For some people, especially the locals, the hectic city life in Jakarta has already become their daily activities. And they are fine to just hanging out at the bar and restaurant, or cinemas, to refresh their weary mind. But for some foreign and local tourists, maybe those things are not good enough to have as refreshment. So here are 11 interesting things to do in Jakarta to gain new skills!
1 | Making Kites at Museum Layang – Layang
Located in Jalan Haji Kamang, South Jakarta, this one is the first kite museum in Indonesia. Open from 9 a.m to 4 p.m, this museum has more than 600 collections of different varieties of kites. And the numbers are still increasing as the new collections keep coming from all over the world. And if you are visiting this place with your kids and family, you can also watch the video about kites and also learn how to make one and paint them! Even better, you can bring home what you have made there.
2 | Ceramic Creation at Museum Seni Rupa dan Keramik
This museum in Kota Tua, West Jakarta, is dedicated especially to the display of traditional fine arts and ceramics of Indonesia. This fine arts and ceramics museum building was once used as the court of justice back in the Dutch colonial days. Until it was officially inaugurated as The Fine arts and Ceramics Museum by president Soeharto on August 20, 1976. The museum displays the traditional handcrafts of Indonesia. It also displays paintings by Indonesian famous painters. And it also displays traditional and contemporary ceramics from various areas of Indonesia. The best thing is, you can learn how to pain the ceramics and/or making handcrafts while you take a visit here!
3 | Batik Art at Museum Tekstil
Opens from Tuesday to Sunday at 9 o’clock to 16 o’clock, this museum in Palmerah, West Jakarta, is also an institution of culture and education. Textile has always been one of the most important parts in life as it gives us clothes, even for the ritual and ceremonial objects, here in Indonesia. It has a very rich aspect of Indonesian culture and it shows you that the artists themselves have a very high level of technological expertise and artistic skills. And this museum always tries to inform and educate people on exhibition, seminars, workshops, research, and publication. And when you visit here, you can learn how to make Batik art with guidance from the expert!
4 | Making Ondel – Ondel at Kampung Betawi Setu Babakan
If you are looking for an educative adventure, then you will need to go to this Kampung Budaya Betawi in Setu Babakan, South Jakarta. In here, you will learn about the old Jakarta culture that actually is dying now and needs to be preserved. The old culture of Jakarta has slowly faded away as the people in the city now are more interested in the new urban styles and culture. And if you visit this place, you will not only help the culture to survive the urban era, but you can also learn many things about it. You will get lots of information about how to make Indonesia local beer called Bir Pletok, how to make Ondel – Ondel, learn the traditional Tarian Selamat Datang, and any other things about old Jakarta culture. So come down and visit this place because it is so enticing!
5 | Paint and Sip at Bartega Studio
Founded in spring of 2017, Bartega wanted to change the way people spend their day by bringing both the calmness of painting and the excitement a glass of wine can do. They are dedicated to inspire and influence the community of artists and individual alike to come together in the form of art and unleash their inner artists in a common space. This art-space cherish and value the experience of painting on an empty canvas, using colors as an idea, stroking it in a motion shaped by your hands. And you can easily join this fun and stress-relieving painting workshops at any time!
6 | Learn Printmaking at Ganara Art-space
Founded by a couple of husband and wife, Ranald Indra and Tita Djumaryo, this art studio in Sekolah Kembang Kemang, South Jakarta, is a place where you can develop your art skills and learn more about it, especially in the field of pottery and printmaking. The reason why they made this art-space is because one of their children experienced what so-called ‘speech delay’ because he spent more time playing gadgets. Instead, they created something that can develop the sensory-motor processing for the children. And in this place, they also have classes for children, beginners and even for them who have more experience in it. This is the best alternative for you and your children to spend time in Jakarta if you are bored with the usual entertainment.
7 | Various Handcraft Ideas at Wewo Lab
Wewo stands for “Weekend Workshop”. This ground supports creative and productive weekend activities for everybody through craft and soft skill workshops. With 40 workshops available spread to three other major cities; Bandung, Tangerang and Bogor, Wewo Lab encourages its participants to adopt a self-made spirit in daily lives. They also conducted several humanitarian activities in collaboration with prominent communities in Indonesia. So if you are looking for a fun yet productive weekend, this is the right place for you to go!
8 | Cook Something Great at Almond Zucchini Cooking Studio
Located in Prapanca, South Jakarta, this establishment creates innovative programs and keeps the dream alive for foods enthusiast. This cooking studio is an intensive hands-on program that normally runs between 1- 2 full days depending on the topics. Occasionally they also do shorter duration cooking class. Whether you are taking your first steps into the culinary world, looking to fine tune your existing skills or wanting to expand your cooking and baking repertoire, Almond Zucchini’s workshops are just the thing for you!
9 | Learn to Make Jewelry at Indoestri Makerspace
Learn a new skill or move ahead with an advanced education from their weekly scheduled classes and workshops. Professionals, including our own members, will provide you with new knowledge and abilities to bring your ideas to life. In this place, you can register for kinds of handcrafts lesson. Not only for jewelry making, you can also learn about the making of leatherworks, metal, and woodworking, bookbinding techniques, indigo batik techniques, even farming vertical gardens. They also provide seminars about social branding occasionally.
10 | Make Your Signature Latte at ABCD School of Coffee
Located in Menteng, Central Jakarta, this coffee school will give you so much information about the coffee itself. Started with appreciation about the coffee origins and history, to its agriculture, brewing cupping, and definitive espresso. If you have no experience in the coffee industry, you can join their beginner class. The class is also popular among those who plan to be in the coffee business and students who wish to work as part-time baristas while studying abroad.
11 | Choose What to Master at Mau Belajar Apa
MauBelajarApa.com is an online marketplace platform which allows learners to search & register for offline vocational classes or workshops published by educators. Established in 2015, this site now has evolved to become the largest workshop marketplace in Indonesia. Some of their most popular class categories are Watercolor, Calligraphy, Digital Marketing and Fashion. Partnering with more than 100 educators, more than 1,000 different workshops annually, serving more than 20,000 students, pretty sure this site will teach you a lot!
With all those references about some things to do in Jakarta, you will not need to worry about how will you spend your weekends. These joyful sites will give you fun times as well as educate you about the things u want to know about Jakarta. So, what are you waiting for? Come to these places and enjoy your time learning new things!
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Ministry of Tourism,Republic of Indonesia