The Golden Week holiday, with its beautiful fresh greenery, is a special, longer break. Why not add to its charm with a dyeing and weaving workshop? We look forward to welcoming you with activities that are a little different from the usual.

After the refreshing signs of early summer comes the rainy season, which is essential for plants, human activities, and especially Japan's climate. As one option to enjoy this period wonderfully, how about focusing on handicrafts? We hope we can share a peaceful time together.

【Setagaya】Golden Week Special Workshop

■ "Dyeing and Weaving the Color of Light" (Half-day course, Full-day course) - May 2 (Sat), May 3 (Sun), May 4 (Mon, holiday)

Enjoy dyeing and weaving with the theme of "the color of light" under the early summer sunshine. In the morning, you will dye yellow, a color associated with light, but the dyes will vary each day (Phellodendron, Japanese pagoda tree, marigold). For weaving, we have specially prepared a variety of yellow threads reminiscent of light, and we will also provide gold and silver threads.

*This is not a three-day consecutive workshop.

Click here for details on the "Dyeing the Color of Light" Half-day Course

Click here for details on the "Dyeing and Weaving the Color of Light" Full-day Course

■ "Ethical Weaving" - May 5 (Tue, holiday), May 6 (Wed, holiday)

Tsunagi-ito (connecting threads) used in Fukumi Shimura's weaving techniques and Sakiori (rag weaving) which utilizes torn cloth, were originally the wisdom of our ancestors who reused leftover threads and fabrics that would otherwise be discarded in modern life, as weft threads or in weaving. This practice contributes to sustainability and, we believe, fully incorporates ethical elements—consideration for people, the environment, and society—which have become well-known in recent years. Thus, we present a weaving course titled "Ethical Weaving" that uses tsunagi-ito and torn cloth.
For those interested, we will also teach how to make torn cloth and tsunagi-ito.

*This is not a two-day consecutive workshop. Please note that this course does not include dyeing.

Click here for details on the "Ethical Weaving" Course

【Setagaya】June Dyeing and Weaving Workshop - Loquat and Houttuynia -

Enjoy dyeing with loquat and houttuynia. Loquat is well-known for its fruit, but it is also a valuable plant for dyeing. Both plants have also been cherished for their medicinal properties since ancient times. Through dyeing, let's receive the power of plants in the form of color.

Click here for details on the Half-day Course

Click here for details on the Full-day Course

Click here for the schedule of all workshops

Ars Shimura Course Autumn Term for 2026
April Information Session Schedule

The "Ars Shimura Course," a new curriculum, will begin in 2026. Information sessions for the autumn term course, starting in October, will continue to be held in April. Please feel free to join us.

＜2026 Ars Shimura Course Autumn Term Outline＞
Over six months, students will dye with seasonal plants and create kimonos (bolts of fabric). Special lectures on philosophy and culture, as well as extracurricular lessons in Kyoto, will also be held.　　　　

Course period: October 2026 to March 2027 (Maximum 40 days of instruction)
Location: Atelier Shimura Tokyo, Setagaya
Number of participants: Approximately 5 people

＜Information Session＞
Before applying for the course, we offer information sessions where instructors will explain the course content and objectives in detail. Please attend an information session first.

Dates: April 4 (Sat), April 9 (Thu), April 18 (Sat), April 23 (Thu)

*Please note that applications for this course will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click here for details on the Ars Shimura Course

Click here to apply for the information session