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Welcome to Aizu-Wakamatsu, a northern town in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture.
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Have to admit until now I've had a pretty narrow idea of the prefecture
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Due mostly to the 2011 disaster along the eastern coast
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and it's not just me it turns out that only 1% of travelers
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who visit Japan make it up to Tohoku.
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This wide region of Japan is home to so much more
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There's an ancient industry from the the Neolithic ages
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that's still in heavy use today.
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Here in Aizu-Wakamatsu, there is a special grove of trees that plays a key role in this story
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It's our starting point in learning one of japan's most historically traditional crafts.
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These here are known as Urushi no Ki, a kind of tree
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that creates the natural lacquer used for making the
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World-famous lacquerware (Japanese: "Shikki").
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During our visit today
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We're working with local craftsmen to learn the authentic way to grow, extract
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carve, seal and paint lacquerware bowls,
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a process that's been used for thousands of years
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since the first artifacts discovered in Japan's Jomon era
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This is Wataru Kainuma, a Japanese/English bilingual
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native to Fukushima who has founded the hands on lacquerware tour that we're joining today.
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He was so kind and really knowledgeable!
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Once mature the Urushi no Ki can be used to harvest
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the natural sealant used for bowls in other lacquerware.
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This step takes place during a specific time of year
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so we had a quick Q&A session to review during lunch
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We're gonna go and get a bite to eat and learn a little bit more about what we're doing next.
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Hey guys, so we made it to lunch now
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and we're gonna watch a little movie more about how the actual trees are used to make the
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final like bowls and different products
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But we're actually going to eat out of them now
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With our lunch that we're having here!
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Uwa, it looks so good!!
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After lunch we headed over to meet a local kiji-shi
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a type of craftsman whose job it is to turn the wood into the basic shapes.
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I know a lot of people like going to 100-yen stores
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and collect all the little bowls, but I've never seen ones like these before.
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Each bowl has a unique marking and design to it
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and unlike the cheaper bowls
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they don't get hot from hot things but they keep your food warm!
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So they're actually like magic bowls that you're not going to find anywhere else .
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These "Shikki" are truly handmade beauties
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and they're considered to be very high-end as well!
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So we just met the owner of this workshop
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his son's making some traditional bowls over there
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but he's gonna show us how he makes the bowls around this workshop table here.
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And now the last step, it's finally our turn
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designing the bowls that have already been sealed with lacquer coats.
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In Japanese, this job is usually done by someone called a "Makieshi"
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the artisan who hand-paints the intricate designs!
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So I am going to try making at least one of these bunnies
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I like this mega-butt-bunny because he's so cute!
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Hello, everyone welcome to the workshop!
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I'm here with the master learning how to paint my own
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beautiful, Japanese-style bowls!
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I'm going to try making the red one over there!
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Using this pattern with the bunny rabbits ...
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CAN I DO IT?!
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My boat rabbit!
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Are you kidding me?!
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I killed my bunny!!
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Oh no!!!
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Okay guys, I did it!
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What do you think?
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Shikki Japanese lacquerware are one of the most
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famous exports of Fukushima Prefecture,
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whose traditional art and craft has been preserved here locally since ancient times.
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Me personally ever since high school
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I loved collecting Japanese lacquerware and bowls
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So today was an extra-special chance for me to recreate a key piece of culture in history on my own
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Is there an aspect of Japanese culture or history that interests you?
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So working alongside a local expert for their day is
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a hands-on way to feel Japanese culture for yourself.
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Below this video is a link to this and similar experiences
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to join the next time that you're up for something new in Japan
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What aspect of Japan really excites you? Let me know in a comment. I'd love to hear about it!