Learn traditional hand-sewn shoemaking at our workshop in Tokyo.
Our small-group classes take you from your first tools to a finished pair of shoes, with guidance at each stage. No experience with leather is needed.
Classes available in Japanese and English.
Book a workshop visit
A free, 30-minute visit to meet us and see the workshop. No obligation to enrol.
HOW YOU LEARN
Learn at your own pace, with individual guidance.
Within each small group, your instructor guides you through the stage you are working on. Everyone progresses at their own pace, so there is no need to keep up with other students.
You will learn hand-sewn welted construction: a traditional method in which the upper and sole are joined through a strip of leather called a welt. The welt and sole are stitched by hand.
The process takes time, but it allows the soles to be replaced as they wear. With care and repair, shoes made this way can be worn for decades.
Each session is a day at the workshop, from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, giving you time to settle into your work. Classes are held in person and booked in advance.
WHO THE CLASSES ARE FOR
You can start without ever having handled leather.
We start with the basics, including how to hold the tools and sharpen a leather knife. You will receive written guides for each stage to help you follow the process.
Bring an apron and something to take notes with. Basic tools are provided for use at the workshop.
If you have previous shoemaking experience, we will discuss a suitable starting point after reviewing your work and skills.
If you are new to shoemaking
→
Sew the upper on the machine, then bottom the shoe by hand.
If you would like to learn the whole process
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From pattern making to the finished pair, every stage worked by your own hands.
If you already have experience
→
We will look at shoes you have made and help you start at a level suited to your skills.
COURSES
Choose where to begin, then build your skills.
Beginners Course
About 10 sessions per pair
A course that takes you from closing the upper to a finished pair.
We prepare the cut parts of the upper for you, and you close them on the machine. You then bottom that upper by hand, in the traditional way.
Choose a toe-cap Oxford or a plain-toe Derby. You will settle the design, the size, and the leather when you visit.
Closing and bottoming are the heart of the shoe. If you are unsure where to begin, begin here. If you would rather start with pattern making, you may take the Basic Course first, even with no experience.
Basic Course
About 20 sessions per pair
For those who want to learn the full shoemaking process.
Choose from three classic styles: Oxfords, Derbies or loafers.
Start by drawing your design and making the patterns. Then work through cutting the leather, stitching the uppers, attaching the soles and finishing your shoes, with your instructor's guidance.
We will help you choose the design, size and leather during your visit.
You will develop the practical foundations of shoemaking by working through a complete pair. No Beginners Course is required before joining.
Advanced Course
About 20 sessions per pair
For those who want to develop their shoemaking skills further.
Explore your own choice of design within traditional shoemaking. Possibilities include side-elastic shoes, Chelsea boots, wholecuts, apron-toe shoes and brogues. We will discuss your ideas with you before you begin.
You can also explore more demanding sole construction and finishing techniques, including bevelled and fiddleback waists: ways of shaping the narrow section of the sole beneath the arch.
This course widens your range, in design and in bottoming alike. When to begin is something we agree together, taking account of how you are getting on and what you would like to make. Around two pairs in the Basic Course is the usual guide.
Bespoke Course
About 26 sessions per pair
For those who want to make shoes fitted to their own feet.
Bespoke shoemaking begins with lasts shaped to your individual feet. You will make the lasts, check the fit and design with a trial pair, adjust the lasts and then make the final shoes and matching shoe trees.
Taking measurements
Measure your feet
Making the lasts
Make lasts shaped to your own feet
Trial shoes
Check the fit and design with a trial pair
Adjusting the lasts
Refine the lasts based on the trial fitting
Making the final pair
Make your shoes using the finished lasts
Making shoe trees
Make shoe trees from the same lasts
Here you work through the whole of bespoke making, once, from end to end. As with the Advanced Course, when to begin is agreed together. Around two pairs in the Advanced Course is the usual guide.
FEES
Day sessions are ¥8,500.
A session runs from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. All prices are in Japanese yen and include tax. Materials and any applicable enrolment fee are charged separately.
Session passes reduce the daily rate for the Beginners, Basic, Advanced and Bespoke Courses.
Pass
Price
Per session
Pay as you go
¥8,500
¥8,500
4-session pass
¥32,800
¥8,200
8-session pass
¥64,000
¥8,000
10-session pass
¥78,000
¥7,800
12-session pass
¥90,000
¥7,500
Validity runs from the purchase date: 4 months for a 4-session pass, 8 months for an 8-session pass, 10 months for a 10-session pass, and 12 months for a 12-session pass.
Enrolment fee
There is a one-time enrolment fee of ¥24,000, payable when you begin the Basic Course.
There is no enrolment fee if you take only the Beginners Course. You will not be charged again when you move on to the Advanced or Bespoke Course.
Materials
Materials are charged separately from tuition. They start at ¥36,000 per pair, depending on the leather you choose.
Beginners Course materials cost ¥36,000, including the uppers materials, sole materials and use of the lasts. For the Basic Course and beyond, we quote materials and last hire in advance, according to the shoes and leather you choose.
What you pay to get started
Beginners
Course
Basic
Course
Tuition
¥8,500 / session
¥8,500 / session
Enrolment
None
¥24,000
Materials
¥36,000
From ¥36,000
Tools
Provided
Provided
Total
¥44,500
From ¥68,500
This is not the cost of the whole course: further sessions are charged separately. We will confirm materials and last hire costs before you enrol.
For all courses, the session counts are estimates, not deadlines. If you need more time, additional sessions are charged at the usual rate.
SCHEDULE
Book days that fit your schedule.
You do not have to attend on the same weekday each week. By the end of each month, send us your preferred dates for the following month. All sessions must be booked in advance and are subject to availability.
Class days
Generally every day
Hours
9:30 am–4:00 pm
We generally offer classes every day, with some closures due to instructor availability. The following month's closure dates are announced in advance.
How long does a pair take?
These are approximate completion times based on the attendance patterns below. Your pace may vary.
Beginners
Course
Basic
Course
Once a week
2–3 months
5–6 months
Twice a month
5–6 months
10–11 months
INSTRUCTORS
Your instructors
Ken Kataoka
I hope you will discover the pleasure of working with your hands and making something from beginning to end.
2017
Began learning traditional shoemaking
2019
Established his own workshop, Siroeno Yosui
2022
Silver medal, World Championships of Shoemaking
2025
Silver medal, World Championships of Shoemaking
2025
Selected for the Homo Faber Guide
A platform for craftsmanship around the world, presented by the Michelangelo Foundation
2026
Gold medal, World Championships of Shoemaking
Taichi Tomimatsu
Sole construction is about more than strength. With practice, your hands begin to understand the work. I look forward to helping you develop that feel for it.
2021
Learned the foundations of shoemaking at a school in Tokyo
2023
Joined our workshop, working mainly on sole construction
HOW TO START
Start with a visit.
01
Book a workshop visit
Contact us using the form or by email, and we will arrange a time.
02
Visit the workshop (about 30 minutes)
Look around, handle the tools and talk with us about what you would like to make. This is a chance to get to know the workshop before enrolling; it is not a shoemaking lesson. There is no charge or obligation to join.
03
Choose your shoes
When you are ready, choose your design, size and leather with us. We will measure your feet to select a suitable standard last. Individually fitted lasts are made in the Bespoke Course. You can discuss these choices during your first visit without committing to a course.
04
Enrol
Once you have decided to join, get in touch. We will confirm the costs and ask you to pay the initial tuition and any applicable enrolment, materials and last hire fees.
05
Begin your course
Please allow about a month for us to prepare your materials. Once everything is ready, we will arrange your first session.
LOCATION
Our workshop in Arakawa, Tokyo.
We are a five-minute walk from Shin-Mikawashima Station on the Keisei Main Line. You can also reach us from Machiya Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line or Nishi-Nippori Station on the JR lines.
5-minute walk
Shin-Mikawashima Station — Keisei Main Line
9-minute walk
Machiya Station — Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, Keisei Main Line and Toden Arakawa Line
15-minute walk
Nishi-Nippori Station — JR lines and Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line
1F, Star Platinum Arc Machiya
5-7-1 Arakawa, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo 116-0002, Japan
Book a workshop visit
Come and see the workshop, handle the tools and talk through your questions. The visit takes about 30 minutes, is free, and does not commit you to a course.
Use the form below to request a visit. If you have preferred dates, include them in your message. We will reply within two to three days to arrange a time; submitting the form does not confirm a booking.
contact@bootandshoemakers.comQUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Book a workshop visit