Arts & Crafts

Learn the Secrets of Traditional Knife-making in Sakai

Sakai (Outside Osaka), Japan

Located on Osaka’s outskirts, Sakai has played a pivotal role in shaping Japan’s history. During the Sengoku-era (1467 to 1603), this old industrial city was a thriving port hub with trading ties to both Asia and Europe. Although famed for its Japanese tea ceremony origins and ancient burial mounds, Sakai is best known for its premium quality, carbon steel kitchen knives. Japanese knife-smith craftsmanship is acclaimed worldwide, but Sakai is regarded as its home, producing around 90 percent of Japan’s uniquely hand-made kitchen knives. Sakai is where Japanese and foreign professional chefs source their premium kitchen knives.

For over 600 years, this knife-making skill has been passed down generations of master craftsmen. Today, learn how Sakai’s knives are still hand-forged the age-old way, finished with a level of quality that sets the benchmark globally for kitchen knives.

We visit the studio of a local knife-smith, who traditionally hand-forges these carbon steel knives in a slow and meticulous multi-step process. Observe how the craftsman forms a simple steel piece, deposit it in an open furnace heated to over 900 degrees Celsius, weld and then repeatedly hammer. The knife is then allowed to slowly cool down, before passed on to the sharpener, handle-maker and assembler craftsmen.

Duration: 1 hr

Exclusive Soho Art Gallery Tour  

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong boasts some of Asia’s finest independent and international galleries, besides a thriving local art scene. For an insider’s guide to Hong Kong’s prestigious art gallery world, head to stylish Soho, where art and business collide. This upscale neighbourhood is the address to some of the city’s premier galleries. Take an exclusive guided tour through the latest exhibitions of five contemporary art galleries in Soho, hand-selected for their diversity. Accompanied by art experts, admire the broad range of mediums and styles exhibited, from sculptures and traditional paintings to modern installations. These are mainly the works of artists from Hong Kong and the Greater China region. Beyond the art exhibits, delve into the stories behind the curators and the history and vision of these prolific galleries.  

Duration: 3 hrs

Insight to Contemporary Lanna Art with Scholar

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Long a hub for the creative community, Chiang Mai has emerged as Thailand’s art capital with many Thai and foreign artists drawing inspiration from this city’s mix of ancient Lanna culture surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Spend an inspiring half day with emeritus professor in his private studio.

Known for his thought-provoking prints, this former Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University has trained at Bangkok’s Silpakorn University and studied printmaking in Krakov, Poland. Now his private art gallery houses his own works and provides accommodations for visiting artists from around the world. Listen as this art scholar shares his thoughts on Northern Thailand’s burgeoning art scene, focusing on Chiang Mai as a city of contemporary art. Under Professor Chaiyakut’s guidance, learn the technique to making your very own print.

Duration: 4.5hrs

Living Legacy of Jim Thompson’s Weavers

Bangkok, Thailand

The mysterious disappearance of Jim Thompson in 1967 continues to captivate the imagination of many. While much is known about the American businessman who helped revitalise the Thai silk industry in the 1950s on the way to becoming a global silk brand today, very few know about the other half of his legacy.

Upon discovering a community of skilled weavers of Cham descent living across the canal from his Bangkok home, Jim Thompson decided to build his company right next to the community and hired the weavers to produce his prized silk. Visit the last of his original weavers who still produce silk and listen to their fascinating childhood stories of when they watched Jim Thompson cross over to their homes every morning to visit his weavers and their families.

Duration: 6hrs

Conversations with a Local Artist

Yangon, Myanmar

Recent democratic reforms in Myanmar have spurred the growth of its contemporary art scene, particularly in Yangon where private galleries represent a diverse range of artists experimenting with different subjects and art forms.

Visit the home gallery of a Yangon resident artist, considered one of Myanmar’s masters of watercolour paintings, well-known for depicting Buddhist monastic life and the detailed temple architecture of Bagan. View his latest paintings in progress and listen as the soft-spoken artist shares stories of his humble beginnings and how the country’s fascinating political events as well as his own personal experiences have influenced his work. Afterwards, the artist will accompany you to visit a couple of his favorite art galleries.

Duration: 2-3hrs

Bagan Lacquerware Workshop

Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan was once home to royal artisans and craftsmen, creating exquisite pottery, wood carvings, stone sculptures and lacquerware. Today, Bagan still produces some of the finest lacquerware in Myanmar.

Visit a lacquerware workshop and meet with the owner who will tell you about the history of Burmese lacquerware, a time- and labour-intensive process involving up to 12 layers of lacquer followed by intricate designs engraved completely freehand and coloured with fine stone powder. Participate in a hands-on lacquerware-making session, trying your hand at some of the easier steps of lacquerware-making and bring home the piece you make as a personal souvenir of Bagan.

Duration: 2.5hrs

H’mong Textiles Workshop with an Artisan

Luang Prabang, Laos

Since 2006, Luang Prabang’s Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre has been devoted to helping people gain insight into the diversity and richness of Laos’ ethnic cultures. Spend an enjoyable half day at the centre, engaging with some of its excellent exhibitions showcasing traditional handmade clothing and textiles, reconstructions of domestic scenes, as well as ritual and religious artefacts.

Also participate in a workshop on H’mong embroidery and H’mong appliqué (ornamental needlework) led by an ethnic artisan. The H’mong are unique in that they still make their own clothes independently, typically weaving and embellishing the fabric themselves. Also enjoy a tasty lunch of ethnic foods at the centre’s own cafe.

Duration: 3.5hrs

Learn the Art of Traditional Lao Weaving

Luang Prabang, Laos

Meaning “East Meets West” in Lao, Ock Pop Tok pairs social business with ethical fashion. The social enterprise aims to create economic value for hand-loomed textiles by providing competitive wages, opportunities for continued learning and professional development for the village weavers as well as educating visitors about the cultural and artistic value of the textiles through its store and workshop.

Spend a hands-on half day with a guide and weaver. Sitting at your own loom, apply basic techniques of Lao weaving to create a placemat-sized textile with a Lao motif which can be taken home as a souvenir.

Duration: 3hrs

Reviving the Lost Art of Khmer Ceramics

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ceramics have been produced in Cambodia since prehistoric times with glazed wares gaining popularity in Angkor between the 9^th and 13^th centuries. Founded in 2006 as the National Centre for Khmer Ceramic Revival, the Khmer Ceramic Centre is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation with a mission to revive the ancient art of Khmer pottery.

The centre provides free vocational training to disadvantaged youths while renewing broader interest in this ancestral art. Spend a half day with a craftsman who will breathe life into the history of ancient Khmer pottery, including how bricks for the Angkor temples were thought to have been made. Then under his careful instruction, take your turn at the potter’s wheel using up to 5 lumps of fresh clay to create your very own piece of pottery.

Duration: 3.5hrs

Afternoon With A Kite-Making Master

Hue, Vietnam

Vietnam has a long, storied kite-making and -flying tradition stretching back more than a thousand years. Northern Vietnam is famous for making musical kites with bamboo flutes attached while kites in the South are more aerodynamic. In the past, farmers believed kites carried their wishes for a good harvest to the gods. About 300 years ago, kites found their way into the Hue Royal Court, leading to Hue’s tradition of creating colourful and elaborate kites. Spend the afternoon with a kite artisan who’s been crafting kites for more than 45 years. Listen as he shares his passion for Vietnamese kites while learning how to create a kite yourself, possibly with the opportunity to let it take flight in the skies over the Citadel.

Duration: 2.5hrs

Creating Art from Bamboo Paper

Hue, Vietnam

“Truc Chi” (bamboo paper) is a recent innovation originating in the Central Vietnamese city of Hue. Used in a variety of decorative pieces including lantern shades, conical hats, umbrellas, and fans, this finely textured paper is crafted from bamboo fibres, known for their resilience and wide availability throughout Vietnam. More impressively, artisans can deftly embed designs right into the paper as it is being made. Visit the Truc Chi art studio and be amazed by the creativity and ingenuity of the art pieces on display. Under the guidance of a local expert, individuals of all ages can participate in the enjoyable process of creating their own piece of Truc Chi art to take back as a souvenir of their memorable time in Hue.

Duration: 4hrs

Behind the Scenes of Saigon’s Contemporary Art (Exclusive)

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Much more than made-for-tourists lacquerware and kitschy reproduction paintings, Saigon’s true art scene reveals much about the country’s complicated past and its vibrant future. Spend an insightful half day in the company of artists and scholars for an overview into Vietnamese art, both traditional and contemporary. Explore the Fine Arts Museum, housed in a stunning 1929 colonial-era building, accompanied by a contemporary visual artist and scholar. Listen as she points out highlights of the extensive collection mixing traditional Vietnamese techniques with the plastic arts and compares Vietnam’s dynamic art scene with the more established one of her native Europe. Meet two acclaimed local artists who work with mixed media to learn how they draw inspiration from modern-day Vietnam. Also visit Saigon Salon, a private museum in a beautifully restored heritage building, which showcases contemporary Vietnamese art while nurturing local talent.

Duration: 4-5hrs

Beauty of Hang Trong Paintings

Hanoi, Vietnam

Down an obscure alley in Hanoi’s Old Quarter lives a 66-year-old man who happens to be the last remaining master of Hang Trong folk paintings. Originating in the 17^th century under the Le Dynasty, this ancient art form involves a combination of woodblock printing and colourful painting on special handmade paper. Spend a fascinating few hours visiting this talented artisan in his home, witnessing him create folk paintings using the same woodblock used by previous generations of craftsmen and come to understand his desire to preserve this ancient craft. Though this folk painting tradition has nearly disappeared, the paintings themselves continue to be prized by Hanoians, especially during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, when the paintings are placed on family altars, valued for their spiritual and cultural symbolism.

Duration: 3hrs