Mizuhiki at koyori (©JAPAN Forward)
For this writer's money, Kamakura may be the most alluring small city in Japan. Few places combine culture, nature, and an easygoing beach-town atmosphere so effortlessly. Incense drifts from nearby temples and shrines toward the glistening Yuigahama Beach, while young families and couples sip coffee outside a growing number of dog-friendly cafes. Ancient Buddhism, surf culture, and modern lifestyle sit side by side here without seeming forced.
That mix helps explain why so many visitors, both from Japan and abroad, come to Kamakura looking not just to see the city, but to experience it. Increasingly, they are seeking out hands-on encounters with Japanese culture that go beyond temple visits and souvenir shopping. One such place is koyori, a mizuhiki workshop that offers visitors the chance to make something delicate, meaningful, and lasting by hand.
What Mizuhiki Means
Mizuhiki is a traditional Japanese decorative cord long used on gifts and ceremonial envelopes. Its meaning depends on the number of cords, their color, and how they are tied. But at its core, mizuhiki can signify that something has not been opened, serve as a charm against evil, and symbolize the bond between people. Mizuhiki, owner Mitsuki said, expresses "the feeling of cherishing another person" through beauty, form, and quiet ritual.
The workshop's roots lie in another Kamakura experience. Mitsuki explained that the starting point was kominka., the company's first location in Kita-Kamakura, where guests can make nerikiri, the beautifully crafted seasonal sweets used in Japanese tea culture, and prepare matcha.
That experience was popular, but it also had a built-in transience. Nerikiri must be eaten quickly, often the same day. "It is very Japanese, in a wabi-sabi sense, to carefully make something and then eat it on the spot," she said. But after hearing customers say, "It's too beautiful to eat," she began thinking that "it would also be wonderful if something they made could remain as a lasting memory."
Mizuhiki was a natural fit. Mitsuki is originally from Nagano, where Iida Mizuhiki is especially well known, and had long been interested in the craft. Opening a second workshop around it was also a way to introduce a local specialty from her home region to a wider audience.
Kamakura, she said, was the natural home for the venture. Many repeat visitors to kominka. were already coming to the area, and it made sense to offer another experience nearby. But there was also a cultural reason. "Because this is a Japanese craft experience, I wanted to open it in Kamakura, where Japanese culture still remains deeply rooted," she said.
A Mindful Experience
That is part of what makes koyori appealing. It does not treat traditional craft as something distant or overly formal. Instead, it invites visitors into it. While selling finished products would be easier, Mitsuki said the company values the experience itself above technical mastery. "More than acquiring a skill, we value the time people spend becoming fully absorbed in the experience," she said. By focusing closely on the work in their hands, guests can forget the noise of daily life and enter something closer to mindfulness.
Beginners are often surprised by how the craft unfolds. "At first, many people find it hard to remember the process, and it can be difficult to imagine the final shape," Mitsuki said. "But when they finish weaving it, they're often surprised — suddenly the form appears." Some visitors struggle more than they expect (this writer included), she added, but staff actively support them, and most leave satisfied with the quality of what they have made.
Tradition With a Modern Touch
Another reason koyori feels fresh is that it presents mizuhiki not as something frozen in the past, but as a living design tradition. "When people hear mizuhiki, many probably think of red and white," Mitsuki said. At koyori, though, visitors can choose from soft colors, pop colors, and even sparkling cords, then turn them into earrings, straps, bookmarks, rings, and other items that fit easily into modern life. Pearls, chains, and tassels can also be added, giving the finished pieces a distinctly Japanese-modern feel.
For overseas visitors, especially, Mitsuki hopes the experience leaves behind more than a finished object. "I hope they can feel the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship and our spirit of hospitality," she said, and take home not just the technique of mizuhiki-making, but "the memory of the time they spent with themselves, or with someone important to them."
That idea may be especially resonant for couples, families, and friends. "Because mizuhiki means 'tying bonds,' making it together with someone important becomes a very special experience," she said.
In Kamakura, where old Japan and relaxed modern life meet so naturally, koyori offers something that fits the setting perfectly: a small act of connection, tied by hand.
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Author: Daniel Manning
