The International Students Course for Autumn 2025 has ended successfully. In the autumn semester, we welcomed six students from the UK, Denmark, France, Norway, and India. Here are the comments from the interviews with the students on the last day of the Applied Kasuri Course (independent project).
Two of the students in the Applied Kasuri Course had completed both the Beginners Course and the Foundation Kasuri Course in the spring semester, and then returned to take the Applied Kasuri Course. One of them enrolled as part of an extended stay in Japan to conduct artistic research after graduating from an art university in Norway. Having completed all the courses, she shared the following impression:
“The courses in spring (the Beginners / Foundation Kasuri Courses) were a very nice way to learn everything from the very beginning and understand how you do it. In the Applied Kasuri Course, it's really nice to have a larger project as part of a portfolio and to actually test out more of the things you learned last time through independent projects. So I felt that taking the extra course in spring became even more valuable in a way, because it made the experience feel like a full package. I feel that this experience has opened more opportunities for me if I choose to pursue the textile art world further. There’s also the possibility that if I apply for a master’s program, it could be in textiles. I’ve also heard a lot about your collaboration with the many Swedish students (from the partner school) who have come here*, which opens up the possibility for me to go to Sweden, as well. So if I decide to go to that scene, it’s definitely already started in Japan.”
This autumn, a student working as a textile artist in the UK took the Foundation and the Applied Kasuri Course. He shares his views on his experience learning Japanese kasuri even after creating works with ikat for some time:
“I learned a lot about Japanese Kasuri through just online research and from books. So, it was really nice to come here and learn firsthand from teachers that have practiced it themselves. I think the Foundation Kasuri Course was challenging for me because I had to adapt to a different way of doing things here. The equipment is set up slightly differently, and the methods are somewhat different as well. It was really interesting to see a different perspective, but it was also a challenge to give up my way of doing things and trying this new way. But I really wanted to increase my technical skill level, and I think the course was definitely designed to develop them. The Applied Kasuri Course was really nice. You could put what you learned into practice and see how to develop those skills in your own style. It was fun, but also challenging. It was also really nice to see the level of attention to detail and care at every stage of the making process. I'm going to take away from this a positive mindset.”
A student from France, who works as a costume maker, took time off from work in the spring to attend the Beginners and Foundation Kasuri Courses. With the mindset that "this is the year for learning, and I will do it all," she returned to Japan in the autumn to take the Applied Kasuri Course. She shared the following comments about the school’s environment:
“For me, it started feeling like home after coming here twice this year. I was very impressed with the number of looms, also the kindness of the other students. I really enjoy chatting with them. Sometimes there is a language limit, but I feel that everyone has been friendly to us, which I really appreciate. I also really like the school building itself--the light, the fact that there is grass outside, and that we can see the trees changing with the seasons. I appreciate the help of all the teachers as well. It's been really good. I wanted to take the Applied Kasuri Course to make sure that I would be ready to buy a loom. Now I know I'm going to buy one. I hope I can continue practicing. I'm still very new to it, so I need to see what happens when I have my own loom and decide what I want to do first. But I'm excited about that.”
*Applications for the
International Students Course in Spring 2026 are open until 9AM(JST) Jan. 8.
