Where to go for art supplies, sketching and inspiration

in Tokyo, Kyoto, Ise-Shima and Osaka, Japan

Art supplies and books from Sekaido art store in Tokyo, Japan. By Molly Chidsey of Lady Fern Graphics. — *Art supplies from Tokyo.*

I recently had the privilege of traveling to Japan for two weeks during Cherry Blossom season. It was… amazing. The food is incredible, the people are friendly, and the trains run everywhere we wanted to go!

Japan has some of my favorite art supply manufacturers, and their art supply shops are legendary. So, I had to check it out for myself.

If you are planning a trip to Japan, I hope you will add some of these spots to your itinerary!

Here’s my favorite art spots from my trip to Japan, including art stores, sketch spots, and inspiration.

Tokyo

I was intimidated by the size of Tokyo, a city of 14 million people. However, it was the quietest, cleanest city I have ever been to in my life. We spent four jet-lagged days there and in between espressos to keep myself awake, I got to visit two of the art suppliers on my list. It’s a good thing I brought an extra bag to haul home all my treasure.

Pigment Tokyo

I have been following Pigment Tokyo on Instagram for over a year, ever since I got into making my own ink. Their wonderful shop near the river in the South end of Tokyo’s downtown area was worth the trip… their wall of pigments in tiny glass jars is nothing short of magical.

Everything is weighed by the gram, and shopping is sort of like the bulk-bins at the natural foods store, except with magical unicorn dust instead of nuts and oatmeal.

I came home with several greens, reds, blacks and irridescent pigments. But the one I was most excited to learn about is YInMin Blue, a new pigment discovered at Oregon State University.

Sekaido

My next stop was the fabled six-story art supplier Sekaido. I just about fainted when I walked in and saw the sign for all six floors. And yes, I went to all of them!

My favorite floor was the watercolor supply floor, which included several Japanese brands I wasn’t yet familiar with. I also brought home some of my current favorites from Pentel and Tombow.

Sketch spot: Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

It was a chilly day when we visited Shinjuko Gyoen National Garden, so we ducked inside the greenhouse. We were greeted by warm air, orchids, an indoor waterfall and so many tropical plants! I highly recommend this spot if you like to sketch plants and leaves.

Sketch spot: Meguro River, Tokyo

I love to draw bodies of water, even urban ones. The Meguro River was quiet on this sunny day, with a quiet boardwalk and a blue sky.

Here’s my sketch, which I admittedly made while eating a matcha doughnut in one hand (seriously, the snacks are SO good in Japan!)

Ink and watercolor sketch of the Meguro River in Tokyo by Molly Chidsey of Lady Fern Graphics. — *My sketch of the Meguro River in Tokyo.*

*My sketch of the delicious Ekiben lunch I had on the train.*

Eki stamps

One of the most fun, but elusive, activities of our trip to Japan was collecting Eki stamps. These are actual rubber stamps with a design unique to each train station. My experience was that they are super hard to find since the train stations are enormous multi-floor buildings, often underground and with shopping malls attached.

The only one we found, after asking the train station master in person using a translator app, was in Tokyo Station.

You can see it here in the upper portion of my sketchbook. Score!

Kyoto

From Tokyo, we took the bullet train (the Shinkansen line) to Kyoto. That introduced me to a delicious art form known as the Ekiben, or bento box for the train ride.

Even the food arrangements are a form of art in Japan! I sketched mine on the train ride (after I ate it, of course).

Saiundo

The most special place I visited in Japan was Saiun-do, a calligraphy and watercolor artist supply shop owned by the same family for three generations. I got to meet the proprietors and learn about the Japanese art form Nihonga, a Japanese style of painting that uses mineral and organic pigments.

Here, I bought my first Japanese watercolor in a ceramic pan, an ink stick and an ink stone (replete with stamped impression of a dragon) to use with the ink stick.

Sou Sou

At this point in the trip, I found myself in need of new pants (did I mention the food is really good?!) I found Sou Sou in Kyoto within walking distance of my hotel and the central shopping district. There I was thrilled to see their constellation of nine shops, with Japan-designed and made fabric, shoes, and clothing. I bought three pairs of their wide-legged pants (see photo). They also sell online and ship internationally! Highly recommend.

Kyoto International Manga Museum

Having never been a comic reader, I was curious about Manga because I use a lot of their tools in my own sketchbooks. I visited the International Manga Museum on a very rainy day in Kyoto.

I was greeted by a multi-floor repurposed school filled with neatly arranged shelves filled with Manga comics spanning the past 40+ years. My favorite part was seeing all the people sitting in the school desks while quietly reading comics.

Roketsu Dyeing Studio

Roketsu is a type of wax-resist fabric art from Japan. I found the Roketsu Dyeing Studio through a travel app, and signed up for a workshop. I arrived at the studio and was greeted by the studio manager, who walked me to my work station. Despite our language barriers, he was able to communicate easily to me by showing me how to use the tools available: a pot of melted wax, calligraphy brushes, a light box, and cotton fabric,

Here’s my illustration of the process:

*My ink-and-watercolor illustration of the Japanese Roketsu fabric art process, based on a workshop I attended at the Roketsu Dyeing Studio in Kyoto.*

Sketch spot: Kyoto Zen Temples

Kyoto is famous for its 1,000 Buddhist temples, including many Zen temples and Zen gardens. When the sun came out on our final day in Kyoto, we took the opportunity to walk The Philosopher’s Path.

This walking path along a canal in NW Kyoto includes many cherry blossoms, temples, and snacks. Here’s my pencil sketch of the places we visited along the way, which I drew on the train ride the next day. I later added ink and markers to finish the illustration.

Ise-Shima National Park and coast

*My sketch of the Ise-Shima National Park area of coastal Japan. This map is not to scale ;)*

Sketch spot: the Ise-Shima coast

We were fortunate to visit the countryside of Japan’s coastal Ise-Shima National Park area. This region is famous for the invention of cultured pearls, as well as the Ama free divers. We met one of these talented divers at the Satoumian Ama diver hut. We ate seafood she caught and grilled, including abalone, snail, and squid.

During our stay in this region, I got to enjoy many other Japanese local seafood and which I cataloged in the illustration below.

*Some of the delicious seafood (and side dishes) I ate during my time in Japan’s Ise-Shima National Park coastal area.*

Osaka

Osaka is Japan’s third largest city, an important seaport and manufacturing hub. But many travelers end up there for (1) the food scene, or (2) the international airport. It’s a good alternative to Tokyo for traveling to or from Japan.

Nakanoshima Museum of Art

The Fukuda Heihachiro retrospective at the new Nakanoshima Museum of Art was a wonderful inspiration to me. As someone who changed careers in mid-life to pursue art, I often feel like time is working against me. Instead, this show showed me how an artist’s voice and style can continually evolve over a lifetime.

Sketch spot: Nakanoshima City Park

By the last day of our trip, we were so tired that we bought a picnic lunch and laid in the park with all the other cherry-blossom peepers and squealing kiddos enjoying the spring sunshine. The cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom, so I embellished my sketch a little.

*My last sketch of the trip: the lovely Nakanoshima Park in Osaka. Delight and sunshine was in the air.*

What art and sketching spots do you recommend in Japan? Tell me in the comments below!

Sketching in Japan