The Concept

In 2019 we co-founded the School of Traditional Building Arts (Shin-Machiya Juku) in Kyoto to teach rapidly disappearing building skills to young working tradespeople (carpenters, plasterers, etc.)

Opportunity to Grow

"My training at Shin-Machiya Juku let me fulfill what I thought was an `mpossible dream' of becoming a master carpenter."

To meet the growing demand for high-quality traditional construction, our school teaches nearly forgotten skills and provides young tradespeople with a direct path to mastery. Our intensive, year-long Sunday courses accommodate those in the early stages of their careers. JapanCraft21 provides full scholarships to all students.



Our program is intended for individuals who plan to live in Japan and help revitalize traditional Japanese architectural techniques. Because it is sustained by donors committed to preserving machiya and their building methods, we prioritize limited seats for residents who will continue this work in Japan. Thank you for your understanding.