Kumano Fude Brush-Making Workshop, Hiroshima — make your own brush at Koyudo (book)

What to expect

Kumano-cho, a small town about 45 minutes by bus from JR Hiroshima Station (or roughly 15 minutes from JR Yano Station), produces about 80% of Japan's brushes — calligraphy brushes, painting brushes, and the cosmetic brushes prized by makeup artists worldwide. Koyudo, one of the town's workshops, opens part of that process to visitors with a hands-on brush-making course: you assemble a rose-shaped cosmetic brush, attach its shaft, and complete the finishing touches under guidance, taking it home the same day. The main course runs about ¥3,300 and takes roughly 45 minutes; a shorter ¥2,200 option is also available. A factory tour — free, about 15 minutes — comes alongside it.

English support here works differently from a live-guide experience: the factory tour uses a touchless interactive display with English subtitles and an English AI voice track, and the hands-on workshop shows step-by-step instructions in English on a screen throughout. You likely won't have a staff member narrating in fluent spoken English, but you also won't be guessing — the visual, read-along format covers the gap well for a process that's largely watch-then-copy anyway.

Booking and what to know before you go

Reservations need at least one day's advance notice — Koyudo isn't set up for walk-ins. The most straightforward English-language booking route is WAmazing, a booking platform built specifically for visitors to Japan, which lists both the ¥3,300 and ¥2,200 courses with clear pricing; you can also reserve by phone if you're comfortable with Japanese, or through Jalan (a Japanese travel site) as an alternative. The workshop runs 9 AM–5 PM and is closed Sundays, national holidays, and the New Year period.

One honest note: this is a working factory in a genuinely local craft town, not a tourist-oriented showroom — expect an authentic, unpolished atmosphere rather than a scripted performance, which is arguably the point if you're after something a step off the standard itinerary.

Etiquette in brief

Follow staff instructions around any machinery during the factory-tour portion, and treat the space as the working production site it is. Since English arrives through screens and subtitles rather than constant live translation, it helps to read along with the on-screen steps rather than expect a narrated explanation of everything as it happens.

Getting there

Koyudo sits in Kumano-cho, reachable by bus from either JR Hiroshima Station (about 45 minutes) or the closer JR Yano Station (about 15 minutes) — check current bus schedules before you go, since this is a suburban route rather than a frequent city line. If you're building a fuller Hiroshima day, our Saijo sake brewery tour sits in the opposite direction from Hiroshima Station and pairs well as a contrasting second stop — a guided tasting walk versus a quiet, seated craft. If writing is more your interest than brush-making, our calligraphy class in Tokyo guide covers where to actually use a brush like the one you'll make here, and our best cultural experiences in Japan guide rounds up more options nationwide.