Hiko Mizuno Jewelry College Workshop

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, a workshop was held at SNG with Hiko Mizuno Jewelry College. This time, participants made keychains. There were nine participants in total: four from the USA, two from Germany, one from Singapore, one from Mexico, and one from Costa Rica. Two instructors from the college guided the creation process.

First, the participants watched an introductory video about the college for about 30 minutes. Then, the explanation of the clear pouch keychain began. Various patterned sheets were laid out on the tables, including stars, ice cream and chocolate sweets, cherries, bananas, and avocados. Each participant chose their favorite pattern, folded a long sheet into a triangular shape. The instructors explained, “The sheet has a front and back side,” and that there were several small holes in the sheets. Using a hammer, the metal fittings were attached through these holes.

The instructors demonstrated how to insert the fittings into the holes and gently tap them with a hammer, saying, “Tap with this kind of sound and force,” and “Listen to the sound of the hammer.” Hearing this, everyone picked up their hammers and started tapping together.

At first, the students tapped hesitantly, but gradually they got the hang of it and enjoyed the process. Since this was a keychain-making workshop, many of the participants were skilled and really enjoyed the detailed work involved. The students also found the instructors’ Japanese explanations very educational.