About 90% of Japan's solid ink is made in Nara, and fewer than ten makers remain nationwide. From November to April, the ink-making season, Kobaien (founded 1577) and Kinkōen let you take a lump of freshly kneaded ink and squeeze it in your fist to make a "nigiri-zumi"; it is dried and posted to you.
Why it's unique
Nara makes about nine-tenths of Japan's solid ink, and the craft is down to fewer than ten makers in the whole country.
You are not watching a demonstration: you are handling raw ink in a working ink house during the only months it is made, and leaving your handprint in the result.
Before you go
It only happens in the cold months, because ink is made only from mid October to April to avoid the heat. A nigiri-zumi needs about four months of drying before it is an object, and a couple of years before it grinds well, so this is a gift to your future self.
Kobaien will show the workshop by reservation; it is closed weekends. Kinkōen is a smaller workshop founded by a former Kobaien apprentice. Booking is needed at both.
