We visited a Hakata Dolls store this time. The name of this shop is Shogetsudo. Hakata is one of the traditional city in Fukuoka. Hakata Doll was founded back in 1601. They keep producing characteristic dolls such as beautiful ladies, samurais, “Noh” play charactors, children, etc. You can see those dolls, purchase ones, or even experience painting them in the store!

They give you example photos and you just paint on the doll with some colours as you like! So it’s up to you what kind of charactor you would like to put on your doll.



Now, you made it! That’s the only Hakata Doll you have in the world! (You can see the colour differences between these two dolls.)



Here are the comments from these students;

“It was very eye-opening to see all the delicate Hakata dolls. The store is beautifully decorated and all the dolls are exquisite. The painting area is really spacious with a wide selection of colors. I really enjoyed the painting session because it was fun and relaxing. It was really helpful that we learned a little bit about the dolls before going to the store. It was also fun to learn about the fun types of Japanese dolls and what festivals they are used for! I would definitely recommend all students to paint their own Hakata doll because it not only makes for a pretty decoration but also is a fun and relaxing activity.”

“First our teacher told us a little about traditional Japanese dolls. Then we walked to the store and got to pick the dolls we wanted to paint. There were many different ones, it was hard to decide! After that we got to start painting them right away. It was nice and surprisingly relaxing, although a bit hard. I definitely have respect for the makers and painters of these beautiful dolls! We even got to keep the dolls we painted. All in all it was a good cultural learning experience.”