1-Day Apprentice in a Wood Carving Village & Brushes that Delight the World

Overview

Our reporter discovers that Inami, Toyama Pref., is one huge woodcarving museum, no matter where she looks. She visits the exhibition hall that displays dragon-shaped electric guitars, anime characters, and other novel items all sculpted from wood. Her guesthouse offers an apprenticing experience where she gets to sculpt her own piece from a single block of wood. She chooses a spoon. Also, we visit the brush-making town of Kumano, Hiroshima Pref., to learn that a brush is not just a brush.