Description

Overview

Passing beneath the noren of Japanese confectioner with three centuries of history, you enter an exquisitely secluded space suffused with quiet refinement. Here, a master lacquer artisan presents antique matcha bowls—each crafted in the Edo, Meiji, or Shōwa period, roughly a century old, and delicately etched with time’s gentle fractures. After absorbing the kintsugi philosophy born of chanoyu, you follow the artisan through every professional step, from surface preparation to the final application of true urushi and a mist of genuine gold powder. Although authentic lacquer—whose slow cure defies a single day—appears only in this final stage, the workflow mirrors the craft in full, allowing you to master techniques you can later revive at home. While the lacquer rests, the shop’s seasonal wagashi and freshly whisked matcha deepen your sense of restoration. At day’s end, your restored bowl is placed in a paulownia box, and a craftsman-curated kintsugi kit is offered (optional), so that Kyoto’s story of rebirth may travel with the vessel cradled in your hands.

※Guests can also choose an optional module in which they apply a translucent coat of fuki-urushi to a locally crafted bamboo chashaku and accent its surface with gold leaf.