You can make your own chopsticks in both Tokyo and Kyoto, with beginner workshops that usually take around 1 to 2 hours. I tried it at Mogami Kogei in Tokyo and loved the experience. Making a pair to take home was satisfying, and the time talking with Mogami-san in his workshop made the visit even more memorable.
If you’d enjoy meeting an artisan and learning about their work, I strongly recommend a private session. Mogami Kogei is my favorite in Tokyo, while Takano Chikko near Kyoto combines bamboo chopstick making with tea and sweets. Both cost considerably more than a group class, though. For a shorter, more affordable activity, I recommend the Kuramae workshop in Tokyo or a class near the places you’re already visiting, such as the Gion workshop in Kyoto.
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At a Glance
- Private workshop in Tokyo: Mogami Kogei, with an interpreter and a wooden box for your finished chopsticks
- Private bamboo experience near Kyoto: Takano Chikko, in Nagaokakyo, a separate city southwest of Kyoto
- A class near Kyoto’s sightseeing streets: The Gion workshop, near Yasaka Pagoda
- Affordable class in eastern Tokyo: The Kuramae workshop, with English-speaking staff and about 1 hour of crafting
- Already visiting Nara: The Nara workshop, where you make chopsticks from Yoshino cedar
Compare Chopstick Workshops
Tokyo and Nearby
| Workshop | Area | Cost | Why Choose It? | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mogami Kogei | Kuramae, Tokyo | Premium | Private time with a woodworker and an interpreter | Wabunka |
| Kuramae Artisan Workshop | Misuji, near Kuramae | Budget | A short class with English-speaking staff | Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook |
| Shinjuku Chopsticks Making Class | Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo | Budget | A class near Shinjuku’s hotels and shops | Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook |
| Ginza Workshop | Ginza, Tokyo | Budget | A class during a day around Ginza | GetYourGuide |
| Karaki Mokko | Kawagoe, Saitama | Budget | A workshop during an existing Kawagoe day trip | Jalan |
Kyoto and Nearby
| Workshop | Area | Cost | Why Choose It? | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Takano Chikko | Nagaokakyo, Kyoto Prefecture | Premium | Private bamboo workshop with an interpreter, matcha, and sweets | Wabunka |
| Nara Workshop | Nara | Budget | Yoshino cedar chopsticks with artisan guidance | GetYourGuide |
| Yokoyama Bamboo Store | Kamigyo, Kyoto | Mid-range | Bamboo carving at an established bamboo business | Activity Japan |
| Gion Workshop | Near Yasaka Pagoda, Kyoto | Budget | A class during a day in eastern Kyoto | Viator, GetYourGuide |
| Marumasu-Nishimuraya | Nakagyo, Kyoto | Budget | Chopstick making plus a dyed fabric case | WAmazing |
| Kyomachiya Workshop Waraku | Higashiyama, Kyoto | Budget | Bamboo chopsticks in a traditional townhouse | Activity Japan |
What Happens in a Chopstick Workshop?
In many of these workshops, you’ll choose your wood, shave it into shape, smooth it with sandpaper, and apply an oil finish. You’ll often use a hand plane, a tool that removes thin layers of wood, with a support holding the wood in place while you work. Bamboo workshops may use a small knife instead.
The instructor helps you through the process, so you can join as a beginner. I wasn’t especially good at it myself, but I still left Mogami Kogei with a pair I was happy to take home. If you’d prefer a larger project, making your own knife is another possibility, though the work and time involved vary much more between knife workshops.
Chopstick Workshops in Tokyo
Mogami Kogei: My Favorite Private Workshop
Mogami Kogei is the workshop I recommend if you’re happy to spend more for a private visit with a woodworker. It’s in Kuramae, in eastern Tokyo, and you’ll be making your chopsticks in the artisan’s working studio.
Mogami-san was so kind during my visit. We had an interpreter with us, which meant we could talk with him and learn about his work while making the chopsticks. That conversation was a big part of why I enjoyed it so much, and I was proud of our finished pairs despite my very average woodworking skills.
The session takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Your finished chopsticks come with a handmade paulownia wood box to take them home in. Your instructor may be Yutaka Mogami or his son Ryo, depending on the session.
You book through Wabunka, a website offering private cultural experiences and stays in Japan. They work directly with artisans and other hosts to arrange visits for international travelers, with no mixed groups. Here, your party has the workshop to itself and an interpreter to help you talk with your host. I think that personal time is worth the higher price if you’re curious about the person and the craft as well as the chopsticks you’ll make.
You can read more about my visit in my full Mogami Kogei review.
Kuramae Artisan Workshop: My Budget Recommendation
For an affordable workshop in eastern Tokyo, I recommend the Kuramae class. You spend about 1 hour making wooden chopsticks with help from English-speaking staff, then take them home the same day. It’s easy to leave time for other plans around the neighborhood afterward.
The class takes place at Hashiyuki Chopsticks Shop & Workshop in Misuji, near Kuramae. You can choose from several woods, with some included in the class price and others available for an extra charge.
Shinjuku Chopsticks Making Class
The ZEN chopstick class is convenient if you’re staying around Shinjuku or spending the day there. Tools, standard wood, and help from English-speaking staff are included, so you can arrive and try the hand plane without bringing anything for the workshop. Premium wood and name engraving cost extra.
You’ll find the studio upstairs in a building in Nishi-Shinjuku, on the western side of Shinjuku. I suggest keeping the building and floor details from your booking handy, since the entrance may be less obvious than a street-level shop.
Chopstick Making Workshop in Ginza
If you’re spending a day shopping or eating around Ginza, the Ginza workshop gives you 1 hour to make something yourself between those stops. You choose the wood and length of your chopsticks, then shape, sand, and oil them with help from English-speaking staff.
Some woods and name engraving cost extra here too. I’d choose between this and the Shinjuku class mainly by where I was already planning to spend the day.
Karaki Mokko: A Stop During a Kawagoe Day Trip
Karaki Mokko is near the Toki no Kane bell tower in Kawagoe, a city in Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo. It’s a good stop during a Kawagoe day trip, when you’re already exploring the town’s shops and old streets. I wouldn’t make the journey from Tokyo just for this class, given the number of workshops in the city.
Inside the shop, you choose your wood and work through shaving, sanding, and oiling it, with a support holding the wood steady as you shave. The Jalan booking page is in Japanese. If you need instruction in English, I suggest asking the workshop before reserving.
Chopstick Workshops in Kyoto and Nearby
Takano Chikko: My Recommendation for a Private Bamboo Experience
I strongly recommend Takano Chikko if you’d enjoy spending part of a day learning about bamboo craft and its use in Japanese tea utensils. At its Chikubuen shop and gallery, you make your own bamboo chopsticks, hear about the material, and finish with matcha and seasonal Japanese sweets served in bamboo tableware made by the artisans.
The private visit lasts about 2 hours, with an interpreter included through Wabunka. You take home your chopsticks and a chopstick rest, having also seen some of the other things the artisans make from bamboo.
Chikubuen is in Nagaokakyo, outside Kyoto city, so this takes more planning than joining a class between sightseeing stops. It’s also one of the more expensive options. I think it’s best for someone who wants to give the workshop and tea time a good part of the day, including the journey there and back.
Nara Workshop: Good Value During a Nara Visit
If Nara is already on your itinerary, the Nara chopstick workshop is a good-value way to add an activity to your visit. You work with Yoshino cedar from Nara Prefecture, watching an artisan demonstrate the technique before shaping your own pair. The roughly 1-hour session also covers how to use and care for the finished chopsticks.
The meeting point is Kurabi salon in Nara city. I’d leave room for the journey there when choosing a session, especially if you already have several sights planned. If you’re staying in Kyoto and weren’t planning to visit Nara, I recommend a Kyoto workshop instead.
Yokoyama Bamboo Store
Yokoyama Bamboo Store is a good choice for working with bamboo within Kyoto city. At its TAKENOKO shop in Kamigyo, in the northern part of central Kyoto, an artisan helps you shave the bamboo with a small knife and smooth it with sandpaper.
You’ll spend about 2 hours at a business that also makes and supplies bamboo products. I suggest confirming a date with the workshop before arranging the rest of that day’s plans.
Gion Chopstick Making Workshop
The Gion workshop is near Yasaka Pagoda, so it’s easy to combine with a day exploring the streets around Kiyomizu-dera in eastern Kyoto. I recommend it if you want a short, affordable class near those sights, with about 1 hour for making your chopsticks.
English-speaking staff help you use the hand plane, sand the wood, and add the oil finish. Standard wood is included, and you can pay extra for premium wood or name engraving if you’d like to personalize the pair further.
Marumasu-Nishimuraya: Chopsticks and a Fabric Case
At Marumasu-Nishimuraya, you make cedar chopsticks and decorate a fabric case using Kyo-yuzen, a Kyoto dyeing technique. It’s a good option if you’d enjoy trying both woodworking and dyeing, with something you can carry your chopsticks in afterward.
The combined workshop takes 2 to 3 hours, so I’d leave a morning or afternoon for it rather than squeeze it between other bookings. It’s near Nijojo-mae and Karasuma Oike stations in central Kyoto. You use a small hand plane for the chopsticks, and families should confirm the age requirements before booking.
Kyomachiya Workshop Waraku
Waraku offers about 1 hour of bamboo chopstick making in a traditional Kyoto house. The workshop is in a machiya (traditional townhouse) opposite Sanjusangendo temple in Higashiyama.
I recommend it if you’re visiting Sanjusangendo and would enjoy spending time inside an older house as well. You can combine the temple visit and the workshop without traveling to another part of Kyoto.
Before You Book
Can Children Take Part?
Children can join some of these workshops, though the minimum age and supervision requirements vary because the tools can include a blade or hand plane. For a family visit, I suggest checking whether everyone can take part together and whether an accompanying adult needs a separate booking.
Should I Reserve in Advance?
I recommend reserving private workshops early, once you know when you’ll be in Tokyo or Kyoto. The host and interpreter both need to be available, and some bookings are confirmed only after they’ve reviewed your request. The cancellation deadline can also be much earlier than for a group class, so it’s worth reading the terms while you’re still deciding on dates.
For a group class, I suggest choosing a day when you’ll already be nearby. If you’re still deciding when to arrange experiences alongside hotels and transport, my guide to what to book in advance for Japan explains how I approach that.
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