Like tea, shodo (‘the way of writing’) arrived in Japan from China and was originally practised by priests, nobles and the literati using Chinese kanji characters. There are a number of different styles still used today both by professional and amateur calligraphers as well as Japanese school children who study the form at school – such as block, semi-cursive and cursive-style script. Under the guidance of a noted calligraphy master, you can learn the history of the art form as well as use black ink sticks to grind and create your own ink to create your own characters. You may even like to try writing characters using extra-large brushes on large pieces of paper taped to the floor – quite a novel experience!