Traditional Textiles Tour

 
 

Experience the magic of Japan found in textiles, craftsmanship, and living tradition.

In Japan there is a phrase, ichi-go, ichi-e: a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, never to be repeated, which reminds us to be present in each moment. 

This tour centres on the craftsmen and women, as well as the skills that shape Kyoto’s cultural fabric. Over ten days and seven textile workshops, all within Kyoto, the Traditional Textiles Tour will provide its participants with many such magical moments. From trying the centuries old weaving and dyeing techniques used in the creation of kimono, to wearing them and even repurposing the precious textiles into something new.

 

Dates: December 6 - 16, 2026

 

Price: ¥873,200 (based on a shared double room)

¥140,600 (single supplement)

Prices are quoted in Japanese yen. This is approx. $5,600 US, however please check for your current exchange rates as they do fluctuate. The yen continues to remain weak.

 

Group size: 8 participants

Included:

  • 10 nights accommodation at the Hotel Intergate and the Gion Yoshi-ima ryokan

  • 8 guided days and 2 free days

  • Breakfast and lunch on all guided days in Kyoto

  • Welcome and Sayonara dinners featuring Kyoto’s unique ‘kaiseki’ cuisine

  • Transportation in Kyoto on all guided days

  • Limo-bus reimbursement to/from KIX or ITM airport

  • All workshop fees

Hands-on workshops:

•Sashiko embroidery

•Seasonal flower embroidery

•Remaking a vintage kimono into a pouch

•Yuzen silk dyeing

•Shibori silk dyeing

•Kumihimo silk strap weaving

•Tsuzureori silk weaving 

Also included:

•Dressing in kimono (with optional hair and make-up)

•Tea ceremony in kimono 

•… and a rickshaw ride in kimono :) 

•Shopping for fabrics, both antique and new, as well as other craft and fabric items in the Teramachi shopping arcade

•Shopping at Chionji handmade craft market (free day option)

•Visit to the Kyoto Museum of Craft and Design

•Visit to the Nishijin Textile centre in the weaving district of Kyoto

•Meeting Nishi-san, a Japanese textile artist working in Japan and abroad, to learn about the history of Kyoto textiles

•Meeting with Umeha-san, a working geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha), to learn about her extensive kimono collection

 

Meet your Tour Leader ~

Australian by birth, tour leader Felicity Tillack has lived in Japan since 2006 and been based in Kyoto since 2017. Fluent in Japanese, she works as an interpreter and cultural guide, offering rare access to artisans, workshops, and hidden corners of the city that are often missed by casual visitors. Through each experience, she invites guests to slow down and encounter Kyoto as it truly is: one moment, one thread, one ichi-go, ichi-e at a time.