Craftsmen of Fukui

 We dined at a different building for a traditional Japanese breakfast.  The main course of salmon had been marinated in sake, a specialty of the resort.  The most surprising dish was being directed to mix a raw egg into the hot rice and mixing any of the small accompaniments on our tray.  I actually found it pleasing and might even try it at home.

We met our guide for the day, Intaro, and our driver along with Elli who I never really understood what her role was for today, after breakfast.  We had about an hour drive to reach our first craft studio visit, Shitsurindo Lacquerware.  I’m glad we stopped here because I have a much greater understanding of the process of making it and how complex it can be. I also have a better understanding of Wabi Sabi, the art of finding beauty in the imperfect.  Lacquerware is so prized in Japan that if it becomes damaged some people will send it to this shop it have it repaired often using gold to fill in the cracked lines.  I also now understand that different designs are used for different seasons.  So next time you go to an Asian restaurant look and see if they are using fine handcrafted lacquerware to serve their food to you. 

Our next visit was to Taki Washi Paper Mill where we were shown how handmade paper is made.  There are only 55 certified master paper makers and 27 are located in this small town.  This mill makes everything from art paper that might be used to decorate spaces in a hotel or restaurant, to wrapping paper, to paper for fine notebooks.  For the finest papers it can take many days to prep the pulp, apply it to a screen to form the paper, and then let it dry without pressing out any design.  Again, I was impressed by the skill level found in Japan and their appreciation for craftsmanship.

For lunch we had soba noodles and tempura along with a few appetizers to start the meal.  In Japan it is polite and an honor to the chef to slurp your noodles.  The cold soba noodles are dipped into a sauce before slurping.  While I do like noodles I was not overly fond of the sauce served with these. However I found everything else delicious.

For our final stop of the day we visited a pottery artist.  Unlike the Kutani pottery, this artist forms his wares by hand, sometimes using manual wheel when forming cups and bowls.  While many pieces are functional like the tea pots, plates, and bowls, others are more art pieces.  The kiln he used is wood fired and is used over a three day period where either he or his wife must stay up to feed the wood to the fire.  This pottery has a ruff feel and is darken by ash.  They were very nice to show us the kiln and explain their process.

We returned mid-afternoon so that we could enjoy the resort.