Explore a different side of the famous Asakusa downtown district, home of Sensoji Temple, among the streets where tradesmen lived during the Edo period. Visit traditional artisanal crafts shops and experience two traditional art workshops: Edo Kiriko glass cutting and Kintsugi gold repair.

This morning, meet the guide at the hotel and head a local arts and craft centre that showcases the very best traditional hand-crafted goods of Tokyo’s Taito ward. The exhibition space and gift shop regularly display around 250 items from 48 different craft industries.

Take the train and head to today’s second hands-on experience: Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken ceramics with gold. 

During the workshop, the kintsugi master will explain about this traditional technique of repairing broken objects using natural lacquer and pure gold. The experience is held in the studio of an established pottery artist who creates Omotesando ware using upcycled ceramic and glass to fit a modern lifestyle through kintsugi. While seeing the repair techniques up close, learn about wabi-sabi, the concept of finding beauty in imperfection and impermanence that is at the heart of kintsugi.

Once completed, pack your piece of art and head to the second experience of the day: Edo Kiriko glass cutting. This traditional way of cutting glass creates elaborate patterns on the shining surfaces of cups and bottles.

Choose the shape of the glass and do some practice cutting with instruction from the artisans before painting the chosen design using the stamp provided by the shop. Next, it’s cutting time, where the decorations on the glass become real.

After admiring the play of shadows and light that the carvings on the glass create, pack the personal souvenir into a box for safety and follow the guide to the Sensoji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple and the surrounding streets like Denboin-dori, full of crafts and souvenir shops.