LEARNING THROUGH MAKING: CRAFT EXPERIENCES I SOUGHT OUT IN JAPAN

While learning to make a traditional kimono in Japan was the core of my time there, I was curious how other skills were taught and practiced — so I sought out a few more, both textile and food-based.

MAKING RAMEN BY HAND

I took a ramen noodle-making class — mixing, resting, rolling, and cutting the dough with precision. Like sewing, it relies on feel as much as instruction: knowing when the dough's ready, when to move on. The parallels between cooking and sewing were impossible to ignore — timing, repetition, respecting your ingredients.

SUSHI AS A STUDY IN PRECISION

In a sushi-making class, I learned how rice is seasoned, shaped, and handled. Small adjustments made a real difference — refinement coming from subtlety rather than complexity. Watching the instructors work was just as useful as doing it myself.

TEACHING MYSELF SASHIKO

I also bought a couple of sashiko embroidery kits, drawn to how simple and old the technique is. No formal class for this one — I taught myself the basics, following the patterns, practicing even stitches, letting the rhythm build naturally. It echoed the same slow, repetitive feeling as the hand-stitched kimono construction.

WHAT ALL OF THIS REINFORCED

Across textiles and food, formal classes and teaching myself — the lesson was the same: craft rewards patience. These experiences, alongside the kimono class and the three weeks in Japan overall, still shape how I approach my work today.

CONTINUE THE SERIES

This is the last post in the five part series - if you want to read any of these again the links are below to each post.

1. Learning to Make a Traditional Kimono in Japan
2. Inside a Traditional Kimono Class in Japan 
3. Making a Traditional Kimono by Hand in Japan
4. Three Weeks in Japan as a Maker 
5. Learning Through Making: Craft Experiences I Sought Out in Japan (You are Here)