I have been coming to Hide’s regular class weekly for almost three years, and I have to say that Hide is a talented, knowledgeable and kind teacher. He always greets you with a big smile and a warm welcome. He treats every student equally and respectfully with humbleness and fairness. He shows care for students by always providing help and suggestions with his skills and knowledge, yet still leaving the space for students to be an independent thinker. He tries his best to run the studio with an organized system, so every student could get their finished pieces in a fair amount of time. Outside of class, Hide is a good friend who always listens to you and gives you feedback on life and on art making.
The flexible regular class is where I would learn the most from. It is based on a ticket system where you could buy a set of 5 tickets and 5 coupons, and come in anytime after a simple booking online (so to see if any space is available). The good thing about regular class is that you could do pottery and socialize with all these wonderful classmates, in an environment with good music and good tea. Not to mention that this is a rare chance in Vancouver to learn about Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-sabi from pottery making.
By being there for almost three years, I could see people coming for one day class almost every time I go for regular class. Hide is well prepared for the one day class with a systematic plan. He always starts the instruction with his funny jokes and have a consent form for students to sign. Then he would have everything set up for students, and guide them with simple instruction on how to build a bowl/vast/cup. The whole process looks easy and fun, and he will do all the messy works afterwards; you will just need to wait for a month to get the beautiful work! I know it is hard to deal with a number of things when having a business, but Hide always remains just, reasonable, and respectful when he faces problems and complains, and tries to solve the issue with the best he could offer. All in all, five stars!