Best Kintsugi Workshops in Tokyo and Kyoto: Which to Choose

Kintsugi is the Japanese craft of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and finishing the repairs with metallic powder. The seams stay visible, becoming part of the piece. Joining a workshop gives you a chance to learn that process with an instructor and take home a ceramic you’ve repaired yourself.

I tried it at Utsuwa Omusubi HANARE in Tokyo, and it became one of my favorite craft experiences in Japan. I’m not especially good with my hands, but our instructor helped me through the fiddly parts, and I left proud of the small cup I’d repaired. If you’re considering a private kintsugi workshop in Tokyo, I highly recommend it.

The private classes can be expensive, though. If you’d prefer to spend less, TNCA Minami-Aoyama Studio offers a group introduction. In Kyoto, I recommend Shikata Urushi for learning from a long-established lacquer business, or Mio Heki at Akagane Resort if you’d enjoy a private lesson in a historic villa. I’ve personally joined the HANARE workshop; the other recommendations are based on their hosts, class formats, and what you can do there.

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Comparing the Workshops

Workshop	Location	Time	Class and Cost
Utsuwa Omusubi HANARE	Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo	2 hrs	Private; premium
TNCA Minami-Aoyama Studio	Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo	Around 1 hr for the linked Viator class	Group; lower cost
Kintsugi Souke	Toshima, Tokyo	Around 4 hrs	Up to 5 guests; premium
Shikata Urushi	Shimogyo, Kyoto	2 hrs 30 min	Private with interpreter; premium
Mio Heki at Akagane Resort	Higashiyama, eastern Kyoto	2 hrs	Private; higher cost

Check the total for your group on the booking page, including any ceramic or metal-powder upgrades. TNCA has several courses, so compare the duration and activity as well as the price.

Check the map below to see where each kintsugi workshop is held:

What to Expect from a Kintsugi Class

A short workshop introduces you to selected steps in the repair. Traditional lacquer work takes longer than a single class, so sessions may use faster adhesives, prepared pieces, or a combination of modern materials and natural urushi (Japanese lacquer made from tree sap). You can still learn a lot in an afternoon, but a longer or more expensive class doesn’t necessarily teach every stage from scratch.

I recommend choosing by the kind of lesson you’d enjoy. A private session gives you and your companions the instructor’s attention without other guests joining. A group introduction costs less and works well if you’re curious about the craft. If you specifically want to learn natural lacquer techniques, check the course’s materials and the steps you’ll do yourself.

Best Kintsugi Workshops in Tokyo

Utsuwa Omusubi HANARE: My Favorite Private Class

I loved the time I spent at this gallery in Minami-Aoyama. Aya-san, our instructor, showed us how to repair our ceramics around a large wooden table, with Japanese tableware displayed on the shelves. When I struggled to remove excess glue from my cup, she helped me get the pressure right. Having that help without feeling rushed made the workshop much more enjoyable.

The class lasts 2 hours and is private for your group. You’ll join and fill the damaged areas, smooth the repair, and finish it with lacquer and metal powder. Silver is included, while gold costs extra. You can take the piece away that day, with instructions for letting it finish drying at home. If you want to repair your own pottery, send its photo and size when booking so the host can assess it.

You book through Wabunka, which works with Japanese artisans and other hosts to offer private cultural experiences and stays. Their classes have no mixed groups, and they include an interpreter when the host doesn’t speak English. I’ve worked with Wabunka in the Japan travel industry and was invited to this workshop. I recommend them for the personal time you get with the host and the chance to ask questions as you work.

My full account of the HANARE kintsugi experience shows the repair step by step, including the parts I found tricky.

TNCA Minami-Aoyama Studio: A Lower-Cost Introduction

If you’re curious about kintsugi but prefer to keep more of your budget for the rest of the trip, I recommend TNCA’s introductory group class. You work on a supplied piece, with the tools and materials provided, in the Minami-Aoyama studio of ceramic artist Taku Nakano.

The linked Viator class takes around 1 hour and uses prepared pieces. The finished piece is for decoration, not food use, and you can’t bring your own pottery for this course. It’s a good option if you’d enjoy making a souvenir to display at home.

You can also compare TNCA’s courses on Klook, where the introductory session uses resin and ornamental gold powder. Course options and durations differ between the booking pages, so check which lesson you’re selecting. For a short introduction, I think this is a reasonable way to try the craft without paying for a private session.

Kintsugi Souke: A Longer Class with Tea Ceremony

For anyone who wants to devote more of the day to kintsugi, I recommend considering Kintsugi Souke in Toshima, in northwestern Tokyo. The experience lasts around 4 hours, with English instruction and up to five guests.

You’ll apply lacquer and gold powder to a small ceramic cup, then have tea and Japanese sweets as part of a tea ceremony. The extra time includes that tea ceremony, so compare the whole experience with the shorter classes rather than expecting 4 hours of repair work.

I suggest this if both ceramics and tea interest you and you can leave a substantial part of the day free. Allow time for the journey to the workshop as well, especially if you’re staying on the other side of Tokyo.

Best Kintsugi Workshops in Kyoto

Shikata Urushi: My Recommendation for Kyoto

Shikata Urushi is the workshop I recommend in Kyoto if you want to learn how lacquer is made and used as well as repair a ceramic. The business dates to 1867 and refines lacquer itself, so you’re learning from people who work with the material beyond these classes.

The private session lasts 2 hours 30 minutes, with interpreter support. You’ll practice joining broken pieces with a resin compound and tracing fine cracks with natural Japanese lacquer. That combination makes the workshop suitable for a single visit while introducing you to lacquer work.

There are optional upgrades for Kiyomizu ware, a type of Kyoto pottery, and for gold or silver powder in place of brass or tin. I suggest looking at the ceramic choices when booking if you’d particularly like to bring home a piece made in Kyoto. The lesson also includes coffee served in lacquerware.

Mio Heki at Akagane Resort: A Private Lesson in a Historic Villa

For a more expensive Kyoto experience, I recommend Mio Heki’s class at Akagane Resort. She’s a lacquer artist and restorer, and the class takes place in a former villa built in 1925 in Higashiyama, eastern Kyoto.

You spend 2 hours with an English-speaking host, in a private group of up to four people. The lesson combines natural lacquer with faster repair steps so you can take your piece home that day. Brass powder is the standard finish, with gold available for an additional fee.

I suggest this if you’d enjoy learning from an artist in a historic building and are comfortable paying more for that setting. Shikata Urushi is my broader recommendation in Kyoto, especially if you’re interested in the lacquer business itself. Here, the attraction is the combination of Heki’s restoration work, personal instruction, and the villa.

Before You Book

Check which metal powder is included if you want a particular finish. A gold-colored seam can come from brass or an ornamental powder. Real gold is an optional upgrade at HANARE, Shikata Urushi, and Mio Heki’s class, so the standard price may not cover the result you have in mind.

Also check what you can do with the finished piece. Some repairs are for display, while others need time to dry before use. Follow your instructor’s care instructions, particularly if you hope to drink or eat from the ceramic. Being able to carry it home that day doesn’t mean it’s ready to use.

Once you know which days you’ll be in Tokyo or Kyoto, I suggest reserving your workshop before filling those days with sightseeing. For a private class with a particular host, a little flexibility over the date can help. Read the cancellation terms before paying, since they differ between experiences.

Is a Kintsugi Workshop Worth It?

For me, yes. At HANARE, sanding the repair was the part that surprised me most. I kept running my fingers over the cup to find the remaining bump, then sanding a little more until the surface was smooth. I became so absorbed in that small task that the time passed quickly.

If you enjoy careful work and would like to learn directly from someone who practices the craft, I think a workshop is well worth setting aside an afternoon for. Beginners can enjoy it too. I needed help along the way, and that didn’t take away from how satisfying it was to finish my cup.

If you’re still deciding what kind of activity you’d enjoy, compare kintsugi with the other workshops and visits in my guide to cultural experiences in Japan.