One great hands-on experience in Shiga is indigo dyeing in Konan. An indigo fabric shop called Konki Senshoku offers easy indigo dyeing lessons using something as small as a handkerchief or as large as a T-shirt.
We tried it with a small handkerchief (1200 yen) and it was fun, though we got mixed results in the final tie-dye design. But it was fun and interesting.
One unique or rare thing about this shop is that they use natural indigo dye, from indigo plants that they grow themselves.