Experience Japanese calligraphy at the Edinburgh Fringe, create your own souvenir, and enjoy a Hong Kong-style meal.

Japanese Calligraphy × Edinburgh Fringe × Hong Kong Cuisine

Create Your Own Edinburgh Fringe Japanese Souvenir

Part of Edinburgh Fringe 2026

Looking for a souvenir that's a little more personal than something from a gift shop?

Join Japanese calligrapher Mare Ito for a two-hour experience combining Japanese calligraphy, a live performance, a hands-on creative session and a Hong Kong-style meal at Made in Hong Kong.

You'll get to watch Mare create a large-scale calligraphy artwork, have a go at Japanese calligraphy yourself, and finish the experience with a meal and a chance to chat with the other participants.

Most importantly, you'll leave with a souvenir that you have created yourself.

The Experience

Live Japanese Calligraphy Performance

We'll start with a 30-minute live calligraphy performance.

Mare will use a large sheet of paper and an oversized brush to create a large-scale artwork inspired by Japanese culture and traditional imagery. You can watch the artwork develop up close and ask questions along the way.

Create Your Own Souvenir

After the performance, you'll have the opportunity to create your own artwork.

Mare will guide you through painting a Daruma, a traditional Japanese symbol associated with perseverance and good fortune, and writing your name in Japanese calligraphy.

You'll then add "Edinburgh Fringe" and the date of your visit to your artwork.

No previous experience is needed. Mare will guide you through each step, so beginners are very welcome.

At the end, you'll have your own handmade souvenir to take home and remember your time in Edinburgh.

A Hong Kong-Style Meal at Made in Hong Kong

We'll finish the experience with a meal at Made in Hong Kong, where you can relax, enjoy some Hong Kong-style food and chat with the other participants while looking at everyone's finished artwork.

Choose one main:

Crispy Chilli Pork Chop with rice

Tomato Beef with rice

Sweet & Sour Crispy Pork with rice

Beef with Black Bean Sauce with rice or noodles

Crispy Chicken with Honey Sauce with rice or noodles

Soy Sauce Noodles with beef or chicken

Choose one drink:

Iced Red Bean

Hong Kong Lemon Tea

Hong Kong Milk Tea

Your Edinburgh Fringe Souvenir

Your finished artwork will include:

A hand-painted Daruma

Your name written in Japanese

"Edinburgh Fringe"

The date of your visit

Every participant's artwork will be different, because you'll be creating it yourself.

It's a souvenir that you won't simply find in a shop—you'll have a story behind it.

Why Japanese Calligraphy, Edinburgh Fringe and Hong Kong Cuisine?

This experience brings together three things that are rarely experienced together:

Japanese calligraphy — learn about and experience a traditional Japanese art form.

Edinburgh Fringe — create a personal reminder of your visit to one of the world's biggest arts festivals.

Hong Kong cuisine — enjoy a meal at Made in Hong Kong and experience a taste of Hong Kong in Edinburgh.

We hope you'll leave with not only something to take home, but also a memorable experience to take with you.

Event Details

Date: 13, 14, 15 August 2026 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)

Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Location: Made in Hong Kong, 62 Ratcliffe Terrace, Edinburgh EH9 1ST

Duration: 2 hours

Maximum participants: 10

Price: £39 per person

The experience includes approximately:

30 minutes of live calligraphy performance

30 minutes of hands-on calligraphy

60 minutes for food and conversation

The small group size allows everyone to receive personal guidance from Mare.

What's Included

Live Japanese calligraphy performance

Hands-on Japanese calligraphy session

All art materials

Your finished artwork to take home

Guidance from Japanese calligrapher Mare Ito

One main course at Made in Hong Kong

One drink at Made in Hong Kong

Who Is This For?

This experience is suitable for:

Edinburgh Fringe visitors

Tourists looking for a memorable souvenir

Couples

Families

Friends travelling together

Anyone interested in Japanese culture

Complete beginners

You don't need any previous experience with calligraphy or art.

About Mare

Mare Ito is a licensed Japanese calligrapher based in Edinburgh.

His work combines traditional Japanese calligraphy with sumi-e ink painting and Japanese cultural traditions. He is particularly interested in bringing Japanese calligraphy into new places and creating experiences that connect Japanese culture with the places he visits.

During the Edinburgh Fringe, Mare will be sharing his work with visitors through live calligraphy performances around Edinburgh.

What Previous Participants Say

"Excellent — the workshop was a highly worthwhile experience. I'm definitely going to come to more."

"Thank you for such an enjoyable and inspiring workshop. I left feeling motivated to continue developing my calligraphy skills."

"As a first timer, I felt extremely welcomed and left feeling happy with myself."

Please Note

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Description supplied by the event organiser.