Experience Traditional Japanese Paulownia Craftwork in Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture

*This article was sponsored by the Kinokawa Fruits Tourism Bureau.

About Wakayama Prefecture and Kinokawa City

Wakayama Prefecture, located in the southern tip of Honshu (mainland Japan), is predominately mountainous. With over 80% of the prefecture covered in mountains and forests and plenty of rivers that crisscross the region and lead straight to the ocean, Wakayama has long been the beloved home of craftspeople who take advantage of the mountains for crafting materials and the rivers for easy transport. Wooden chests, lacquerware, traditional paper, bamboo hats, and more beautiful and practical crafts can be found in this natural paradise, one of which you will get to personally experience through the tour.

Other than traditional crafts, Wakayama is also a famous agricultural region. Its climate varies heavily between the north and south due to its long and thin geography: the northern part experiences a stable weather and less rainfall, while the southern region is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, enjoying a warm climate year-round with higher precipitation and milder winters. These conditions allow for a wide variety of agricultural products, with Wakayama being particularly famous for its mandarins, plums, persimmons, and Japanese pepper, ranking among the top in national harvests.

The prefecture can be separated into five main areas: Wakayama City, Koyasan (Mount Koya), Kumano, Shirahama/Kushimoto, and Arida/Hidaka. Our focus in this article is on Kinokawa City, located in the northern part of Wakayama Prefecture, not far from Wakayama City. It is renowned for its high-quality fruits, some of which you get to eat in this tour.

Access to Kinokawa City

The easiest way to reach Kinokawa City is by public transportation from Kansai International Airport.

By train, take the JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service from Kansai-Airport Station to Hineno Station, then transfer to the JR Kishuji Rapid Service to Wakayama Station. From there, take a local train to Kinokawa City. The total journey takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

Alternatively, you can take the Airport Limousine Bus to Wakayama Station, then take a local train to Kinokawa City. It takes just a bit longer at 1 hour and 30 minutes, but there’s one less transfer to deal with.

You can also hire a taxi or rent a car. By car, it takes around 40 minutes from Kansai International Airport to Kinokawa City.

Experience the Traditional Craft of Paulownia Wood, Passed Down Through Generations

As the “land of trees,” Wakayama Prefecture has long been known for its woodwork. A renowned example of Japanese craftsmanship made with wood that you can find here is “Kishu tansu.” Made from paulownia wood, these chests have long been valued for their practicality and elegance. Paulownia wood not only helps regulate humidity, but also has insect-repelling and heat-insulating properties, making it perfect for storing valuable items, keepsakes, and more.

The process of making Kishu tansu is complex and meticulous. It begins with selecting high-quality paulownia trees, which are naturally dried for up to two years before being cut, assembled, and finely polished. To ensure the final product will last, wooden pegs are used instead of nails, preventing rust. Even the polish is applied in a special way that enhances the wood grain’s texture, creating a refined, elegant finish.

Like many other traditional crafts, there are not that many craftspeople left that practice it. However, in this Kinokawa City tour, you will not only get to meet one of the masters in the industry, but also learn from him to create your very own paulownia wood craft that you will get to take home.

Check In to a Japanese Folk House and Experience the Charm of Old Japan

If you choose the lodging and dinner option, the first stop of the tour will be check-in at Kokoro-an, a Japanese guesthouse located in Kinokawa City, at the foot of Mount Koya. 

Adhering to the design concept of "modern Japanese style," it provides modern comforts like renovated bathrooms and toilets, all while beautifully preserving the original features of the traditional Japanese architecture, including the ceilings, pillars, shoji screens (paper sliding doors), and tatami mats. You will feel immersed in a nostalgic, warm atmosphere reminiscent of a Japanese grandmother’s home.

The property even features a beautiful garden that changes with the seasons and an authentic tea room, making it an ideal place to experience traditional Japanese life. 

Every guest staying overnight is warmly welcomed with a seasonal fruit platter, showcasing Kinokawa’s world-class fruits. You can enjoy the flavors of each season, from sweet strawberries in spring to rich persimmons in autumn. They also offer a fruit harvesting experience, though the contents and schedule entirely depend on the season.

Savor Exquisite Sushi That Showcases the Delicacies and Crafts of Wakayama

For dinner, indulge with an exclusive omakase sushi dinner, personally curated, cooked, and served by chef Yoshinobu Okumura from Sushi Gishin. 

Awarded two Michelin stars in The MICHELIN Guide Kyoto Osaka + Wakayama 2022, Sushi Gishin is a renowned sushi restaurant in Wakayama City that is known for its unique approach to Kishu-mae sushi. The restaurant carefully selects the freshest local ingredients from Wakayama and enhances their flavors using classic Edomae techniques such as aging, curing, and simmering.

The meal is expertly paired with premium locally-brewed Japanese sake, creating a harmonious fusion of flavors unique to the region. The menu evolves with the seasons and what they are able to procure, ensuring that every visit offers a new and exciting experience.

That said, some specialties from Sushi Gishin do frequently make their way into the menu. One example is their signature ikura-don, which stands out for having both raw and gently cooked salmon eggs on top of a bed of beautifully cooked rice.

Paulownia wood makes its way into the dinner, too. During your meal, you will get the opportunity to use three different paulownia wood cups to drink various beverages. You will actually get the opportunity to craft one of them during the workshop the next day, so take your time to appreciate the subtle influence the different material has on your drinking experience. The sushi geta (trays) that the sushi are served on are also made of paulownia wood from the same store, and are another craftable option at the workshop.

Through the perfect combination of ingredients, techniques, tableware, and lovely company, this exclusive private sushi dining experience showcases the pinnacle of Japanese culinary artistry. For gourmets who appreciate exquisite flavors and unforgettable experiences, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Create Your Very Own Handmade Paulownia Wood Craft

About Azuma Fukutaro, a Certified Traditional Craftsman Carrying on Tradition

The next day, you’ll be transported to Kagunoazuma - a century-old lumber business that is now a store specializing in selling furniture and lifestyle goods made of paulownia wood - to finally meet and learn from craftsman Azuma Fukutaro.

The fifth-generation successor of Kagunoazuma, Azuma Fukutaro is a certified Kishu Tansu Traditional Craftsman committed to preserving and innovating the art of paulownia wood craftsmanship. On top of being highly skilled in traditional Kishu Tansu techniques, he has also studied Kyoto “sashimono” woodworking and lacquering techniques under the mentorship of a master. This fusion allows him to create a diverse range of crafts, such as ultra-thin paulownia rock glasses. 

His works have received numerous accolades both locally and abroad, with presentations at Maison & Objet in Paris and Milan Design Week in 2019, an exhibition at Maison & Objet in 2023, and much more. He has also been commissioned to create prestigious commemorative items, such as an award gift for Pritzker Prize-winning architect Arata Isozaki.

A Paulownia Wood Crafting Workshop That Even Beginners Can Easily Do

As we briefly discussed at the beginning of this article, paulownia crafts are a labor of love. It’s impossible to go from zero to a hundred in just a few hours, so the hands-on workshop only covers parts of the process that beginners can actually do.

Lasting approximately two hours, the workshop consists of learning how to use professional-grade tools and machines to carve a paulownia rock glass out of a half-finished square mold. You start by shaving off the exterior until it begins to resemble a cup, then you work on thinning the glass walls by working from the interior out. Throughout the entire process, you’ll be guided by Mr. Azuma and his assistants.

By the end of the workshop, you should be able to clearly see the silhouette of the rock glass. From there, Mr. Azuma and his team will take over with additional thinning, lacquer coating in the colors you choose, and even engraving if you opt for it, in a process that can take over a month to complete. Once finished, your one-of-a-kind paulownia rock glass will be delivered to your home, by EMS if you live overseas.

Though we only covered the process for crafting rock glasses, you can choose to make other kinds of drinkware as well as the traditional sushi geta we mentioned earlier. These might come at different price points, with the sushi geta more expensive than the cups, so do inquire.

Indulge in a Luxurious Kinokawa Tenku Wagyu Bento for Lunch

Though the tour technically ends after the workshop, there’s one more surprise if you opt for lunch: a premium wagyu beef bento!

Kinokawa Tenku is an exceptional wagyu beef brand that originates from Kumano cattle that have been raised for over 30 months in a pristine natural environment with abundant fresh spring water. This careful nurturing results in exquisitely tender meat with evenly distributed marbling that melts in your mouth, rich in flavor yet never overly greasy.

It is this wagyu beef that you will get to enjoy in spades through the lunch offering, the Kinokawa Tenku Wagyu Steak Bento, pictured above. What a way to end an exciting but tiring morning of woodworking and learning!

*Please inquire at the time of reservation if you have certain diet restrictions, as they may be able to offer alternative lunch options.

Discover the Best of Kinokawa City and Wakayama Prefecture Through This Traditional Crafts Tour

This exclusive cultural journey through Kinokawa City offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the finest aspects of Japanese craftsmanship and culinary arts. From creating your own paulownia wood masterpiece to savoring Michelin-starred sushi and premium wagyu beef, each element of this experience has been thoughtfully curated to provide an authentic and luxurious glimpse into Japan's rich cultural heritage. 

The price for the entire tour starts at 200,000 yen for one person, which covers just the workshop. Accommodation, lunch, dinner, and other options will cost extra, so please inquire at the time of reservation.

To book this exclusive tour, submit an inquiry through the Kinokawa Fruits Tourism Bureau. Due to the highly personalized nature of the tour and the limited availability of the master craftsmen, bookings must be made at least one month in advance.

Kinokawa Fruits Tourism Bureau website: https://www.kinokawa-dmo.com/en