This trip of a lifetime took us back into the ancient Japanese crafts of weaving, papermaking, and indigo dyeing as they’ve been done for thousands of years. Being fully immersed in this rich culture of beauty has been life-changing.
PLAY
Explore the Temples
Nothing makes you feel more like you’re in Japan than sitting in the temples and shrines that have only been seen before in photos.
Drink Sake
There are many town nearby where they specialize in making sake. There’s nothing like seeing a sake barrel opening ceremony.
EAT
Food with Clear Intention
There’s really no way to describe the intention and care put into all food in Japan.
LOCAL CULTURE & CRAFTS
Japanese Traditional Paper Making
We took a trip to Echizen where there are 67 paper mills and each mill has its special feature in making washi paper. Legend has it that about 1,500 years ago a woman taught people in this area how to make paper with the natural materials from special plants for washi. Since then Washi has been a main industry in the Echizen area. There are now about 70 factories that use either handmade or industrial processing methods, with about 500 people that work in Washi related jobs in the area.
Wax Resist Indigo Dyeing
Roketsu is one of Kyoto’s traditional textile dyeing methods which is also known as wax-resist dyeing. Wax is applied on cotton fabric to leave a design and when the fabric is dyed in the indigo, the area applied with wax blocks the dye and leaves white. The roketsu dyeing needs over 20 steps before completion if using the traditional method. Yamamoto Roketsu Dyeing Studio where we experienced the entire roketsu dyeing process. The friendly owner, who is a craftsman of roketsu dyeing for kimono textiles for over 50 years, was such an amazing and kind teacher.
STAY
AirBnb For A Traditional Experience
We stayed in a few places near Kyoto and Takayama on our stay and we used AirBnB exclusively. We always slept on traditional tatami mats and the hosts all gave us great tips about the area.
You must go to Japan at least once in your life.