Vintage Japanese Coin Ring Making Workshop Kyoto

The ring-making workshop in central Kyoto

The class takes place in a bright workshop in central Kyoto, set up with benches, steel mandrels, mallets and polishing tools for every participant. After a short introduction, your instructor shows you each step on a sample before you try it yourself. First you choose your coin, then the centre is removed and the metal is gently worked over a mandrel with a mallet, a little at a time, until the flat disc becomes a band.

Next you check the size on your finger and adjust it, so the ring fits the hand you want to wear it on. The instructor helps with the trickier moments, and the pace is relaxed enough for complete beginners and older children. This Kyoto craft workshop takes about an hour, and it is one of the few souvenirs you make with your own hands from a piece of Japanese history.

Vintage Japanese coins

Japan adopted the yen in 1871, during the Meiji era, replacing a patchwork of feudal currencies with modern minted coins. Over the following century, coins carried designs such as the chrysanthemum, the phoenix, rice stalks and cherry blossoms, and some mid-twentieth-century 100-yen pieces were even struck in silver. The five-yen coin with its central hole is especially loved, because its name sounds like the Japanese word for a good connection or fortune.

The standard selection at the workshop includes a range of vintage coins, and the instructor explains their era and symbols so you can pick one that means something to you. Many travellers look for a coin minted in a meaningful year, such as a birth year or wedding year, when available. Rare and collectible coins can be chosen for an extra charge.

Personalising your ring

Once the ring has its shape, you decide how it should look. You can leave the coin's original lettering and patterns visible on the band, add hammered or brushed textures, and polish it to a bright shine or a softer satin finish. These basic finishes are included, so each ring in the room ends up different, even when two people choose the same coin.

Engraving of initials, a date or a short word can be added for an extra charge. If you prefer precious metal, a separate option on this page lets you create and personalise an original silver ring in a smaller group on the first floor of the same workshop. Either way, a handmade ring makes a meaningful Kyoto souvenir experience and a thoughtful gift for someone special.

Around the workshop: central Kyoto

Central Kyoto is the city's lively shopping and dining heart, so the class combines easily with sightseeing. Nishiki Market, the long covered street known as Kyoto's kitchen, sells pickles, tofu, sweets and kitchen knives, while the Teramachi and Shinkyogoku covered arcades are lined with craft shops, temples and souvenir stores.

A short walk east brings you to the Kamo River, where locals stroll and sit along the banks, and across it to the old streets of Gion and the lantern-lit Pontocho alley. Among the best things to do in Kyoto on a rainy day, a hands-on class like this is ideal. Our team sends the exact workshop address with your voucher, along with simple directions from the nearest station.