TRADITIONAL KIMONO SEWING RETREAT
TOKYO, JAPAN
DATES: 10 April 2025 - 18 April 2025
Join Maaike Andriessen, founder of The Dressmakers Academy, in Tokyo, Japan for a deep dive experience into the art of traditional kimono making and the Japanese craft of dyeing fabric in real Indigo.
During this trip, you will learn to use traditional (hand) sewing techniques to sew your own summer kimono, the Yukata.
Next to sewing the Yukata, you will join a workshop in traditional Japanese Indigo fabric dyeing, shop for your kimono fabric in Tokyo's famous fabric district Nippori, and much more!
TOKYO SCHEDULE
DAY 01
Welcome to Tokyo! Day 1
Transfer to the hotel and check-in at 3pm.
At night we will have a meet and greet welcome dinner.
DAY 02
Welcome to Day 2
Maaike will start the day by giving an introduction to the Japanese kimono and Yukata.
Next, we will explore Tokyo's fabric district Nippori, with its 80 shops of fabric and sewing tools. Here we will search for the perfect fabric for your Yukata.
We will have lunch in the district and the evening is free for you to explore Tokyo.
DAY 03
Welcome to Day 3
This morning you will start with preparing the fabric for your Yukata and Maaike will explain to you how to start with hand-sewing the sleeves.
After the lunch break, you will proceed to make your Yukata.
Dinner this evening is on your own, you might like to venture downtown or you may relax at our hotel.
DAY 04
Welcome to Day 4
Half day of sewing your Yukata, The afternoon is yours to explore Tokyo.
DAY 05
Welcome to Day 5
Half day of sewing and in the afternoon we will head to a Japanese indigo dye atelier where you will learn everything about the process of dyeing fabric with Indigo and dye a scarf yourself.
The evening is yours to explore and dine where you like.
DAY 06
Welcome to Day 6
Half day/whole day (to your preference) of work on the Yukata, the afternoon and evening are yours to explore.
DAY 07
Welcome to Day 7
The final day to work on your Yukata including lunch, the evening is yours to explore.
DAY 08
Welcome to Day 8
In the morning we will attend a Japanese tea ceremony wearing your own Yukata or a borrowed Kimono from the venue.
After the ceremony, we will have a stroll to the beautiful Ueno Park where we will have lunch.
In the afternoon we will visit the National Tokyo Museum where a beautiful collection of kimonos is displayed.
The rest of the day is yours to explore Tokyo, and the evening to pack your suitcases.
DAY 09
Welcome to Day 9
This is the departure day where we will say goodbye to Tokyo and each other after breakfast.
IS THIS TRIP FOR ME?
This trip is perfect for anyone who:
- Loves to immerse themselves in a different culture and enjoys creative adventures.
- Is open to learning the Japanese way of sewing, measuring, and working with fabrics.
- Works in, or is interested in, crafts and textiles.
- Likes to travel in a group with respect for everyone.
- Is healthy and has enough physical and mental energy for a sometimes challenging environment.
- Can walk long distances on a daily basis.
There is a 7-hour time difference between Europe and Tokyo.
If possible, we recommend arriving a few days earlier, to acclimate to the time difference and, offcourse, as a
good excuse to enjoy amazing Tokyo abit longer.
If this is not possible, and you arrive on the start-date itself, we have scheduled some time off in the afternoons for you to be able to relax and adjust to the time difference.
INCLUDED IN THIS TRIP
- 4-star Hotel booking for 8 nights
- 8x breakfast, 5x lunch, 1x dinner
- 6 day workshop kimono making
- Workshop indigo dyeing
- Workshop Japanese tea ceremony
- 1 day visit to Nippori town/fabric district
- Visit to the Tokyo National Museum
- Toolkit for making your yukata kimono
- printed version of the kimono sewing course
NOT INCLUDED
- Airfare to -and from Japan, transportation from the airport to the hotel and back
- Transportation during the week (subway/train)
- Personal travel insurance
- Expenses during free time
- Fabric for your yukata.
ABOUT MAAIKE ANDRIESSEN
Discover the Art of Couture with Maaike at The Dressmakers Academy.
With over 25 years of experience as a couture dressmaker, working alongside renowned designers, in the theater with prima ballerina Igoné de Jongh and the United Ukrainian Ballet, Maaike brings a wealth of expertise and passion to The Dressmakers Academy, which she founded in 2019.
Maaike is dedicated to teaching what she loves most.
The French Jacket Retreat, a dream she once wished she could have attended during her student years, is now a reality she offers to others.
Similarly, after traveling through Japan and being captivated by its exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail, she created the Kimono Sewing Retreat in Japan so her students could share in this extraordinary experience.
Maaike's philosophy is simple: if she loves it, she brings it to her students, ensuring they receive the finest education in couture and craftsmanship.
Are you ready to join her?
MAAIKE'S INSPIRING JOURNEY TO JAPAN AND THE WONDERS OF THE YUKATA
During her visit to Japan, Maaike explored the Fashion Museum in Kobe, where she discovered a treasure trove of knowledge in the fashion library.
Among the gems she found were beautiful books on the art of hand-sewing the Yukata, a traditional summer kimono.
What intrigued Maaike most about the Yukata was its custom craftsmanship, tailored precisely to the wearer's measurements—contrary to the common belief that kimonos are one-size-fits-all.
Even more fascinating is the fabric itself; a 12-meter length is carefully folded in a way that ensures no material is wasted, incorporating extra folds for future adjustments. These folds are crafted with an almost origami-like precision.
The Yukata also employs hand-stitching techniques that, while logical and practical, are little known in the West. These smart, hidden techniques make the kimono an endlessly fascinating garment to learn about and sew, revealing new layers of skill and tradition with every stitch.
PRICE: €4695,- per person, paid in two separate installments.
DEPOSIT: due immediately to secure your place on the trip: Euro 1595,-
Final Payment due December 15, 2024: Euro 3100,-
Room notes: you will have a private room for the duration of the trip.
CANCELLATION POLICY
- You may cancel your trip until DECEMBER 15, 2024, and receive a full refund minus a 300 Euro per-person admin fee.
- If you need to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances/family matters, please turn to your travel insurance company.
- Travel insurance coverage is not included in the costs of this trip.
- In the rare case we would have to postpone the trip due to unforeseen circumstances (COVID outbreak, war, typhoons, etc.) we will try and reschedule the trip. We will bank 100% of your paid fees as a credit to use for another trip date.
- In case of cancellation by us, for any reason, you will get a full refund of your paid amount of money.