Usaburo Kokeshi — Local services in Shinto

This is a great place. My 8 year old and I were in Gunma visiting the Safari (which I do not recommend), and we had a little time before we had to head back home to Toyama. We came across this place. It’s amazing. The staff was super friendly. They didn’t speak English, but tried to help explain things using a translating app. The staff explained things really well. We spent almost two hours making our items. It was very enjoyable. Afterwards, we browsed the shop. There was a plethora of styles of the dolls. Upstairs is a museum. And, you can go into the factory and view things there. You do have to call ahead to make a reservation to make a doll. It was rather easy, even with my bad Japanese. I will go again in the future when I’m in...

Interesting place they have two stores at the nearby Onsen town then they actually make them all here. There’s a museum upstairs for free. We ended up buying ¥22000 worth of goods. Some items range from ¥1000 some are ¥18000 +. The range here is better than the two stores in the famous stairs but the vibes are better there. They have most goods at the stairs stores vs here.

No photos allowed for a lot of the craft workshop areas & also they have a DIY area. Seems you can paint some...

Wonderful museum of hand painted wooden kokeshi❣️ The first floor has ALL the beautiful kokeshi for purchase - so many different ones to choose from. You can also watch the artisans paint the kokeshi. The second floor is the museum which was fabulous. The next building is the workshop where they show how the kokeshi are made from various hardwoods. Overall, a fantastic place to visit...