After five years of teaching kintsugi in Tokyo, we are opening our third studio — this time in Kyoto.
The Tsugu Tsugu Kyoto Studio opens on November 1, 2026.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with urushi lacquer and gold, treating the damage as part of an object's history rather than something to hide. Kyoto is a city that has spent centuries deciding what is worth keeping. Opening here is not a marketing decision for us — it is where the craft belongs.
A wooden house in Kiyomizu-Gojo
Our Kyoto studio is a two-storey wooden house, more than 70 years old, on a narrow lane in the Higashiyama district.
It is about a 10-minute walk from Kiyomizu-Gojo Station on the Keihan Line, and within walking distance of Kennin-ji Temple, Rokuharamitsu-ji Temple and Yasui Konpiragu Shrine. If Kiyomizu-dera Temple or Gion are already on your list, we are a short walk away — but one street back from the crowds.
The building has its share of damage, and parts of it need repair. We could have found something newer. Instead we are fixing what is here and continuing to use it, which is the same idea that sits behind kintsugi itself.
Downstairs: over 100 kintsugi vessels, and no need to book
The ground floor is our shop, and it is open to anyone. No reservation, no appointment — come in, take your time, and leave again if nothing catches you.
We expect to have more than 100 one-of-a-kind kintsugi vessels on display at any given time. Each has been restored by our kintsugi artisans and lacquer artists, and no two can ever be the same: a crack cannot be repeated.
We may be proven wrong, but we do not know of anywhere else in Japan where you can see this many restored pieces gathered in one room. If you have only ever seen kintsugi in photographs, this is a different experience — bowls, plates and cups you can pick up and turn in your hands, each with its own history of breaking and being brought back.
Many of our visitors buy a piece as a gift. A restored vessel carries a particular meaning when it is given to someone: that something damaged can become more valuable than it was before.
Our Tsugu Kit and kintsugi supplies are here too, on the shelf rather than on a screen. You can open the box, see the tools and the real urushi lacquer, ask us anything, and take one home the same day.
Upstairs: the Traditional Kintsugi Workshop
Upstairs is where the workshops happen, in English.
Ninety minutes, real urushi lacquer, and the moment everyone comes for: dusting 23K gold powder over a repair and watching the line turn gold. You take your finished piece home with you the same day.
- 90 minutes
- 22,000 JPY per person
- Up to 10 people
- In English
- Vessels provided
- Ages 12 and over
Bookings for Kyoto are expected to open around October 1, 2026. When they do, you will find them on our Workshop page, alongside our Tokyo studios:
Book a Kintsugi Workshop (Currently Preparing)→
Booking directly through our own page is the best way to reserve — you get the full choice of dates and times, and you are dealing with us directly if your plans change.
If you are already in the neighbourhood and would rather take your chances, we accept walk-ins up to 30 minutes before a session starts, as long as there is a seat free. Booking ahead is safer, but the door is not closed to you.
A few things worth knowing
We provide the vessels. The workshop uses pieces prepared in advance, so please don't bring your own.
Urushi is a natural lacquer, and some people react to it. It comes from the same plant family as poison ivy. We provide gloves and show you how to handle it safely, but if you have reacted to lacquer, poison ivy or poison oak before, please tell us before you book. This is also why the workshop is for ages 12 and over.
Card payment only. The Kyoto studio does not accept cash.
The building is old, and it shows. There are stairs and steps inside, including to the toilet, and the studio is not wheelchair accessible. There is no parking and no bicycle parking.
Opening days. We will be closed on Wednesdays to begin with, but rather than memorising our hours, check the live availability on the booking page — it always shows the real schedule.
Two of our teachers are moving to Kyoto
Two of our kintsugi professionals, both from our Ebisu studio, are relocating to open the Kyoto studio. They will be the ones welcoming you, and our Tokyo instructors will travel down to help from time to time.
Our Ebisu and Asakusa studios continue exactly as before.
Watch us work, from anywhere
Every Monday at 18:00 JST we go live on YouTube and Instagram. From November, some of those broadcasts will come from Kyoto — a good way to see the studio before you arrive.
One small request, from us and from our neighbours
Our studio is not on a shopping street. It sits on a narrow lane in a real Kyoto neighbourhood, and the houses on either side of us are people's homes — families who have lived here for a long time, in a quiet part of a very busy city.
We would be grateful if you could walk in gently: keep your voice low on the lane, and if you arrive early for a workshop, please come inside and wait with us rather than gathering by the door.
Photographs of our shop are very welcome — please do take them, and we would love to see them. We only ask that you keep the neighbouring houses out of the frame. They look like part of the scenery, but they are private homes, and the people inside would rather not turn up in a stranger's holiday photographs.
It is a small thing, but it is the reason a street like this still exists. We would like to still be here in ten years, welcomed by the people around us — and that depends a little on all of us.
Thank you for understanding. We are looking forward to seeing you in Kyoto.
Tsugu Tsugu Kyoto Studio
- Opening: November 1, 2026
- Nearest station: Kiyomizu-Gojo Station (Keihan Line), 10 minutes on foot
- Shop (1F): open to all, no reservation needed
- Traditional Kintsugi Workshop (2F): 90 minutes, 22,000 JPY, up to 10 people, in English, ages 12+
- Closed: Wednesdays (subject to change — please check the booking page)
- Payment: credit card only
- Google Maps: Tsugu Tsugu Kyoto Studio
Bookings open around October 1, 2026: Kintsugi Workshops