The Kyo-Yuzen Workshop is a store, cafe, and craft center where you can make
one-of-kind souvenirs.
- Make reservations!
- For the chopstick making class, we were given a paper with English translation of the activity we were doing that explained everything. I would suggest reading this first before getting started.
- You pay once you have finished.
- If your visiting in the winter, spring, or fall you may want to bring a jacket because it was a little chilly.
Kyo-Yuzen is located on a side street from a main road in Kyoto. When you arrive you will see a store-front with the many items they sell, to the right of that there is a narrow passage-way. This leads to the Cafe and the classrooms. There is also nearby parking if you are driving there.
Access From JR Kyoto Station
By Subway
Board a subway bound for Kokusai-Kaikan.
Get off at Karasuma Oike station, then walk to the west (takes about 7 min. walking)
By Bus
City Bus Terminal, departure bays B1 and B2, bus lines #9, #50 and #52; Get off at Horikawa-Oike Sta., then walk to the east (takes about 5 min. walking).
Address
457 Tsuboya-cho, Ogawa-dori,
Oike-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto,
Japan 604-8276
Telephone
+81 75 211 3273
Email
I visited Kyo-Yuzen Friday, April 18th 2014. I arrived exactly at 9:00am just in time for their Chop stick making class. At first it appeared empty, but a few minutes later the entire workshop was flooded with little sailors (school children) who were apparently there for a field trip. I did not have reservations, but was hoping that they might be able to squeeze us in. I was first told to come back in 1 hour, but once they seated all of the children, they made some room for my husband and I towards the back of the room! Since it was my first time going, I would probably recommend going on a weekday Monday-Thursday, since Friday's are probably a popular day for field trips, and who knows what the weekend might look like. Since the chopstick making class started at 9am and is estimated to take 2.5 hours, once you complete your craft, you can enjoy lunch at their Cafe.
If you enjoy arts and crafts, Kyo-Yuzen is a must! The atmosphere is quaint and cozy. There is a small courtyard with trees all around and decorations that give it a special touch. The selection of items is extensive and allows you to choose based on your budget. The staff are very friendly and speak pretty good English. Most of all, you get to personalize your own souvenir from Kyoto, which makes it all the more special!
Since we did the chop sticking making and case dying class our total expense was ¥6,300 (including tax). The owner also gave us each ¥100 discount coupons for the Cafe. There are a range of items to choose from starting at about ¥1200. Nothing on the menu in the cafe is over ¥1000, however the menu is pretty limited. There is a sandwich set to choose from, a few different waffles with different toppings and a pasta dish of the day.
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| We arrived at Kyo-Yuzen approximately 9am on a Friday morning on April 18th of 2014, taking this side street that lead us right up to it. |
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| At first I wasn't sure if I was at the right place. I walked into the store and looked around a bit, but then I realized the store was towards the back. |
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| So I followed this stone pathway... |
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| that led to this cute courtyard. |
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| This corridor is just as your enter into the workshop past the storefront. When walking in the Cafe is on your left hand side and there are a set of stairs that lead up to other smaller classrooms. |
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| I walked around to get acquainted with the workshop |
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| This was one of the entrances for Cafe Mayu |
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This was the entrance for the largest of the classroom workshops. There were also some items available for purchase there as well
After our instructor seated us, he began to grab the various tools we need for the class |
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| First he brought out a box of cedar sticks. They single pieces so you have to pick two sticks. |
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| He never explained what this was used for, nor did we used it. |
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| This is the tool we used to shave our wooden sticks down into chop sticks. There were also very sharp blades, but he said they were "too dangerous" to use. |
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Your given an orange foam mat to press on as you are shaving your sticks. In my opinion,
its best not to keep shaving in the same spot, rather rotate your stick as you shave a piece off. |
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| Once I completed shaving my sticks and making sure the size was the same, you are given a small wooden block and little square piece of sanding paper. One coarse and the other less coarse. Remember to use the coarse paper first (of course) and then the smoother one. Also, do each stroke one direction at a time, not going back over the same direction you just stroked. |
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| Once you have completed carving your wood, you will then be given a small piece of paper towel and olive oil to coat your wooden stick. Then the instructor placed another box of cases to choose from. They were all the same, except for the different rope and bead colors. |
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| It may not seem like a lot of colors to choose from, but I promise its more than enough. |
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Before
we got started the instructor handed us this guide to show how to do the
Kyo-Yuzen art technique, which demonstrates how to get the color you want to
paint with
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He
was also kind enough to demonstrate the technique for us and told us to
practice before we began painting on our cases
Our finished products. Daniel went with a traditional fan design of Kyoto, and of course I had to choose the Sakura design
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| Our instructor was wonderful and was really excited to have us! |
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| After finishing our chopsticks we were ready for something to eat, so we decided to try the Cafe |
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| It was pretty cute and homey inside |
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| Food and drink prices were decent |
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| Daniel got the sandwich |
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| and I got the caramel waffle with whipped cream |
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After lunch, we were ready to go!
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| But not before taking another look around! Apparently you can make a pair of baby booties here! |
And of course a quick look in the gift shop. Perhaps its a good idea to look in here first for some inspiration before you begin working on your own craft.
I was pretty surprised to come across this. I guess they sell all kinds of leather goods. Even personalized leather shoes?
 PROS: Kyo-Yuzen is great because you can choose what you would like to make from several choices. The staff is very friendly and your even equipped with English worksheets that explains the process. The atmosphere is very authentic Japanese style and beautiful. CONS: I was expecting to lacquer my chopsticks and maybe add a stain or color to them. Those options were not given, so basically we were left will olive oil coated chopsticks. Not sure how well this would hold up after using it once, so we will have to look into lacquering them on our own. For this reason, I did not feel the price did not match what we were getting. Neither myself or Daniel enjoyed our meal at the Cafe. Although we were one of the first people to eat at the restaurant that day, my waffle and Daniels waffled used for his sandwich tasted pretty stale and dry and was rather cold. FINAL VERDICT: A visit to Kyo-Yuzen is a must! If I had to do it all over again, I might have chosen another item to do the Kyo-Yuzen artwork on. I also wouldn't have eaten at the Cafe, or maybe just have gotten a beverage at the most.
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