About the Region

Creating Meaningful Encounters Across the Kiso-Hirasawa Community

Kiso-Hirasawa is the historic heart of Kiso lacquerware, one of Japan’s leading lacquerware traditions. Situated along the old Nakasendo route, this charming crafts town has nurtured lacquer production for nearly 400 years. Its preserved streetscape lined with workshops, galleries, and merchant houses offers visitors an immersive glimpse into a living artisan community just a short distance from picturesque Narai-juku.

The entire town functions like a single collaborative workshop. Woodturners, lacquer painters, engravers, wholesalers, and restoration specialists each contribute their expertise to create exceptional local tableware, furniture, and everyday objects. The artisans have also worked on restoring Japan's cultural treasures in the past. By visiting studios, meeting with craftspeople, and experiencing the creative process behind Kiso lacquerware firsthand, travelers can discover a centuries-old tradition that continues to thrive today.

Behind Closed Doors: A Rare Glimpse into Cultural Preservation

Your journey begins with a visit to a lacquer workshop that is not normally open to the public. Since Kiso-Hirasawa traditionally specialized in large-scale lacquered furniture, its artisans developed unrivaled expertise in handling grand structures. Today, these master craftspeople form elite teams tasked with the meticulous restoration of Japan’s historic temples, shrines, and other cultural assets.

Drawing upon generations of expertise developed through the production of large lacquered furnishings and household pieces, local specialists have cultivated specialist restoration techniques prized across Japan. Depending on availability, you will step inside either a master restoration studio or a heritage lacquer-refining factory. Through this visit, guests gain insight into the history of Kiso lacquerware and the collaborative network of specialists whose combined skills carry the culture of this corner of Nagano into the future.

Meet the Families and Specialists Behind Kiso Lacquerware

Depending on availability, your journey will lead you to one of the region's prominent lacquer families. These visits provide an opportunity to learn directly from people deeply connected to Kiso-Hirasawa’s lacquerware culture while enjoying tea and pleasant conversations.Through these intimate dialogues, you will learn about the unique role of traditional lacquer merchants, the meticulous steps involved in the region’s famous craft, and signature techniques like Kiso Tsuishu (layered lacquer). Your hosts will share grand generational narratives of their families and the living memories of the town's past, offering a rare glimpse into the true soul of Kiso craftsmanship.

*Please note that the serving of tea varies depending on the workshop visited.

Topics vary by host. Guests may hear about the town’s development, the role of wholesalers within the industry, traditional production methods, distinctive local lacquering techniques, family histories, and personal memories that explain how the community has changed over the generations. The experience is intimate and highly recommended for the discerning traveler.

Create Your Own Lacquerwork Piece with Help from Local Artisans

The final stage of the experience involves a practical lacquer craft activity at a private workshop. Depending on availability, you will be welcomed into one of the region’s premier creative spaces, ranging from historic multi-generational studios to cutting-edge contemporary ateliers.

*Please note that specific workshops cannot be selected in advance. You will be guided to the studio available on the day of your visit. If you have any specific requests, please let us know about them in your responses to the pre-tour questions, and we will make every effort to accommodate them within our availability.

Activities on site may include lacquer painting, maki-e decoration, chinkin engraving, applying lacquer to chopsticks, or contemporary lacquer leathercraft. Participants receive instructions directly from professionals and create a finished piece that may be taken home the same day or shipped to them later, depending on the item.

Discover the Living Culture Behind Four Centuries of Lacquerware

This experience offers an opportunity to encounter Kiso lacquerware as part of a complex cultural ecosystem rather than just a finished product. Workshops, restoration specialists, wholesalers, and craftspeople each contribute to a tradition that continues to shape the town today, and participants get to interact with all of them.

Walking through Kiso-Hirasawa with local guides reveals a community where craftsmanship remains woven into daily life. Through these observations and hands-on experiences, guests gain a richer appreciation of a historic local industry and an under-explored region of Japan.