Frequently Asked Questions

You can book online from each experience program page by choosing a date, time and number of participants. Availability is shown live on the page. For most experiences the booking completes there and then; for host-approval experiences, it is confirmed after the host approves and you pay.

It depends on the experience. For instant-booking experiences, your booking is confirmed there and then, once you have chosen a date and number of guests and completed the booking. For host-approval experiences, sending your request does not confirm the booking. The host reviews your request, and your booking is confirmed when you pay after it is approved. The page of each host-approval experience has a “How booking works (host approval)” section.

Booking confirmations are sent by our booking system, Bókun, from @bokun.io. Messages about host-approval requests, the holder benefit and our survey come from @mgr.armt.jp, and individual messages from the organisers come from @armt.jp. Please check your spam folder first. If you use a Japanese mobile carrier address (such as @docomo.ne.jp, @ezweb.ne.jp, @au.com or @softbank.ne.jp), your reception settings may block these emails. Before booking, please allow mail from @bokun.io, @mgr.armt.jp and @armt.jp. If it still does not arrive, please contact us.

You can pay by credit card when you book online. The card brands accepted are shown on the payment screen.

Because of the preparation involved, we ask that you book online in advance as a rule. That said, 1 of the 10 programs now open for booking accept walk-ins, so if space remains you can join on the day (look for the “Walk-ins welcome” label on each experience page). To be sure of a place, we recommend booking early.

Yes. 12 of the 19 programs run in the rain. The dyeing and tying work takes place indoors for most of them, so wet weather does not get in the way. Look for the “Runs in the rain” label on each experience page and card. Walking tours held outdoors may be changed or cancelled in severe weather; see our Cancellation Policy for how that is handled.

Yes. 7 of the 19 programs are available in English (look for the “English available” label on each experience page). They include “Arimatsu in English with the Anaibito guides”, a guided walk through the old post town led in English by the local Anaibito volunteer guides.

From 30 to 300 minutes (5 hours), and 12 of the 19 programs finish within 90 minutes — short enough to fit into one free afternoon in Nagoya. The length of each program is given on its experience page.

8 of the 19 programs welcome children (look for the “Children welcome” label on each experience page). Age limits and how accompanying adults are handled differ from program to program, so please check the experience page for details.

If you buy an Arimatsu Osanpo Kippu and join an eligible experience program, you can claim ¥500 per person after the experience. You are welcome to book and join an experience program without the ticket, but the benefit does not apply in that case. The benefit covers bookings made on this site; bookings made elsewhere, such as at the Shibori Kaikan, are not eligible. More about the benefit →

On the day, bring your Arimatsu Osanpo Kippu with you and join an eligible experience program. As your experience finishes, your host shows you the claim QR code. Scan it, and on the claim page enter your booking confirmation code (in your booking confirmation email) and the email address you booked with. Once you have claimed, ¥500 per person is returned automatically to the card you paid for the experience with, through the claim page. There is no counter to queue at.

Claims open once your experience has finished — you cannot claim before it starts. We process the refund promptly after you claim, but it can take around 5–10 business days to appear on your card statement, and depending on your card issuer’s billing cycle it may appear on a later month’s statement.

Claims close at 23:59 (JST) on Sunday 20 December 2026. After that the claim page no longer accepts applications, so we recommend claiming on the day of your experience.

One claim per booking, covering everyone on it (¥500 × number of people) in a single transaction; it cannot be split across separate claims. The benefit applies to bookings paid by card online, and bookings that have been cancelled are not eligible.

Please come in clothes you can move in easily. For sessions that involve dyeing, we recommend clothing you do not mind staining, or something to protect it. What to bring for each program is given on its experience page and in your booking confirmation email.

In sessions that use indigo, such as shibori dyeing, colour can occasionally transfer to your clothes. We plan to provide aprons, but to be safe it is best to take part in clothing you do not mind staining.

The nearest station is Arimatsu on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line: about 20 minutes by semi-express from Meitetsu Nagoya Station, with no change of train. The Tokaido streetscape starts a few steps from the ticket gate. Only local and semi-express trains stop at Arimatsu, so if you board a limited express or express, change at an intermediate station. For details, see Getting here on the top page.

Meeting points differ from program to program. Once you have booked, the meeting point and time are given in your booking details (confirmation email and booking page), along with directions from the station.

By car, you can reach us on ordinary roads from the Nagoya Expressway / Nagoya IC direction. Wherever possible, we recommend coming by Meitetsu train.

Yes, up to the stated deadlines. For those deadlines and how changes are handled, please see our Cancellation Policy.

Programs that involve walking outdoors may have their content changed, or be cancelled, in severe weather (12 of the programs run in the rain). How we will contact you, and how refunds are handled in that case, are set out in your booking confirmation email and in our Cancellation Policy.

Whether a refund is available, and on what terms, depends on when you cancel. For details, see our Cancellation Policy and our Notice under the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions.

How we handle the personal information collected through bookings and enquiries is set out in our Privacy Policy.