Asakusa, Tokyo: Make Your Own Chochin Lantern with a Craftsman

Chochin — the hand-painted paper lanterns that glow outside temples, festivals and old shops — have been made the same way for centuries. In a small working studio in Sumida, a short walk from Tokyo Skytree, you make one yourself.

This is not a demonstration for visitors. It is a studio still in commercial production, and the craftsman guiding you is the same person who makes the lanterns that hang in shrines, restaurants and festivals across the city.

What you'll do:
- Step inside a working chochin studio that visitors rarely see
- Learn how bamboo and washi paper become a lantern, and why the craft has survived in Tokyo
- Shape and stretch washi paper over the frame under the craftsman's guidance
- Paint your own design and finish it with traditional Edo-moji lettering — your name, a favorite word, or a phrase that means something to you
- Take your finished lantern home the same day

Groups are kept small, with an English interpreter beside you throughout. The studio is packed floor to ceiling with lanterns in every size and color — one of the most photogenic craft spaces in Tokyo. No experience is needed, and children from age 6 can take part.