Learn about Sakai's traditional local industry from a traditional craftsman and try your hand at ”chu-sen” dyeing

Sakai's traditional local industry of "chu-sen" dyeing requires a practiced and experienced craftsman to perform a variety of processes. A distinctive feature of chu-sen is that the front and back sides of the cloth have identical coloring and patterns. This is accomplished by carefully hand-dyeing both sides of the cloth. Observe the craftsman's skills up close and experience the delicate and meticulous spirit of Sakai workmanship. In the [1 hour 30 minute course], you get a tour of the workshop and listen to the craftsman speak. In the [2 hour course], you can try tie-dyeing a hand towel using the same dye as what is used in chu-sen. In the [3 hour course], you can experience various steps of the chu-sen process, namely itaba (drawing), dotebiki (building embankments), kojin (mixing dyes), and hamakata (rinsing). If you do the 2 or 3 hour course, you will be allowed to take the hand towel you dyed home with you.