Doll-Making Workshop

Craft your own hina doll
at a Kyoto atelier chosen by royal families around the world.

Founded in 1903, Keiho Ando Doll Shop is a long-established maker of Kyo-bina (Kyoto-style hina dolls) in Kamigyo, Kyoto. Our dolls have been presented to the Belgian, Thai, and British royal families. In this hands-on experience, you will complete one hina doll together with Keiho Ando III, a master doll dresser honored by the Japanese government. Choose your favorite costume from a rich selection of Nishijin silk brocades, dress the doll, shape its arms (kaina-ori), and watch the master attach the head (kashira) — the moment your one-of-a-kind hina doll comes to life. Your finished doll is yours to take home the same day.

Book / Contact Us (at least one week in advance)

How the Experience Works (approx. 90 min, tour included)

STEP 1 | Choose Your Costume

The experience begins with choosing the doll’s costume. Select your favorite colors and patterns from a wide variety of costumes, including genuine Nishijin silk brocade. The photos below show just a few examples — many more costumes are available to choose from.

An example costume for the experience: pale pink layered silk with cherry blossom patterns — Choosing a costume — pick your favorite layered colors

An example costume for the experience: orange silk with floral patterns

An example costume for the experience: orange silk with round crest patterns

An example costume for the experience: vermilion silk with round crest patterns

An example costume for the experience: gold and pale pink silk with round crest patterns

STEP 2 | Dress the Doll

Guided by the craftsman, you will dress the doll in the costume you have chosen. Watch up close how the elegant layered collars and folded sleeves — hallmarks of Kyoto-style hina dolls — take shape in your hands.

Dressing in progress: the layered collars of the hina doll costume taking shape — The layered collars gradually take shape

The fully dressed hina doll costume seen from behind, before the head is attached — Fully dressed, just before the head is attached

STEP 3 | Shape the Arms (Kaina-ori) & Head Attachment by the Master

Next, you will experience kaina-ori — bending and shaping the doll’s arms into a graceful pose. Finally, Keiho Ando III, recipient of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Silver Rays, attaches the head (kashira) to complete the doll. The moment the head is set in place by the master’s hands, your doll comes to life.

The completed empress hina doll wearing a cherry-blossom silk costume, sitting gracefully — The completed hina doll — one of a kind, made by you

Take Your Finished Doll Home the Same Day

The hina doll you have crafted is, of course, yours to take home. We will pack it so that it can be brought onto your flight as carry-on baggage, so visitors from overseas can take it home with complete peace of mind — a one-of-a-kind memento of your journey to Kyoto.

The experience also includes a tour of the shop and atelier. Don’t miss the photographs from our presentations to the Belgian and Thai royal families, and the medals of honor awarded to three generations of our masters by the Japanese government.

Price & Details

Experience	Hina doll dressing experience (costume selection, dressing, arm shaping, head attachment by the master)
Duration	Approx. 90 minutes (including a tour of the shop and atelier)
Price	From ¥100,000 (varies depending on the costume and head you choose)
Take-Home	You take your finished doll home the same day. It will be packed so that it can be brought onto your flight as carry-on baggage.
Reservation	By appointment only. Reservations must be made at least one week in advance.
Location	Keiho Ando Doll Shop — 273-2 Komeya-cho, Aburanokoji-dori Marutamachi-agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8034, Japan
Contact	Phone +81-75-231-7466 (10:00–18:00 JST) or via our contact form

Ichimatsu Doll Dressing Experience Also Available

In addition to the hina doll experience, we also offer an Ichimatsu doll dressing experience (¥70,000). You can choose the costume for this experience as well. Please mention “Ichimatsu doll dressing experience” when you book.

An Atelier Chosen by the World

Our hina dolls have crossed the seas: presented to the Belgian royal family for the 150th anniversary of friendship between Japan and Belgium, to the Thai royal family for the 120th anniversary of Japan–Thailand relations, and to the British royal family in celebration of the birth of Princess Charlotte. At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, we exhibited our dolls and gave live demonstrations and talks for visitors from around the world. Read more on our page “Hina Dolls Chosen by the World” (Japanese).

In that very same atelier, by those very same hands, your own hina doll will be made. We look forward to welcoming you at our shop, just steps from the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Booking & Access

Reservations must be made at least one week in advance.
The price varies depending on the costume and head (kashira) you choose. Please contact us for details.
Address: 273-2 Komeya-cho, Aburanokoji-dori Marutamachi-agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8034, Japan (just west of the Kyoto Imperial Palace)
Phone: +81-75-231-7466 (10:00–18:00 JST)

Book Your Doll Making Experience

Craft your own hina dollat a Kyoto atelier chosen by royal families around the world.