Stories
From the Field
allCraft & Artisan· June 10, 2026
Aizu Lacquerware: Fukushima's Four-Century Craft Tradition
Aizu lacquerware (Aizu-nuri) is one of Japan's great lacquer traditions, made in Fukushima for over 400 years. A guide to the craft, its techniques, and where to see and buy it.
allCraft & Artisan· May 21, 2026
The Kokeshi Doll Towns of Tohoku: Where to See (and Buy) Japan's Most Haunting Folk Art
Kokeshi dolls are Tohoku's most distinctive craft. Here's where they come from, why they look the way they do, and where to find them.
allCraft & Artisan· May 21, 2026
Tohoku's Craft Trail: Visiting the Artisan Workshops Still Open to Travelers
Tohoku's craft traditions are among Japan's oldest and most technically demanding. Here are the workshops that still accept visitors.
allCraft & Artisan· May 5, 2026
The Last Nambu Ironwork Master
In a workshop in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, a craftsman heats iron to 1,400 degrees and pours it into a sand mould he has prepared by hand. The technique is four hundred years old. The teapot he is making will last four hundred more.