Painting Experience

[With wishes on paper and colors in tradition] Weaving your own Aizu story through the 'painting experience'

As you walk through the streets of Aizu, you will surely see the charming red cow 'Akabeko' and the 'Okiagari Koboshi' that gets back up no matter how many times it falls. The 'painting experience', where you breathe life into these traditional toys that have been a part of people's lives for over four hundred years, is the most creative moment that leaves your travel memories in vivid form.

■ Painting on a white base, freeing your sensibility

The stage for the experience is in front of a pure white base that has not yet been dyed with any color.

• Free brushwork: Whether you faithfully reproduce traditional patterns or add modern colors, everything is up to the artist's freedom. Using acrylic paints, the process of bringing the 'beko' to life with each brushstroke has a magical power that makes both adults and children lose track of time.
• A unique guardian deity: The Akabeko wishing for protection from misfortune, and the Okiagari Koboshi, which is arranged to be one more than the number of family members to wish for good health. By infusing your own wishes and thoughts into it, it transforms from a mere craft into a lifelong treasure.

■ Bringing back the brilliance of your journey as it is

Once the painting is finished, you can take your work home on the same day.

• An eternal memorial: The 'one and only' piece you created yourself is the best souvenir of your journey. Every time you display it at home, the essence of Aizu's climate and the excitement of that moment when you were engrossed in something come vividly back to life.

While inheriting traditional forms, infuse new sensibilities. Why not visit a workshop in Aizu to experience the small miracles born from your fingertips?