1-Day Apprentice in a Wood Carving Village & Brushes that Delight the World

Our reporter discovers that Inami, Toyama Pref., is one huge woodcarving museum, no matter where she looks. She visits the exhibition hall that displays dragon-shaped electric guitars, anime characters, and other novel items all sculpted from wood. Her guesthouse offers an apprenticing experience where she gets to sculpt her own piece from a single block of wood. She chooses a spoon. Also, we visit the brush-making town of Kumano, Hiroshima Pref., to learn that a brush is not just a brush.