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July 25, 2026
 

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LACQUERWARE

Japan¡¯s treasured traditional arts, such as lacquerware, the tea ceremony and noh theater, face a widening gap between veteran masters and too few successors.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 19, 2025
Japan¡¯s cultural heritage and its aging guardians
Living national treasures are revered. But without reform, the risk of cultural attrition grows.
Lacquerware maker Takaho Shoji is trying to bring life back to his remote community in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, after a devastating earthquake and subsequent floods on New Year's Day of 2024.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Dec 29, 2024
Japan¡¯s Wajima craftmakers see hope in disaster-hit region
Lacquerware makers are determined to bring life back to the remote community after a devastating New Year¡¯s Day earthquake, followed by severe floods.
Shiho Hanadate is part of a small yet growing number of young tappers pivotal in securing the future of domestic sap collection used in Japanese lacquerware.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 30, 2024
The young sap collectors underpinning Japanese lacquerware
¡°You can¡¯t cut into the core, so you have to judge the thickness of the bark,¡± says tapper Shiho Hanadate. ¡°You have to develop a sense for it.¡±
The colored patterns of Tsuguru "nuri," made in Aomori Prefecture, are achieved by applying multiple coatings of lacquer, which are later polished down to reveal layers of colors beneath.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
May 18, 2024
A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts
Described as ¡°collector¡¯s items,¡± the works are being kept under wraps until their debut at a May 24-25 exhibition at Kudan House in Tokyo¡¯s Chiyoda Ward.
The pair of Wajima-nuri wooden coffee cups presented to U.S. President Joe Biden from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 11, 2024
Kishida presents Noto¡¯s Wajima-nuri lacquerware to Biden
The Japanese and U.S. first ladies also exchanged gifts.
Koki Nagata (right) offers a Buddhist altar to a Noto Peninsula earthquake evacuee in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on March 29.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Apr 10, 2024
Kumamoto shop owner gives away free Buddhist altars to Noto quake victims
¡°I hope it will be a source of comfort for those who lost their loved ones and homes,¡± said shop owner Koki Nagata.
Artisan Suzanne Ross says Japanese lacquerware is a "treasure that belongs to the world."
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Mar 20, 2024
Wajima artisan¡¯s livelihood, four decades in the making, upended by disaster
Lacquerware artist Suzanne Ross¡¯ life was upended by a massive earthquake. Now, she¡¯s determined to keep her craft alive.
The Final Fantasy-inspired plate was supposed to arrive in Tokyo on Jan. 5, but the Noto craftsmen moved up the schedule to the day before the destructive Noto tremblor.
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 3, 2024
Spared from Noto quake, Final Fantasy lacquerware inspires hope
A group committed to preserving local lacquerware hopes that the decorative plate will help turn the region¡¯s dire disaster recovery situation around.
Takahiro Taya, the 10th-generation representative of lacquerware shop Taya Shikkiten in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, holds a lacquerware bowl discovered from a workshop destroyed by a quake on New Year's Day.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jan 22, 2024
Wajima-nuri shop resolved to protect craft after quake
When the shop started a crowdfunding campaign, donations ¡ª and many encouraging messages ¡ª came quickly from all over the country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 23, 2021
Every stay at Zenagi comes with a sprinkle of artistry
The luxury hotel located in Nagano Prefecture¡¯s Kiso Valley offers bespoke athletic and artistic workshops for guests, including kids.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 21, 2020
Masters of their craft: Foreign apprentices reveal their life-changing experiences in Japan
You don¡¯t master traditional Japanese crafts, says Japanese lacquerware artist Suzanne Ross, ¡°they master you.¡±
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 13, 2019
Genta Ishizuka: Beneath and on the surface
Contemporary urushi lacquerware artist Genta Ishizuka — winner of the 2019 Kyoto¡¯s Best Young Artist Award and Loewe Foundation Craft Prize — re-imagines the decorative beauty of traditional lacquer in unusual and sculptural pieces.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 28, 2019
Weathering the storm on the Noto Peninsula
Often overlooked and still relatively obscure, Ishikawa Prefecture¡¯s Noto Peninsula remains a wealth of traditional crafts and cuisine, dramatic landscapes and vibrant festivals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 21, 2019
¡®Information or Inspiration?¡¯: The paths of perception
A review of ¡®Information or Inspiration?¡¯ at the Suntory Museum of Art almost needs a spoiler alert ¡ª it includes many surprises that make it more than a showcase of glassware, lacquerware, enamel, ceramic and calligraphy works: It¡¯s an immersive, thought-provoking experience.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 7, 2018
The artisans helping preserve the luster of Kishu lacquerware
The future of Kishu lacquerware will depend on young artisans finding the balance between tradition and modernization. But the value of the art lies not only in its beauty, but in the sacrifice and commitment of the artisans who dedicate their lives to carrying on a tradition.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Sep 2, 2018
Seeing things from another angle
Design that thrives on different perspectives of the innovative, the classic and the traditional
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 21, 2017
The maven of Japanese sword fittings
The special exhibition ¡°Pinnacle of Elegance: Sword Fittings of the Mitsumura Collection¡± at the Nezu Museum offers a fascinating look at the collection that Toshimo Mitsumura (1877-1955), a wealthy businessman, amassed at the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Mitsumura¡¯s passion for swords is reflected...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 1, 2015
Get creative and join the competition
If you went to this past weekend¡¯s Maker Faire at Tokyo Big Sight, chances are that all the new ideas ¡ª both innovative and kooky ¡ª have sparked your own creativity. The timing is good, since there are three upcoming design competitions that are not only free to enter, but will also turn winning...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 31, 2014
Lacquerware¡¯s overseas journey into the arts
Rejuvenating the traditional lacquer industry was done by emulating international exposition models, and they sold well. At the 1873 Vienna International Exhibition, lacquer by Zeshin Shibata and Taishin Ikeda received progress medals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 4, 2014
How Japan crafted its modernization
When Japan ended its isolation in the mid-to-late-19th-century, it had lots of disadvantages compared to the other major powers. But one distinct advantage that its isolation had preserved was its craft industries and the skills of its craftsmen.
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Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
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The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
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Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

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Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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