About this tour
Spend two hours in a Tokyo workshop carving your own chopsticks from cypress wood under the guidance of a skilled artisan. Located in Sasazuka, a short train ride from Shinjuku, you'll shape, sand, and oil-finish a pair customised to your grip and dining habits. Those keen can add an optional tour of the lacquer workshop to see how Japan's traditional coating techniques work.
Highlights
- Carve cypress wood chopsticks with craftsman's hand tools
- Sand and finish to your preferred weight and balance
- Tailor length and shape to fit your hand size
- Optional behind-the-scenes lacquer workshop tour
- Take home your completed, functional pair
- English-speaking instruction throughout
What to expect
You'll work one-on-one with a chopstick craftsman in a quiet Sasazuka workshop. The process starts with rough carving—learning to read the wood grain and remove excess with traditional tools. Midway through, you'll switch to progressive grits of sandpaper, feeling the wood shift from rough to smooth under your hands. Once you're happy with the taper and balance, a coat of camellia oil seals and darkens the wood. The whole session takes roughly two hours. If you opt for the lacquer add-on, expect a separate guided tour of the working lacquer studio, explaining the chemistry and craft behind Japan's most refined finishing technique.
Good to know
Minimum group size is two people. The workshop is wheelchair accessible, and prams are welcome for infants. Public transport to Sasazuka is straightforward; no hotel transfers included. Bring your own chopsticks home—they're yours to use or gift.
Tour sold and operated by its supplier via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries, not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.