Kyoto Shibori Museum — Attraction in Kyoto

This place is absolutely AMAZING! We didn't know much about shibori before we came, but we left lifelong fans of this type of art! It turns out there are many different kinds, and they are often employed within the same piece of art/ clothing. Your visit starts with an 8-minute video about the various shibori techniques. This doesn't sound exciting, but don't be fooled! The video highlights so many of the intricate, painstaking, hand-done techniques of shibori and the artisans who perform them. There are so many times during the process when things can go wrong that it seems a miracle when they turn out perfectly! Then you get to see several extremely large and beautiful pieces in person that show many different techniques. These took YEARS to complete and involved the work of many people! There are many shibori products available for purchase, like change purses, scarves, bags, and even rolls of different shibori fabric. The best part of the museum though is the people who work there. They are lovely, knowledgeable, and answered all of our many questions. Do yourself a favor and come here immediately! You won't be disappointed and you will see lots and lots of amazing art and skill! They even give you a little souvenir piece of shibori when you leave! Thank you...

I was there 2 days ago for the itajime shibori class and I’m very happy with my experience. Booked the same day as something last minute to do for my birthday and I didn’t have many expectations beforehand but I’m very pleased with my visit. It seemed like they would be able to take walk-ins aswell!

As someone who enjoys crafts I thought the process of making a scarf with shibori technique was very enjoyable and the staff was very nice! They gave very clear instructions, helped when needed and offered to take pictures during the process!

When the dyeing process was done there was a little ceremony for the reveal which was fun. While waiting for the scarves to dry we walked through the museum and were amazed by the level of time and patience that goes in to “the real stuff”. The staff is clearly very passionate about their work and we were told more about the art and process by a nice staff member!

Overall very happy with my visit and would recommend to anyone looking for a craft experience or to learn about Japanese craftsmanship! A bit of calm in the midst of all the busy tourist...

We had a wonderful time visiting here. I would highly recommend the Shibori Museum to anyone with an interest in art and culture in Japan. Got away from the business of Gion with a fun indoor activity on a rainy day. It is a fairly small museum and I would only reccomend this experience if you have an appreciation of traditional art and history, it won't be for everyone but it deserves considerabe respect. When we went we were the only people there but it was fun because all of the artisans working there spent a lot of time chatting with us and it was clear how passionate they are about this beautiful craft! We dyed our own scarves which was very fun, but the museum visit was so neat. They play a short video explaining what the craft of traditional Shibori is (the scarf you make it like the most simplistic version of this craft, it gets intense) and then one of the artisans walked us through the displays and explained the significance and process of the pieces. We didn't really know what Shibori was before going to the museum but left with a great appreciation...