Step into the world of Shodō, one of Japan’s oldest and most graceful arts. This private class, held in a welcoming Kyoto home, is led by a calligraphy master with over 55 years of experience. You and your companions will have the instructor’s full attention — no other guests — for an intimate, authentic session in a calm Kyoto atmosphere. Discover the quiet beauty and flowing rhythm behind each brushstroke as you create elegant kanji. Even if you’ve never held a calligraphy brush, you’ll learn the right techniques, see how the artist’s state of mind shapes the work, and enjoy writing characters as Japanese students do. Choose a favorite kanji and add your name in Japanese, creating a keepsake to take home — a lasting memory of Kyoto. Please wear or bring clean socks; entering the tatami room without socks is considered impolite. Children under 12 cannot be accommodated. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, we won’t be able to start, and refunds cannot be offered.
What a wonderful time we had with our fabulous calligraphy master. She was encouraging and the step by step guide helped. Its such a fabulous craft which she made look so easy. Only wish we had a little more time to spend practising. Would highly recommend this clads to anyone interested in this beautiful craft.
Aya has been learning calligraphy since she was 3 years old and is a wonderful teacher. Patient, informative, helpful plus she takes great photos of you doing the calligraphy that she airdrops to you at the end of class!
Aya gave us a truly special experience. The class took place in her home, which made it deeply meaningful for our family. Being welcomed into a traditional Japanese home added an authenticity we will never forget. She is a skilled and passionate teacher — clear in her instruction and encouraging throughout. What meant the most to us was how she recognized our son Max’s artistic ability and encouraged him. That moment alone made the experience priceless. Her English is excellent, which made communication easy and comfortable. We felt honored to learn from her and grateful for the opportunity to experience Japanese calligraphy in such an intimate and authentic setting. A memorable experience we will always cherish.
Unique experience with a lovely and knowledgeable teacher who actually helped us leave with a few samples of our work. Highly recommend even if you have no experience at ll ( like us) . We learned so much and also experienced the quieting of the state of mind .
This calligraphy class was a great way to learn a bit about Japanese culture and practice our brush skills. The instructor was very welcoming, knowledgeable, and personable; she taught us about the evolution of calligraphy and gave clear, easy-to-follow instructions for drawing the characters we chose. After an hour spent learning and laughing, we were able to create our own personal calligraphy souvenirs from the class. We would definitely recommend this activity in Kyoto!
I’m here with a tour group & was thrilled to have the chance to break away from the group one afternoon & sign up for this class. So far, this experience has been one of my favorites from my entire trip to Japan! Aya is patient & kind teacher. I loved learning the different brush techniques & found the afternoon to be informative, fun, & relaxing! I am excited to be able to take my calligraphy home! I am a teacher of blind students, & after class & learning about calligraphy, I was able to show Aya what her name looks like in braille! Please sign up for this class & have the chance to learn something in a fun & relaxed setting. Highly recommend! ~~ Sara from Seattle
Very pleasant, instructive and fun! We learned about calligraphy and practiced drawing the beautiful symbols with ink. The hostess was very generous with her time.
This is a supremely pleasant and enriching experience. The teacher provides a no pressure environment in a typical home setting, with a delicate yet informed approach. It’s a cultural and deeply personal experience which can unlock a lifelong passion for perfection. Calligraphy is ancient and worth trying and Kyoto and this teacher were the perfect way to try it.
We had a great time. The teacher is very experienced, patient and helpful. We got to keep and take many examples home. They were kind and spoke English very well which was helpful. Recommend this tour!
If you're in Kyoto and interested in a cultural experience, TAKE THIS CLASS. Aya-san and her husband were wonderful hosts. Aya-san's 50+ years of experience in the art of Japanese calligraphy, provided a class full of history, deep knowledge, and wonderful instruction. She is a natural teacher. I was so taken with the experience that I wanted a brush of my own. Aya-san directed to her favorite shop and over text helped me select a weasel brush in my price range. She and her husband were generous and lovely hosts to us.
The class is not intended for children (ours are 7 and 9), which is not clear in the Viator description. After some initial discussion, we sorted the situation. We thereafter had a wonderful class which all of us enjoyed. The children must be motivated. Great teacher. Definitely recommend.
If you’re looking for a Japanese calligraphy experience, you must book this one! Aya-san and her husband are an extremely welcoming and attentive host couple and made us feel welcome in their home. Aya-san is a very capable teacher and helped our group of four (two adults and two 13 year olds) produce some lovely Kanji characters to take home. It was lovely to learn about calligraphy and hear about Aya-san’s experience of learning her art from a very young age.
Had a great class! I really learned a lot about Japanese calligraphy. The teacher was knowledgeable and patient. It was exciting to see my improvement over the course of the lesson and create some beautiful characters to take home.
Had a great time. We copied some calligraphy and our teacher was very attentive and patient. We learnt about the history too which was very interesting. My son loved it so we bought him some equipment from the recommended shop too. Thank you for having us! Kerri & Finn
Our family really enjoyed this experience, which is located at the host's home. She made it super easy to find her house with detailed instructions. After a brief introduction to calligraphy, each member of our family learned to write four different words. The host attached our final drawings to a matte for us to take home. She took pictures for us of our artwork and a few action shots with our concentration faces on! Our whole family, including teenage boys, had a great time!
learned a lot about Japanese calligraphy, was fun, great ac, worth it if you are in the area. instructor very kind. recommend!
We loved this workshop- it was just the two of us (myself and my 11 year old), and our hosts were very generous with their time and knowledge. We walked away with many calligraphy symbols to hang up and an appreciation for the artistry of it. Such a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon in the middle of Kyoto.
We had such a good time with Aya san and her husband. Not only with regard to the calligraphy class, in which Aya san showed her deep knowledge and history of the art, but also getting to know each other as we struggled with brushes, ink and paper. The class inspired us to learn more about calligraphy and to continue trying it on our own. Thank you so much Aya san for a fantastic class. We strongly recommend the class. Eva & Mikael from Sweden
Unfortunately due to no fault of our own, we could not make the booking on time. We contacted the vendor prior to our time and they refused to offer a refund. They were not able to accomodate us at a future day or time since they stated they were fully booked. I looked at previous reviews and saw similar experiences to ours. Very dissapointing. Not a good practice towards your customers. I would not recommend them. Viator would not assist us either since they leave it to the vendor. Buyer beware.
Very nice class from Aya, thanks for having us!! You get to keep your calligraphy too! Highly recommended
Excellent. We loved the time spent with Aya, our instructor. She explained the history of caligraphy and teached us how to easily start doing caligraphy. She was very patient with us. We could take home our artwork, very nice memory! She was very helpful in finding her place, arranging a suitable time slot (so we could have a little bit more time). As it was raining she helped us to get a taxi back. Thank you Aya!
This is a fantastic must-do experience. The couple who run this family business are incredibly welcoming and patient. They put you at ease immediately and teach you so much about the rich history of this beautiful art. We loved every minute of this and it was a real highlight of our trip. Do book with them. It’s so worth it. You even get to take your work home with you, after they have lovingly mounted, signed (with your name) and stamped it. A perfect Japanese experience.
It was good. Fun to be taught how to do the writing. Hard to find the place. The house was good. We all had a good time
Aya was a wonderful host, she was warm, friendly and very knowledgeable. She gently guided us through the history of calligraphy and the different strokes. It was a wonderful class and I would highly recommend.
Being able to write myself the Wabi Sabi I really wanted to achieve. It was well setup and organised. A bit hard to find as Google maps shows wrong.
I enjoyed this so much! Loved that she also told about the background of kalligrafie. She was so friendly and sweet.
Charming instructor, great set up, really enjoyable experience, and left with good memories and understanding on the art.
Highly recommend! Aya and her husband were so thoughtful. It was informative, fun, and private. To top it off, we get keepsakes to bring home. Never thought of doing this, but we found it looking for rainy day events. Now I’d say it’s worth your effort to make it part of your itinerary. Thanks again!
Aya and her husband were amazing! The class was fun and has some fun history lessons as well. We were running about 10-15 minutes late (got lost!) and Aya was great about working with us and squeezed us in. Great communication and just a fun class. Aya took lots of pictures of our class and our efforts, which she then shared with us. Also gave some local places to check out! Would recommend to anyone! Our whole family loved it (kids 13 and 15)!
Aya and her husband made this one of our favorite experiences on the trip. They welcomed us into their home where they have a studio room set up for the lesson. They offered te and traditional Japanese sweets. We had a lesson about the history of Japanese Caligraphy and then had time to practice. We left with beautiful Caligraphy made by us that we plan to exhibit in our home. This is a must on your visit!!
I want to write down my name, but it was too long and an hour too short time for that. I choose father character for my action. The host was very cute and she was professional!
Journey through Japanese history through the written language and learn about the Kanji characters, its meaning and how some of the characters are characters within a character from a very knowledge calligraphy teacher in Ms. Aya Ito. When the writing portion starts, she will guide the your hand and the “fude” (writing brush) with grace and ease. Then you’ll have fun trying your hand at writing the kanji characters on your own as she provides key pointers. It was fun, interesting and informative. And you’ll get to take your master pieces home! Highly recommend.
Aya was such a good teacher, and so patient and encouraging! My husband was apprehensive, but we BOTH had a great time and have some nice keepsakes!
Incredible experience. Aya was great, very knowledgeable and attentive. Aya was happy to answer any questions we had about anything, not just Caligraphy. Being at her home, the setting was intimate and felt special, we wish it was longer! We both thoroughly enjoyed this experience and can highly recommend it to all. You must do this if you’re vaguely interested in Japanese culture.
So worth it!! The hosts were so hospitable and encouraging. The instructor has been practicing calligraphy for over 50 years and gives hands on guidance and a history lesson. You end up with some pieces to take home with you so it doubles as free decor for your home!!
Aya was amazing! She was kind, supportive and very helpful which really helped since I am a beginner. I finished 3 paintings for my grandchildren. I highly recommend her. Enjoy!
This was an excellent experience. The teacher was lovely and very positive about my beginners ability. I came away with calligraphy I will frame for my wall.
Experiences where you get to keep a memoir are always enjoyable. Our hosts made us feel very welcomed and were patiently guiding us to create our japanese ideograph. They were also taking pictures of the session which in the end shared with us. However, the whole session did feel a bit rushed. No time was spent at all sharing information about calligraphy. A leaflet was provided but we had to open it to understand it contained some historical information. Our hosts never said what it was about. Although our hosts were patient as I mentioned if we did choose not to draw anymore, the session would probably last 10 minutes! Overall I would recommend it, but don't get your hopes up high.
A great introduction to Japanese calligraphy in a peaceful environment. The teacher was knowledgeable, patient and kind. Would highly recommend this tour.
With Aja, I learned to appreciate the authenticity of the original. Be it the instruction itself or the originality of the characters (I had a different experience in Kyoto). After I had practiced calligraphy for a year, I was able, with Aja's help, to put four flowers for the seasons on paper. She made sure that my characters were in balance. I will continue to learn from the master of Shodo.
Magnificent experience that I recommend doing; the hostess immediately puts you at ease and helps you with the writing of the characters with calm and professionalism.
It very informative and it quickly transitioned into the practical part. First, I touched the brush to understand the brush guide. Later, my lines were corrected and then let go. That was a very good accompaniment. The atmosphere was very warm and additionally I got a recommendation for two stores.
Es war ein wunderbares Erlebnis. Wir wurden herzlich aufgenommen und es hat wahnsinnigen Spaß gemacht auch wenn die Kalligraphie sehr anspruchsvoll ist. Sehr zu empfehlen.
Crei que seria una experiences más artistica y fue más turistica no sali muy complacida. La Maestra es buena pero se nota q al alumno del tour no le toma tanta importancia por ser solo unos minutos de clase al final de cuentas.
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