Take Part in Hokkaido’s Fishing and Food Culture by Creating a Traditional Dyed Fabric Fishing Boat Flag

Details

• Private experience

• Location: Asahikawa, Hokkaido

• １ hour

• 6 people max. Minimum of 2 participants is required; Solo guests may book at the price of 2 participants.

• Offered in Japanese, with a friendly Deeper Japan guide interpreting in English

  (French/German/Spanish interpretation may be available upon request)

Synonymous with Hokkaido fishing and food culture

Located in the center of Hokkaido’s modern city of Asahikawa is a traditional fabric dyeing shop founded in 1898. Throughout the shop’s 120-year history, craftsmen with keen eyes for scrutinizing the highest quality materials and deft hands for fashioning them with pride have produced the brightly colored flags that adorn fishing boats in the waters off Hokkaido. They have eschewed technological advances in printing methods to stay true to their traditional craft. This tour offers a hands-on experience in the authentic “Honzome” technique of fabric dyeing which is characterized by taking a sketched silk fabric, drawing lines around the sketch with glue, then applying natural plant-based dyes with a brush within those lines. After washing, the previously glued areas of fabric remain undyed allowing the design to pop with color. Enjoy this unique artistic experience of traditional fabric dyeing that has become synonymous with Hokkaido fishing and food culture.

What you’ll do

Meet the Deeper Japan interpreter guide at the studio. The artisan invites you to the studio, one of the oldest factories in Hokkaido. You can see most of the studio work, asking for a sketched silk fabric, drawing lines around the sketch with glue, then applying natural plant-based dyes with a brush. You kindly choose the color from the 16 options and apply it to the glued white fabric.

What you wear

• Clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty

Who can attend

Children must be 7+

Availability

Every day (except on Sunday and National Holidays)
Session 1 (10:00 - 11:00)
Session 2 (14:00 - 15:00)

Access

15 min taxi ride from Asahikawa station.

Cancellation Policy

Please make your booking at least 5 days in advance. See cancellation policy here.
* A detailed itinerary will be emailed to you once your booking has been confirmed.