Japan Tent (Part 2 - Wajima)

Before getting into anything, let me tell you a bit about Wajima.

[Wajima] is famous for durable and beautiful WAJIMANURI (Japanese lacquerware) and the ASAICHI (morning market), where many seafood are sold. The warm smiles of residents gathering at the market show the nature of the locality. They have developed the ability to smile in the face of severe natural hardships. There are well illustrated by SENMAIDA (One Thousand Paddies) - a succession of terraced rice fields cut into steep slopes rising from the beach. You can feel their strong spirit as you are touched by the stirring and energetic performance of the GOJINJHO-DAIKO (traditional drum and dance). ... (quoting from Japan Tent Booklet)

Day 3 (July 31)

After a great sleep, Yamashita-san (I call them Obachan and Onechan) brought Khaing and I to the town's famous morning market (Asaichi). My mom once told me that you can see the real nature of the town through its market. No wonder I love walking around the markets and people watch. Most of the people selling stuff at the market are the old-aged ones though. Half of the market is for fresh stuff, half goes for traditional crafts and souvenirs.

Wajima's morning marketpart of Wajima's famous lacquer ware
After Asaichi and the museum in that area, we went to Noto Wajima Kiriko Hall. Kiriko is known for a several-meter tall 'faced Bon lantern' used in festivals in Noto area (nothern part of Ishikawa Prefecture) . Their names vary slightly from place to place, but can be traced to their origins to old customs where people tried to show their faith in God via light. The height of kirikos was once a target for competition among towns, but eventually has to be restricted to 4-6 meters tall after the utility poles and cables began appearing.

kirikos
kirikos in festivals


Going across the parking lot from Kiriko Hall, we found Inachu Lacquerware Hall(稲忠漆芸会館) where beautiful lacquerwares are housed. There, we could see the process of making one lacquerware, starting from shaping it up to make a wooden bowl. Then so many layers of lacquer and other stuff are applied. They coat it at least 25 times. The maximum coating is somewhat a little above 100 times. Yes, the more layers applied, the more durable and definitely more expensive it gets. But it is not just that, after all the coating is finished, the decoration part continues - often with the famous gold decoration.
Can you believe, 5 of this bowl cost 550,000 yen (~5,500 USD or 210,000 Baht)!!!
Obachan at the lacquerware shop

Our next destination was Senmaida (千枚田）.　I think my dad probably likes this place a lot. It's beautiful!


Our first afternoon destination was Ishikawa Wajima Urushi Art Museum. I became very interested in this lacquerware. The more you look at it, the more beautiful it is! Now I know why my mom always buy all those plates and bowls!! ^^. No pictures allowed inside the musuem, so I couldn't take any.

Afterthat, we just drove by and made a brief stop at Kamogaura (鴨ヶ裏）, another famous spot by the bay. From what I heard, it is a famous spot for fishing. The scenery was beautiful, but it was so shameful that there were really a lot of gabbage. If only they took better care of the water, it would have won me over.

... more to come