Traditional Japanese crafts are at risk. Here's how travelers can help.
'The sales of traditional Japanese crafts peaked in 1975 and have been on a continuous decline ever since, dropping to one-fifth of their peak, while the number of artisans has decreased to one-third,' says Tomotsugu Yamakawa, president of Bed and Craft in Toyama Prefecture's small town of Inami, where around 150 people out of a population of 8,000 are woodcarvers.
'Given this situation, I wondered if tourism could be a means to revitalize the industry,' he says. In 2016, Yamakawa launched Bed and Craft, a scattered hotel that supports artisans' livelihoods in several ways: It offers its guests exclusive apprenticeship experiences with local craftspeople (who get paid for their time), and each of its six private villas serves as a gallery for the work of individual artisans who earn a portion of the nightly fee. A Toyama artisan carefully cuts mother of pearl to create the intricate designs of Takaoka shikki lacquerware. Photograph provided by Rakudo-An Takaoka shikki lacquerware made by master craftsman Takeshi Musashigawa. Photograph provided by Rakudo-An A wood carving by master carpenter, Shoichiro Kono. Photograph by Momoka Omote via TANIYA Master carpenter, Shoichiro Kono, at work in the studio. Photograph by Momoka Omote via TANIYA
In Fukuoka Prefecture's Yame region there's a similar story. 'In the 1930s, there were around 1,500 workshops producing Kurume Kasuri [Japanese ikat textiles), but today, only about 20 remain,' says Aya Tamura, owner of Craft Inn Te. By offering tourists craft experiences 'and ensuring that the majority of the revenue goes directly to the artisans, we help them secure a new source of income while also promoting their work to an overseas audience.'
(Related: How to avoid touristy spots and experience Japan like a local)
However, Tayama stresses that this is a mutually beneficial relationship. 'We're not simply supporting local craftspeople,' she says, 'we're able to run our accommodation and craft experience business thanks to them.' 1. Bed and Craft, Toyama Prefecture
Bed and Craft occupies six historic buildings around Inami. Repurposing them, says Yamakawa, 'contributes to the preservation and transmission of traditional craftsmanship within the local community.' The project's seen results: Since 2016, numerous young entrepreneurs have moved into Inami's vacant buildings and Inami is now recognized as the only area in Toyama where building vacancies have decreased. Hotel guests can work alongside a local artisan in the workshop of their choice, from carving woodblocks or spoons to lacquering chopsticks, then dine in the hotel's Italian restaurant where dishes are smoked with wood shavings sourced from Inami's woodcarvers. 2. Craft Inn Te, Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka's Yame region is home to a number of traditional crafts, including Kuruke Kasuri, washi paper, and Yame chochin (paper lanterns). Craft Inn Te's two guest rooms are themed around two more traditional crafts: indigo dyeing and bamboo work. Each room features modernized Yame-style lantern lampshades, a traditional cedar wood bath, and amenities including locally crafted ceramics, glassware, and Kurume Kasuri loungewear, which, says Tamura, allows guests 'to fully experience the region's craftsmanship during their stay.' The company also operates nearby Unagi no Nedoko, where visitors can buy traditional crafts from Yame and from around Japan. 3. TANIYA, Gifu Prefecture A semi-gas (woven straw hat) craftsman at work in Gifu Prefecture. Photograph by Hiroaki Tanooka via TANAYA
Tucked among the centuries-old merchants' mansions that line the narrow streets of Takayama, TANIYA occupies an old machiya wooden townhouse next to the Kusakabe Folk Museum, which guests can use as their own private lounge during their stay. The Kusakabe family, the owners of TANIYA, have long supported local craftspeople and carry on this tradition by providing young artisans a platform to showcase their work at the museum; by sourcing materials from the region; and by offering guest activities rooted in local craft culture, such as visiting the last remaining semi-gas (woven straw hat) craftsman.
(Related: Top 10 things to do in Japan) 4. TAKIGAHARA, Ishikawa Prefecture
TAKIGAHARA is more than a hotel: It's a community that's home to a farm, workshop, nature school, music festival, and more. Centered around a once-abandoned 140-year-old farmhouse, the community's mission is the revitalization of rural culture, including its traditional crafts, which, 'are deeply rooted in the lives of local people," says manager Shirei Chihiro. Four times a year, TAKIGAHARA hosts two-day, one-night craft tours, including a washi paper and gold leaf experience. Additionally, guests can take part in individual craft experiences while staying here, such as lacquerware woodturning and Takigahara-yaki pottery making. 5. Satoyama Jujo, Niigata Prefecture
Satoyama Jujo (translating to '10 stories of a mountain village') is deep in Japan's snow country. Here, people have long made use of the resources at hand, including Echigo-jofu artisans who bleach their fabrics by spreading them on the abundant snow. If you're visiting in February or March, ask the concierge about opportunities to watch the process nearby. Niigata's rich textile heritage is one of Satoyama Jujo's '10 stories' and the hotel has helped to revive the 300-year-old textile Kamedajima by collaborating with students from Musashino Art University to create new designs that are used in the hotel's bed covers and uniforms. 6. Rakudo-An, Toyama Prefecture Visit Toyama's last traditional silk weaver with a stay at Rakudo-An.
Surrounded by rice paddies among the sankyo-son scattered settlements of the Tonami Plain in central Japan, Rakudo-An occupies a restored farmhouse and has just three guest rooms, each designed by a different craftsperson. The hotel offers an ongoing showcase for craftspeople's work, from the restaurant's ceramic tableware to guest room lounge jackets, and the on-site boutique sells locally made craftwork and local food and drink. Experiences include visiting Toyama's last traditional silk weaver and crafting your own suzugami (tin paper). 7. Izumigaya Craft Inn Waraku, Shizuoka Prefecture
Guests at Izumigaya Craft Inn Waraku can book a local artisan-led craft workshop at next-door Takumishuku, one of Japan's biggest craft experience facilities, from Suruga bamboo latticework to tea dying. Local crafts all feature in the inn's eight guest rooms, each of which has its own private sauna. Beyond workshops, guests can purchase one-of-a kind items and view curated exhibitions of local crafts at the hotel's Gallery Teto Teto.
(Related: Everything you should know before visiting Japan) Karen Gardiner is a Scottish writer based in Northern New York covering culture, craft, and sustainable travel. Her work has appeared in BBC Travel, Condé Nast Traveler, the Washington Post, The Times and other outlets. You can follow her stories on Instagram.
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