July 17-18 Stone-Milled White Food and Handcrafts ~Making Azuma Bags and Indigo Dyeing~ (Summer Edition): Enjoy a Stay at Guest House KIITOS

This is a five-part program held in February, May, July, October, and December, where you can stay at KIITOS, the guesthouse of ITOSHIRO YOHINTEN, and enjoy both handcrafts and ITOSHIRO’s seasonal food culture.

It’s being planned by KIITOS manager Sayuri Kii — someone who adores handcrafts and ITOSHIRO’s traditional food!

At an elevation of about 700 m, ITOSHIRO is beautiful in every season, from spring to summer, autumn to winter. We’d love for you to visit ITOSHIRO in each season, and some months (5, 7, and 10) are timed to match shrine ceremonies, so you can enjoy that as well.

In addition to handcrafts, this program also lets you fully enjoy summer in ITOSHIRO — from playing in the clear stream to harvesting summer vegetables in the fields.

After the May spring session, this time is the third installment, the "summer edition."

Chatting together while we do our fun, fun stitching time.

Summer Session Overview

Dates: Friday, July 17, 2026 - Saturday, July 18, 2026　
Time: 7/17 13:30 start / 7/18 13:00 end ＊You can come by public transportation.
Venue: KIITOS, the guesthouse of ITOSHIRO YOHINTEN
Participation fee: 26,500 yen (includes the class fee, dinner, lunch, and snacks. For those staying overnight, an additional 7,000 yen + 1,500 yen for breakfast will be charged.)
Capacity: 6 people (minimum number of participants: 4 ＊If the minimum is not reached, the event may be canceled.)

Schedule

13:00 Reception opens
13:30  Start (greetings, self-introductions)
14:00 Explanation of the azuma bag and indigo dyeing. Indigo dyeing time
15:00  Snack time
16:30   Stitching time
17:30  Harvest summer vegetables together / prepare dinner
18:30  Dinner social gathering


7:30 Breakfast
9:00 Visit Hakusan Chugu Shrine, shop tour
10:00 Stitching time
12:00 Lunch (MAGOEMON) & sharing time
13:00 End (Nishizaisho departure 13:19)

What to bring

Sewing tools (pins, thread, thread snips, pincushion)
We will provide the fabric for the azuma bag that you will dye.
Thread you want to indigo-dye (only for those who wish to join the next autumn session in October.)

Cancellation policy

Cancellation from after application until 1 week before the event date: 5%
Cancellation from 6 days to 3 days before the event date: 50%
Cancellations after that: full amount

Upcoming workshop schedule

(Autumn) Friday, October 16 - Saturday, October 17    Sashiko stitching with indigo-dyed thread + geto (rice dumpling) soup
(Winter) Friday, December 18 - Friday, December 19　New Year decorations made with hemp + let’s try making pickles

We plan to use the indigo-dyed thread from this summer workshop for kogin embroidery in the autumn workshop, so joining both sessions in a row is highly recommended for an even richer experience!

To help you enjoy your stay in ITOSHIRO even more

• In the evening, head to a nearby hot spring. And don’t miss the starry sky.
• In spring (May), summer (July), and autumn (October), a ritual is held at Hakusan Chugu Shrine in ITOSHIRO.
  • At the spring annual festival, you can watch a miko dance called "Godan Kagura." It is a traditional dance that has continued since Hōan 1 (1120).
  • In summer, the Urayasu dance is dedicated in front of the Iwakura, a place of worship dating back to the Jomon period.
  • At the autumn annual festival, "Geto-nage" is held, where mochi made from non-glutinous rice offered in gratitude for the harvest is tossed to the crowd!
    
    ※The summer annual festival will be held at Hakusan Chugu Shrine on Sunday, July 18, the day after the class. If you have time, why not stay one more night at KIITOS and enjoy the festival with us?
    However,For those coming by public transportation, there is no bus service on Sunday.
    
    About the venue / KIITOS
    

A casual guesthouse that opened in November 2025. Please note that depending on the number of participants in this workshop, you may be sharing a room with others.For details, please see here.

＊For access information, please see here. (The schedule is set so you can come by public transportation. On the way back, you will have about 2 and a half hours to spare until the bus departure.)