June 3, 2020

Iiyama city (Nagano), Japan: Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio + Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry + Iiyama City Museum + Soba restaurant Kowana; things to do + restaurant review

Paper making, crafts displays, and tasting soba noodles in Iiyama city, Japan


Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio  

Iiyama city.  Tu-Sun 9am-5pm.  Make 1 postcard/210 yen.

sign for Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan
sign for Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan

Instructor Masumi Hirata came here 12 years ago.  At Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio, you can learn from her how delicate traditional papers have been fashioned for almost four centuries.  Because of the heavy snowfall in this area, people couldn’t farm in winter.  They started making paper from the Japanese mulberry tree, using the bark that they they bleached white with snow.  This craft is dying out as the craftsmen die, and no one replaces them.  Nowadays fine paper is made only in small studios like this, and this special class provides the opportunity to make your own sample post card.

instructor Masumi Hirata at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan
instructor Masumi Hirata at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio
in Iiyama city, Japan


mulberry bark drying outside Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan
mulberry bark drying outside Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio
in Iiyama city, Japan


instructor Masumi Hirata demonstrates paper-making at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan
instructor Masumi Hirata demonstrates paper-making
at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan


students decorate cards in paper-making at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan
students decorate cards in paper-making
at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan


sample card in paper-making at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio in Iiyama city, Japan
sample card in paper-making at Iiyama Handicraft Paper Studio
in Iiyama city, Japan





Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry + Iiyama City Museum  

1436-1, Iiyama city, 389-2253.  Tu-Sun, 9am-5pm.  300 yen.

exterior of Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry in Iiyama city, Japan
exterior of Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry
in Iiyama city, Japan

Just next door, this museum appropriately displays a collection handmade Japanese paper as well as Buddhist altars and displays of traditional crafts of the Nagano prefecture--lacquer ware, wood furniture, silk thread, hand-forged cutting blades, and wood-turning.

woodworker figure at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry in Iiyama city, Japan
woodworker figure at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry
in Iiyama city, Japan


dyed silk thread at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry in Iiyama city, Japan
dyed silk thread at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry
in Iiyama city, Japan


contemporary art at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry in Iiyama city, Japan
contemporary art at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry
in Iiyama city, Japan


laquer-ware pink cat altar in gift shop at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry in Iiyama city, Japan
laquer-ware pink cat altar in gift shop
at Iiyama Museum of Traditional Folk Industry
in Iiyama city, Japan




Soba restaurant Kowana (also referred to as Soba-dokoro Korin)  

1200 Iiyama Burari-hiroba, Iiyama, +81 269-63-2978.

welcome to Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan
welcome to Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan

My lunch at this nearby family-run spot was a tasting of finely crafted buckwheat soba noodles served in a variety of fragrant broths.  Buckwheat flour used for the noodles is cultivated organically and mixed with natural water from Kijima Hirauchiyama.  Diners are encouraged to sprinkle a little bit of salt on a bite of soba before eating it with the spicy soup.  Yakumi (green onions and wasabi) are provided only by request, so that you can enjoy the original sweet flavor of soba.  As we left, our guide exclaimed, “It was the best soba noodle I ever had!”

interior of Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan
interior of Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan


artistic appetizer plate at Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan
artistic appetizer plate at Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan


soba noodles plate at Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan
soba noodles plate at Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan


father and son chef team at Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan
father and son chef team at Soba restaurant Kowana in Iiyama city, Japan


All about soba.

More things to do in Japan.

More ideas for exploring Asia and the South Pacific.

images and video ©2020 Carole Terwilliger Meyers


4 comments:

  1. Such a wonderful experience. I love experiencing Japan but never took the time to make paper. Cool too that it's made from Mulberry. We've been enjoying the berries recently in San Diego, CA.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! The artwork is beautiful! I love the paper making; it seems so quintessentially Japanese. But now you've got my mouth watering for soba noodles. I've been thinking about a visit to Japan -- once we can finally travel again!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great to read about paper making in Japan and this city. The artistic appetizer plate fits right in!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I admire the fact that they have a second base of making paper from the Japanese mulberry tree. The heavy snow didn't deter them. Beautiful craft!

    ReplyDelete

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