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Hands applying gold powder along a kintsugi seam at a Tokyo workshop
Jiyugaoka, Tokyo Kintsugi

Kintsugi Kurashi — Kintsugi Workshop in Jiyugaoka & Roppongi

Repair a broken ceramic piece with the centuries-old kintsugi technique at Kintsugi Kurashi, a Tokyo workshop with classrooms in both Jiyugaoka and Roppongi. Bring your own piece or use one prepared by the studio; the finished work is yours to take home.

Hareto Score 89/100

Reservations

You'll be redirected to an external site. Check pricing, availability, and cancellation policy there. Hareto is not a party to the reservation contract.

What You’ll Experience

Kintsugi Kurashi runs one-day workshops in both Jiyugaoka and Roppongi, with morning (10:30) and afternoon (14:00) sessions on a first-come basis. Kintsugi is the Japanese craft of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer and powdered gold, treating the seam as part of the piece rather than something to hide — a craft that has been practiced for centuries and is now best known internationally for the philosophical reading of “embracing imperfection.”

The session walks you through the technique on a piece you choose. If you brought a broken plate or bowl from home, the instructor works with that; if not, the studio prepares a piece for you to use during the workshop. The work covers the practical sequence — adhering the broken pieces, applying the lacquer-gold seam, and finishing — within the 90-to-120-minute window. The repaired piece is yours to take home.

Kintsugi Kurashi is a dedicated kintsugi school with two locations and a published instructional method, which means the teaching is more structured than a “single-session experience” framing. The studio also handles consultations for severely damaged pieces and offers free advice if a piece is beyond a single-session repair.

Who Is This For

  • Travelers carrying a meaningful broken piece they want repaired rather than discarded
  • Solo travelers and couples wanting a quiet 90-minute craft session in residential Tokyo
  • Repeat visitors who already saw the temples and now want a hands-on cultural class
  • Anyone curious about the philosophy of wabi-sabi translated into a physical practice

Practical Details

DurationAbout 90 to 120 minutes
PricePlan-dependent; confirm at booking
EnglishInformation posted in Japanese; advance arrangement recommended for English-only visitors
LocationsJiyugaoka (Tokyu Toyoko / Oimachi Line) and Roppongi (Hibiya / Oedo Line)
Hours10:30 morning session; 14:00 afternoon session, first-come basis
What you getOne-day kintsugi instruction, work on your own piece or one provided, finished repair taken home

Hareto’s Take

Most kintsugi workshops in Tokyo are single-session experiences run alongside a primary craft (pottery, lacquer). Kintsugi Kurashi is the inverse — a dedicated kintsugi school where the method is taught, and the one-day workshop is the introductory tier of a longer learning path. That depth shows up in the session itself: the instruction is sequenced rather than rushed, and pieces that seem unrepairable get an honest pre-class consult instead of being declined. The Hareto Score of 89 reflects this combination of teaching depth, the two-location convenience, and the bring-your-own-piece option. If you want a kintsugi workshop in Tokyo that takes the craft seriously, this is the one we recommend.

Practical Details

Duration
About 90 to 120 minutes
Price
Plan-dependent; one-day workshops typically run several thousand yen
Getting there
Jiyugaoka Station (Tokyu Toyoko Line / Oimachi Line); Roppongi (Tokyo Metro Hibiya / Toei Oedo)
Address
Tokyo (Jiyugaoka and Roppongi locations)
Official Site