Old factory machinery (above) and Chiaki keeping an eye on our progress (below). Adding lovely colourful things to our paper. After the sheets have been pressed down they are separated…

Beating fibres down with a wooden mallet or as Kamo and Chiaki present below (to our Aussie sporting delight), a cricket bat. After soaking the dried kozo (shown on crates…

Oiled umbrellas placed out to dry, taken from the early 1900s. Note the abundance of spokes – a lovely characteristic of Wagasa. Original customer listing notebooks collected and preserved by…

I discovered my first KIYATA creation during a visit to the very inspiring Baden Baden shop in Tokyo. Moshino Shinobu and Moshino Yuka from KIYATA hand craft the most beautiful things from…

It seems I’m forever planning a trip to Japan and bookmarking all the places I want to visit when I get there. Here is one I’d really like to get…

My issue of UPPERCASE magazine just arrived and I’m really excited about it because I’ve shared a special story in there. It’s all about an unforgettable papermaking experience in Japan. I…

The Box & Needle shop in Tokyo. A great way to store your jewellery and other little loose bits and pieces. Think hat boxes, tissue boxes, shoe boxes, jewellery boxes,…

The studio’s entrance. Chiaki at work and the view from outside her studio. Beautiful and delicate pieces now ready for drying. A collection of spools carry Chiaki’s handmade paper. Amazing…

Above: Gift wrapping the Baishinka way. Below: Beautiful windows throughout. The Baiten is where the sweetest gifts can be purchased. Seasonal sweets come packaged in gift boxes and ready for…

On the weekend I was departing Tokyo a new paper shop was opening its doors, so sadly I missed out on visiting it. Next trip for sure! Nishiogi Shiten is filled…