Japan 2018

focus

Japanese Craft & Cultural Context

type of camp

Creative Residential Retreat

group size

12

price

$2850 / $3650

specific dates

November 5-11, 2018

location

Makabe, Ibaraki, Japan

Highlights

expand your Japanese cultural knowledge
explore Japanese modern and traditional crafts
experiment with Japanese calligraphy styles
understand Japanese lettering practices
discover your new hand lettering skills
transform fabric with traditional indigo
form your own historic japanese name stamp
carve a gourd, yes, a gourd!
make your own sake label at a centuries-old sake factory
create a typographic gift for the Makabe community
connect with Japanese artisans in the village
meet the locals that have welcomed you to their town
taste rustic food from the Japanese countryside
enjoy a week in the mountains in autumn

Details

Type Camp Japan 2018 is SOLD OUT! 

Thanks to everyone that registered.
Want to come next year? Email us to let us know!

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This camp will take place in the small village of Makabe in the Mount Tsukuba area of Ibaraki, Japan.

You will apply typographic concepts to traditional Japanese arts and crafts, taught by experts in their field, in environments that are conducive to learning and exploration and Japanese culture. Each day of our countryside retreat will focus on a different aspect of Japanese craft, including Japanese brush calligraphy, Shibori indigo dying, historic letterform carving, sake labels, and more. The week concludes with a group project for the town of Makabe.

West Ibaraki is a rustic agricultural area known for its scenery and slower way of life, so we will allow for time to explore. Everyone will be able to connect with the residents of the rural village that has welcomed us, both with their food and their craft, their homes and their workshops. We will even visit an elementary school and join in their calligraphy class! (These children are seriously awesome and could very well be your favorite part of the camp.)

The area around Makabe is an idyllic and authentic view of small-town Japan; therefore, we promise that you will have an truly hospitable experience rarely offered to visitors. This special opportunity will help you to explore an area of the world known for art, design, and craft; and you will also contribute to a cultural exchange with a very charming Japanese village with generous artists and adorable kids.

 

Want to see what it was like in 2016? Check out Daria’s Diaries from during our last camp. They’re both honest and hilarious!

Here we are loving the banner that Makabe made for us during our 2016 camp. And besides, who needs Type Camp when you can go to Pype Camp? (We loved every single bit of that wonderful sign! And yes, we saved it for posterity.)