A guide to Kyoto, Japan through the city’s craft scene

As Japan’s ancient former capital, Kyoto has attracted craftspeople and artisans from all around the country. Members of the Imperial Court were both patrons and practitioners at the ateliers that opened here during their 1000-year reign and helped refine techniques such as nishijin-ori silk weaving and kyo-shikki lacquerware into the most superior in all of Japan.

Now, more than a century later, Kyoto’s craft game is still going strong. In the old-timey machiya townhouses dotted…