hair accessories. Recently, it appeared in the Japanese film “Kiminonawa”, which is set in Hida.

  Choose from five different colors to create your own piece and experience the beauty and tradition of this craftsmanship

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  Making Kaleidoscope

  2,300 yen

  Our kaleidoscope making features genuine stained-glass pieces,

  which sets it apart. Unlike plastic or beads, glass allows light to pass through beautifully,

  resulting in a stunning finish.

  The process of imagining the patterns as you create is incredibly enjoyable.

  Come and peek into a one-of-a-kind kaleidoscope world!

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  Making Sarubobo Beads Strap

  2,300 yen

  Create your own original strap by connecting small, cute sarubobo mascots and beads one by one.

  You can choose the color of the sarubobo from six options.

  It’s also a great idea to make matching straps for parents and children or couples.

  You’ll be able to take your sarubobo with you wherever you go!

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  Making Photo Frame

  2,500 yen

  We offer two types of photo frames: glass and wooden. Both options come with sarubobo and other decorative stickers. You can personalize the glass frames using glass-deco for a unique touch, while the wooden frames can be customized with burning pens or stamps. Create your favorite photo frame and display your travel memories with it!

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  Making Japanese-Style Tapestry

  2,300yen

  In our Japanese-style tapestry-making workshop,

  you’ll use a washi paper base and cut and paste antique fabrics（kimono patches) to create your piece.

  Complete your unique tapestry using beautiful Japanese patterns.

  Display it in your room to enjoy a touch of Japan anytime.

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  SEASONAL PAINTING CLAY
  Painting the Glass Wind Chimes

  2,300 yen

  Wind chimes are a traditional Japanese item, embodying the Japanese appreciation for cooling, soothing sounds during the hot summer months.

  Enjoy painting your own wind chime freely. After you finish painting,

  we’ll apply a varnish to finish it.

  It will be placed in a box for you to take home, but please handle it carefully as it is made of glass and can break.

  (Seasonal program from May to September.)

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  ECO FRIENDLY CRAFTS SEASONAL
  Painting on a Japanese Ceder Fan

  1,500 yen

  Decorate a wooden fan made from cedar with our store’s original stencils.

  This fan is crafted from thinned cedar trees,

  which are harvested to help maintain the forest,

  making it an eco-friendly experience. When you fan yourself,

  he refreshing scent of cedar will gently envelop you with the breeze.

  ※ Available summer only.