I’m happy to announce that I will be hosting Japanese craft workshops at the Japanese goods shop ’t JAPANSE WINKELTJE, located near Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam.
At Coloratura, my goal is to introduce the beauty and joy of Japanese handmade crafts to more people.
In addition to workshops and sales at Japanese events and markets, I am now offering workshops and pop-up sales at Japanese shops and restaurants to make them more accessible to a wider audience.
In these workshops, you can enjoy creating small handmade pieces inspired by Japanese culture.
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Workshop Themes
⭐ Miniature Clay Art
Create realistic miniature Japanese food such as onigiri, sushi, wagashi and more using clay.
⭐ Tsumami Zaiku (Traditional Japanese Fabric Flower Craft)
⭐ Japanese Paper & Origami Workshops
⭐ Decorative crafts using traditional Japanese fabrics
Each workshop focuses not only on the finished piece, but also on enjoying the creative process.
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What is Tsumami Zaiku?
🌸 Tsumami Zaiku is a traditional Japanese craft in which small square pieces of fabric are folded and pinched to create delicate flowers.
It is well known as a traditional hair ornament, but in Coloratura’s workshops we also explore ways to enjoy it as decorative art, such as framing it or using it as small accessories.
Here are some moments from our recent Tsumami Zaiku and miniature clay photo frame workshops.
In the Tsumami Zaiku workshop, participants chose their favorite fabrics and background papers to create beautiful floral frames, each with its own unique character.
Although it was their first time, both participants showed wonderful creativity and great taste, resulting in truly beautiful pieces. They enjoyed the creative process and were delighted with their finished works.
In the miniature clay workshop, we made charming Dutch-style photo frames featuring cute windmills and tulips.
It was a special time where one-of-a-kind creations were brought to life.
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At Coloratura, we offer miniature clay and Tsumami Zaiku workshops on an ongoing basis.
Beginners are always welcome.
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested.
Today, two participants who had previously joined my miniature clay workshop came again. This time, one of them joined with her husband.
The two women are craft enthusiasts who enjoy other crafts, while her husband was experiencing miniature clay for the first time.
Everyone was very friendly, chatting happily, and at times fully focused in silence on their work, and small, adorable wagashi were created one after another.
They enjoyed the process of making them, and were very pleased with their finished creations.
It’s truly heartwarming when participants come back because they enjoyed their previous experience and want to try making something new.
Meeting such wonderful people and sharing these creative moments is one of the greatest joys for me.
Thank you so much for joining.
☆ I offers one-day miniature clay workshops on a flexible schedule. Please see below.
Tiny Japanese sweets that are so cute and “delicious-looking”—they always bring a smile to everyone who joins the workshops.
In this cold season with shorter days, taking the time to calmly enjoy crafting is a wonderful way to spend your time.
Would you like to enjoy making them together with us?
《Date and time》 4 December (Thursday) 10:00〜13:00
《Cost》 €60 (including material cost, drink, sweets)
《Group size》 minimum 3 participants, maximum 6
《Language》 Japanese & English
《Location》 along the Amstelveenseweg, near the main entrance of Amsterdamse Bos. 2 minutes walk from Bus stop: Amsterdamse Bos. I will send you the details after you apply for the workshop.
Recently, our popular “Miniature Wagashi” workshop has been attracting many participants.
Today, a close group of three friends joined us.
Although it was their first time working with miniature clay, they enjoyed making dango, dorayaki, senbei, daifuku, and more, carefully crafting each piece one by one.
As longtime friends, they chatted happily while working with their hands. They chatted happily while creating the piece, and were delighted when it was completed...
I also had a wonderful time with such lovely participants. Thank you very much for joining the workshop.
One of the great things about handmade crafts is that you can learn how to make them, enjoy the process of creation, feel the satisfaction of completing a piece, and continue to enjoy it afterwards by displaying or using it.
Using your hands and trying new things is also great brain exercise.
You can enjoy it with friends in a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere, or join alone and meet new people.
At Coloratura, in addition to miniature clay, I am preparing a variety of craft workshops for you to enjoy.
Tsumami-zaiku (traditional Japanese fabric folding) workshops will be starting soon—stay tuned!
They had first joined Coloratura’s miniature clay workshop at the Japan Festival in Amstelveen this June, and since then they became interested and came this time.
At the Japan Festival workshop, the sushi toppings (tuna and salmon) were prepared by me, and participants sliced them. But in this workshop, we created the toppings entirely from scratch.
In the first lesson, we focused on making nigiri sushi and prepared ingredients for miso soup and gunkan sushi.
In the second lesson, we made sushi rolls, gunkan, miso soup, chopsticks… We also painted chopsticks, applied varnish, and assembled everything on plates and boards to complete the set!
The girl is 6 years old.
This sushi project is one of the more challenging ones among the miniature clay workshops. Some parts were difficult to make, but with help from me and her parents, she was able to finish such an adorable and delicious-looking sushi set.
Thank you very much for joining !
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☆ I hold one-day workshops from time to time. Please see below.
A girl who had previously joined one of my miniature clay lessons came back for her birthday and wished to make wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets).
It was a birthday celebration with a Japanese child and friends who hadn’t eaten wagashi very often, but they all enjoyed the process so much and worked with such skill that they finished well ahead of time. They all seemed to love crafts and were so skillful—it was hard to believe they were only ten years old!
The pieces turned out beautifully, and the children were delighted with their creations.
It made me so happy that she chose a miniature clay workshop to celebrate her 10th birthday.
Following the last session, today we welcomed another group eager to make miniature wagashi (Japanese sweets) – a mother with her two children and one of their friends.
They had seen my workshop at the Japan Festival in Amstelveen and had been wanting to try it ever since. I’m so glad they finally had the chance to join!
The mother and children all enjoy crafting, and they worked with great concentration and joy, carefully creating each piece.
The younger child, just in first grade, was skillful and precise even she was little.
Even among lower grade children, those who truly enjoy making things and are naturally good at it tend to focus deeply and work very hard throughout the session.
The family of three will be returning to Japan soon, so I was especially happy they could join before their departure.
I hope today’s creations and this fun experience will become a cherished memory of their time in the Netherlands.
Today, a pair of siblings joined to create miniature Japanese sweets (wagashi).
The older sister, cheerful and friendly, looked after her younger brother like mother. Both of them seemed to really enjoy making things, and they worked quickly and skillfully!
The younger brother, who is still in primary school, not only did a great job with the clay work but also folded a tiny origami crane using a 3cm-square paper — with impressive precision.
She said that there are some Japanese sweets that they have never tried before, such as dorayaki, and I feel that they will love their pieces(they created today) even more when they once tastes them.
She mentioned that they would love to visit Japan someday. I truly hope they’ll have the chance to enjoy authentic Japanese food, wagashi like the ones they made today, and experience Japanese culture firsthand.
They seemed to enjoy the entire process and were very happy with what they had made. They even said they would love to join another workshop again — which made me so happy to hear.
It’s such a joy for me to meet people like this and to be able to offer these kinds of creative experiences.
Thank you very much for participating!
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☆ I hold one-day workshops from time to time. Please see below.
