Journey to Kyoto, Japan

Decorate and Dine with these Japanese inspired ideas

Table Decorations

Use white butcher paper rolls to cover tables, tape them underneath to have them stay, and have your residents paint or draw koi fish and cherry blossoms, or have them use their Japanese woodblock craft stamps we have provided! Follow the linked tutorials for more!

What's for Dinner?

Japanese food isn’t just sustenance, it is art, culture, and a sensory experience all in one! Have residents learn to use chopsticks to make the meal more fun or as an activity! Be sure to include these traditional Japanese ingredients:

  • Rice
  • Fish
  • Sushi
  • Ramen
  • Tofu
  • Edamame (in the pods, they are great for dexterity!)
  • Pickled Asian vegetables

Passport and Stamp

Keep up with all the fun destinations by printing this passport booklet. Each destination will have a stamp the resident can color to cut and glue to the passport.

Craft Ideas

Virtual Tours & YouTube

Movies Set in Kyoto

  • Memoirs of a Geisha – (2005) | PG-13 | Romance/Drama/Historical 
  • A Chaos of Flowers/Hana no ran – (1988) | NR | Drama 
  • The Geisha House – (1998) | NR | Drama 
  • The Makioka Sisters – (1983) | NR | Drama/Romance 
  • Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog – (2004) | NR | Drama Rikyu – (1989) | NR | Drama/History 
  • Zen – a biography of Dōgen Zenji, a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher – (2009) | NR | Drama/Biography

Japanese Movie Suggestions

  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – (2011) | R | Crime/Drama/Mystery
  • Late Spring – (1949) | NR | Drama
  • Rashomon – (1950) | NR | Drama/Crime/Mystery
  • Seven Samurai – (1954) | R | Action/Adventure/Drama
  • Spirited Away – (2001) | PG | Animated/Drama/Music
  • The Taste of Tea – (2004) | NR | Comedy/Drama/Music Zatôichi – (2003) | NR | Comedy/Action
  • Princess Mononoke – (1997) | PG | Animated/Adventure/Fantasy
  • Grave Of The Fireflies – (1988) | PG-13 | Animated/Historical
  • Yojimbo – (1961) | R | Comedy/Drama
  • Jiro Dreams of Sushi – (2011) | PG | Uplifting Documentary/Drama
  • Lost in Translation – (2003) | R | Dry Comedy/Drama
  • My Neighbor Totoro – (1988) | G | Animation/Family/Fantasy

Music Suggestions

Kiyomizudera shrine in the foreground, Kyoto cityscape at dusk

Kiyomizudera Shrine, Kyoto, Japan