THREE WEEKS IN JAPAN AS A MAKER

I spent three weeks in Japan, and the kimono class was the anchor point of the trip — but everything around it reinforced the same thing: fabric shopping, daily routines, the attention to detail everywhere. Doing things well mattered more than doing them quickly.

TRAVEL AS EDUCATION

Travel has always been part of how I learn — stepping outside your usual environment changes how you see your own habits and pace. I started the trip in Kyoto, moved to Akihabara for the kimono class, and finished in Ginza — three completely different parts of Japan, three completely different atmospheres, but the same quiet attention to doing things properly running through all of it.

What struck me most about daily life was how genuinely polite everyone was — every interaction, every shop, every transaction came with a bow. It sounds like a small thing but it changes the whole feeling of being somewhere. Everything felt considered rather than rushed.

NIPPORI FABRIC TOWN

If you sew and you go to Japan, you go to Nippori. It's an entire area of Tokyo dedicated to fabric and notions — street after street of shops, each one specialising in something slightly different. I came home with Japanese denim, embroidery anglaise, the cotton for the kimono, Linton tweed, silk for a future French jacket, and a couple of other fabrics I had absolutely no plan for but couldn't leave without.

Beyond fabric I picked up silk thread, sleeve and neckline shaping tools, Clover pins and needles, sashiko kits, and sashiko thread. Navigating it was easier than I expected — most shops use Google Translate if they don't have English, and the staff were patient and helpful. I could have spent days in there honestly.

BEYOND THE KIMONO

Alongside the class I also took a sushi-making class and a ramen noodle-making class — a different kind of craft entirely, but the same patience and precision required. It was during this trip that I first came across sashiko properly, the Japanese hand-stitching technique, and the kits I brought home are still something I dip into now.

BRINGING IT HOME

I came back with more than photos — a renewed habit of slowing down where I can, and treating the process as seriously as the result. Outside the classroom, I kept seeking out other forms of making while I was there, following the same patience and repetition. It's something that's stuck with me in my work since.

In the next post, I introduce the other classes I took part in while in Japan.

CONTINUE THE SERIES

This is the fourth in a five-part series on learning traditional Japanese kimono construction:

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 (you are here)
5. Learning Through Making: Craft Experiences I Sought Out in Japan