Historical Museum AINOYAKATA — Attraction in Aizumi

Great museum. This is the birth place of jeans in Japan. There are many buildings/sections to go through. At the entrance, you pay the museum fee and if you'd like you can chose to dye your own products from a selection of cloth or clothing to dye: smaller items such as a hander-kerchief are about 500 yen and T-shirts can go up to 5,000yen. Next to the entrance is a small store with plenty of hand dyed items. Once passed the shop, there is historical museum with beautiful must- see pieces (two floors). Passed the museum, there is an exit to the traditional buildings. Here there is a courtyard, it is magnificent as they have kept all the historical buildings where they used to store the indigo, processed, and dyed. Each building has an explanation and one in particular has many dioramas explaining thoroughly how indigo was grown and used to dye including the original artifacts used! There is even an old guest house intact, a great experience to see what a traditional home looked like. Then there is the dye area, staff is friendly and help you through each step to dying your fabric. Overall a very enjoyable experience and would love to come back. There is no English available and most of the staff do not speak English so you may want to bring a translator or have google translate ready to fully enjoy...

An enjoyable and immersive experience about indigo dyeing and the trade industry that flourished here in the past. Prior to this, did not even know that this indigo is a plant ☘️ (thought it was just a colour)

If you sign up for the workshop, you get to dye a piece of clothing (handkerchief, towel, bandana etc) and you pay according to the size of cloth you're dyeing. You get to choose the type of dyeing pattern (as the dyeing process depends on how the cloth is prepared), and the instructor guides you through the entire process which takes around 40 min. Despite speaking very little English, the instructor was very professional and engaging in the demonstration and explanation of the various steps.

You gain a deeper appreciation for the labour put into painstakingly designing patterns and shapes on various materials. The exhibits are hosted in the sprawling compound (which is still very well maintained) and the dioramas do a fantastic job showing how grueling the planting, harvesting, fermentation and dyeing process was.

An absolutely educational and enriching experience to showcase why indigo dyeing deserves its spot as a Japan Heritage icon. Value for money exhibit...

This place is a must visit if you are in the Tokushima area and would like to make your own indigo dyed items! The museum is nice and small, but make sure to come with enough time (30-50 min) to make your own dyed items. I was visiting alone and made 3 items each in 2 rounds for a total of 6 items. I would have made more if I had more time. The staff is super helpful and care about your items turning out nicely. The process is super easy. They do give you an apron, but wear black, especially shoes, if you have. Otherwise, just be careful of drips. I didn’t get dye on my clothes but could see that happening. The gift shop is also stunning. I want to go back! I rented a car (very affordable, just get your international driver’s license before coming to Japan). I don’t know how to get here via...