A highlight of our time in Kyoto! - Making these lanterns was such cool experience and a highlight of our trip. Noriko met us right at the train station at the agreed time and we had a lovely walk through the Arishiyama neighborhood including by a Shrine before arriving at her workshop. She was patient and kind with our 7 and 9 year old kids and the project was so engaging that they stayed engaged throughout our 3-4 hours there. She even knew precisely when we all needed a break from the drill press and provided some tasty Japanese treats. We enjoyed getting to know Noriko a bit too. She has traveled quite a bit and is extremely knowledgeable (especially about Japan, of course). Lighting the lanterns once they were complete was so satisfying and they are sitting on our shelves at home now. It was raining and dark by the time we finished and Noriko kindly took us back to the train station.

5/5 - Noriko-san and her husband were super accommodating. Great experience. We toured through the bamboo forest before entering the workshop, and our guide had a lot of good information.

Really great experience! - Really fun experience walking through bamboo forest. Great instruction. Our lanterns turned out great!

Awesome Experience - This was a really fun experience! Our guide, Noriko, was extremely knowledgeable and super friendly. It was wonderful to stroll with her throughout the town and then do the craft with the help of her and her husband. I highly recommend doing this activity! We had a great time

Wonderful experience - We met at the train station then walked through the bamboo forest learning about bamboo and the region. Nori has a wonderful workshop where I selected my bamboo and design and got to work. She was easy to talk with and patient, since we had some time, we walked her neighbourhood and past a stunning temple as she escorted me back to the train station. It was a wonderful afternoon experience.

What a great experience!!!! - We enjoyed our afternoon very much. Our guide picked us up at the train station. We walked with her to the bamboo forest and she explained à lot about bamboo, the Shrine and the culture. We head to the workshop and chose bamboo to make our beautiful lantern. She was so king, helping us all the way throu. A beautiful experience!!!!! I recommend 100%.

One of a kind experience - Excellent teacher. Kind, patient and knowledgeable especially about her craft as well as about the history of the area. Well worth it.

Book it! - A wonderful experience. We loved a steady walk through the forest and lots of conversation about the Japanese culture. Then made some lovely lanterns too. Lovely to get away from Japan crowds

Hands-on experience with bamboo - The people were very kind, the explanations easy to follow and all questions I had were answered in detail. I got to chose a piece of bamboo and get to work. I had a great time! If you enjoy making stuff yourself you will too^^

Great Class, Disappointing Outcome - Pros: - Teacher and husband were great - Really easy to use the drill - Nice quiet class Cons: - They wrap our bamboo lamp in bubble wrap, which is great, but as the bamboo is still moist (green), it caused major mould issues that we uncovered when we got home - it has now stained with the mould. - You walk yourself back to the station, which is 15-20 minutes. Not an issue for some, but could be. Overall, it was fun but the class isn’t equipped to handle thing post class. They need a solution for how to handle this issue with the mould.