Onigawara Creation Class: Personalized Crafting in Homey Workshop Environment

Create your own personalized Onigawara in a small, cozy workshop environment. No experience necessary - anyone can easily make these traditional Japanese roof tiles!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 373 Yamazakichō - To celebrate our opening, we are currently offering a special discount price.
    We accept groups of 5 or more people.
    Up to 40 people
    For groups, the location will change.
    In this experience, we will explore the history of Kawara—the traditional roof tiles of Japan. Typically featuring a design with the fearless faces of ogres and…
What's Included
  • Bottled water provided
What's Not Included
  • Epron
Additional Information

Hi everyone♪
Welcome to Kyoto
Do you know ONIGAWARA? It is on the rooftop of Japanese temples and old houses.
It’s a talisman with a scary face. It has a history of about 1378 to 1400 years.
Although it looks difficult, we have developed a method that makes it easy to make.
Anyone can easily make it.
Everything is handmade from lumps of soil.
Would you…

Location
瓦工房 You家 kawarakoubouyouya
Please come to my store, a 10-minute walk from Shimizu Gojo Station. Please look for the name Kawara Kobo You on Google Maps.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(39 Ratings)
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Kristy_d
Jun 30, 2025
Great cultural activity - Great activity for teenage children who love to be artistic. Kids both had a great time. Instructor was friendly, patient and showed how to complete all the required techniques. Can’t wait to receive the finished product in 2 months.
Review provided by Viator
Michele_c
Jun 9, 2025
Our family thoroughly... - Our family thoroughly enjoyed this unique experience. Neither of us had worked with clay before. Yuya was a very patient instructor. He explained and demonstrated each step of the way. We didn't think ours would turn out great but, in the end, we were pleasantly surprised. The entire process takes 2.5 to 3 hours so just be mindful of that if you have other things planned for the day. There is also a separate shipping fee at the end which we thought was fair. We were told the drying process takes 1-2 mos. Highly recommend this activity.
Review provided by Viator
Antonpu5398je
Jun 1, 2025
An amazing experience - A very cool experience, a complicated design was deconstructed into small sections that were very easy to follow even for those that aren’t artistically gifted. Would highly recommend to others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
A2424qkoliverw
May 20, 2025
Great Experience and Souvenir - Very fun to do and a very good souvenir to bring back home! Whilst time was not an issue for us, make sure you have anywhere between 2-4 hours spare as it depends on how detailed you are!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Antoniogs5352gr
Apr 16, 2025
A true hidden treasure - I recommend this experience 100%! The host is the nicest and most patient person I ever met, even if you don’t have any prior experience, his explanations are so clear that you will feel like a true artist by the end of the experience. On top of that, his fun conversation makes the experience even nicer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Milt_k
Apr 15, 2025
A shape for all clay - Yuya is a talented artist who knows how to instruct complicated finished products by breaking down the process into manageable steps. Each of our tiles came out unique and personal to our style and skill. His conversational style in English was clear and to the point. He was always encouraging and only offered suggestions to help and enhance the clay design. His care for his students was top notch. Looking forward to seeing our tiles home. Definitely not just for tourists. This is a different and unique Japanese experience for all.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_b
Apr 14, 2025
Unique, Challenging & Rewarding - Such a unique experience! This was something that you just don't find other places. We had six people in our class with one instructor. All individuals were adults except for my 17yr old daughter. The class was fast paced and still took almost 3hrs. It's a challenge to keep up and create something that comes together at the end. For most of the experience I thought my onigawara was ruined and misshaped. Though by the end it looked amazing! The instructor spoke decent English and made sure all of us understood the steps necessary to create a beautiful complete piece. My only critique is that shipping is paid separately at the end of class (in cash) based upon a random figure. Understand why it's done this way, but who wouldn't want their onigawara shipped home & would appreciate knowing the cost in advance . Since it takes approximately one month for the clay to dry out, you must have everything shipped to see your final product. Small detail when thinking of the overall experience. Believe this is a must for anyone visiting Kyoto who enjoys creating something with their hands.
Review provided by Viator
Melissa_b
Apr 8, 2025
Wonderful! - Wonderful experience!!! We had a great time and all of our Onigawara came out great! The instructor, Yuya, was lovely and very patient. It was fun to hear about his family’s business.
Review provided by Viator
Mnmd
Mar 18, 2025
A must do in Kyoto and you get an onigawara once you're home to remember your trip - Awesome activity in Kyoto. The instructor did a wonderful job explaining all the steps and was patient when we had to remake a piece of the face. It took us about 2 hours to finish our onigawaras and we are looking forward to seeing them when they arrive at our house as he will ship it after it's been fired. Ours don't look as good as his but it will still be a very personal souvenir and the experience was very fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Liesl_r
Feb 25, 2025
A lot of fun making onigawaras - A lovely creative, relaxing afternoon in the craziness of a busy holiday. Yuya was a wonderful host, he patiently took us through the steps of making our own onigawara. The all looked different with the same recipe
Review provided by Viator
From $82
up to 5 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).