🗺️ Gokayama Washi Paper Making Experience Center五箇山和紙漉き体験館

The Gokayama Washi Paper Making Experience Center is located within the "Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Village," which is registered as a World Cultural Heritage site. Here, visitors can experience the process of making washi paper. You can create washi paper the size of a placemat and add pressed flowers or leaves to make unique pieces of washi. Gokayama washi, Yao washi, and Hiradani washi are known as "Echizen washi" and are representative traditional crafts of Toyama Prefecture. Surrounded by deep mountains, Gokayama has an environment that makes it difficult to cultivate white rice, so in the past, washi paper was used as a tribute to the Kaga Domain. Made from the fibers of the mulberry tree, which is a low shrub, the fibers are long and thick, allowing for the production of strong and durable paper. Gokayama washi is not only used for making paper doors, painting, or printmaking paper, but many intricately designed home decor items and miscellaneous goods have also emerged. Additionally, about 2 kilometers south along National Route 304, you can find the "Gokayama Washi" workshop in Shimonashi (get off at "Shimonashi" on the World Heritage Bus and walk about 5 minutes), where you can also experience paper making (reservation required). This workshop is larger than the experience center, allowing for a closer look at the process of turning raw materials into paper, as well as the complete paper-making process. While a guide explains the facilities, they will also describe the production process, making this location highly recommended for those who wish to learn about paper making in detail. The workshop also features a retail store selling washi paper and washi goods.

You can learn about the production process of Washi from Gokayama. You can experience paper-making. You can visit the professional paper-making techniques of Washi artisans.