Famous for TOKYO SKYTREE® and Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo arena, Sumida City is also known as a town where traditional craft making has been handed down for generations. In addition, the Sumida Hokusai Museum will open this autumn. Visit Sumida to feel and experience Japanese art.
Katsushika Hokusai, a world-famous Japanese ukiyo-e painter, was born in 1760 near the area that is currently called Kamezawa in Sumida City, and spent most of his 89 years in Sumida. On November 22, 2016, the Sumida Hokusai Museum will open. The collection includes an original drawing, Sumidagawa Ryogan Keshiki Zukan, whose whereabouts had had remained unknown for more than 100 years.
Some of the traditional craft studios in Sumida offer craft making classes in English.
Kataoka Byobu-ten: Making byobu (folding screen)
You can make a karakuri-byobu, which can switch panels of four kinds of Hokusai’s drawings, including Akafuji (Red Mt. Fuji).
Minimum 10 persons, 1.5-2 hours, 3,000 yen per person. Reservation by phone, email, or fax is required. Cancellation has to be notified by one month prior to the reserved date at the latest.
Atelier Sougeikan: Drawing kanji characters on a paper lantern or a fan.
It is popular to render your name in kanji characters based on the phonetic sound.
Minimum one person (the class may be cancelled according to the situation), 1.5-2 hours, 4,000 yen per person. Reservation by phone is required but you can walk in to join a class.
Sumida Edo Kiriko-kan: Making your original glassware
You can choose a piece of glass and engrave patterns on it.
Minimum 1 person, 90 minutes, 4,320 yen per person. Reservation by phone or email is required.
