Japanese Washi Paper Story | Shimanto River ★ ONLY in JAPAN

[Music] welcome to Shikoku right now I'm in coach prefecture along the shimanto dollar the shimanto River this is the longest river in Shikoku and the cleanest in Japan it's the last of its kind which makes it very special in this episode we're going to be looking at some of the activities that you can do here but first let's see this river from the air in the spring before the mountain snow melts the waters are calm er a beautiful emerald green the fresh green leaves sprout from trees on the surrounding hills the Chaumont Ogawa is away from major cities and has no dams meaning it's free flowing from source to sea a reason this river is considered the last clean waterway in Japan the river meanders around Cochise Hills [Music] you'll find kayaks and houseboats cruising the lower parts Japan is a mountainous country and the rivers are historical places of Industry here for logging paper and fishing it's the center of life both for humans and wildlife and the residents want to keep it that way [Music] where is the shimanto River it's on Shikoku Island the smallest of Japan's four main islands Kochi Prefecture is along the Pacific Ocean to the west of coach cities where you'll find the Shimano River it's an s-shaped River originating at Higashi Tzu no village and exiting into the Pacific nearly 200 kilometers away the best way to get around the area is by rent-a-car from Kochi zhuoma Airport I picked up the toyota mark X for a drive to the countryside from the highway to the one lane country road through the forests driving here is peaceful and the roads rarely crowded like in Tokyo and Osaka I made it to the first destination hotel SATA shimanto overlooking the river [Music] this hotel is a mix of Japanese and Western style with the tatami room the view outside the window was spectacular a peaceful shimanto river that flows through Nishi Tosa town of shimanto city some kayakers are out to explore the calm river on a peaceful spring morning it's one of the activities here but certainly not the only one [Music] boats are a way to get around especially when the waters are high you'll find covered boat tours like here but if you want to explore the river without a car you can rent a mountain bike at several places along the river like here at canoe huh [Music] all right so we've rented a bicycle it's 1,500 yen about $15 now we're gonna be riding around the Chaumont Ogawa and see what we see I've heard that this is one of the best ways to see the river let's go make sure you take a couple bottles of water with you there aren't many vending machines out there in nature the main roads offer wide open views long landscapes around the hills down there is a Ching Kobashi or sinking bridge they're designed low like this so they can't be washed away by flooding they also make drivers a little uneasy so you may prefer crossing by bicycle it's easy just go straight and don't look down there are no railings here to save you do you see me crossing down there [Music] there are 47 crossing the Chaumont Ogawa and the ching Kobashi is preserved as one of Kochi prefectures cultural heritage you don't find them anywhere else [Music] I'm here to eat there's a really nice restaurant just around the corner the shimanto rivers produce are outstanding and local restaurants like this one in a small town have become famous to travelers this one is called Sheyenne GT the name comes from the local Kochi dialect meaning vegetable fields so it's not hard to understand the concept here it's a chance to track traditional area foods made by local grannies I got here a little after the lunch rush the food is super healthy homemade with many options for vegetarians tasting local foods is an important part of travel around Japan and this place is a gem this is such a treat because all of the ingredients here is made locally by the old ladies who live here and that's pretty unique you can see that there's not a lot of restaurant options along the highways here in Shikoku but the ones that you do find are pretty special it directly mas off to our main destination you Suhana which is a little off the river in the mountains [Music] it's one of japan's old towns that have been renovated with inspirational designs cafes wider avenues and is attracting younger people to return to Kochi to live a more relaxed lifestyle in the hills with nature the main road used to be narrow thirty years ago lined with metal poles to protect houses from logging trucks speeding by now it's wide open and feels relaxed a place you can stroll comfortably at night the you Suhana library is one of the most beautiful in Japan designed by architect Kengo kuma whose designs connect with nature through Japanese aesthetics the use of wood here makes me feel like I'm under the canopy in the forest every corner of the library is something special to look at [Music] I traveled into the forest and hills nearby to meet a master of making washing Japanese paper visitors can stay here while learning the craft from him from my room at Kimiko yeah I had an impressive view of a quiet valley this tatami rooms walls papered in washi - this is Roger who's been making handmade paper since 1981 in Kochi his paper and craft has won many awards and gotten the attention of architect Kengo kuma who uses his paper in various projects the texture and style put this beyond just simple paper it can include foliage like a fern leaf for seeds washi paper can also be quite thick and have different uses like for wallpaper or even handbags and clothing in this workshop Roger will teach me to make a sheet of washi that I can use as a lamp I'll get the chance to add some of the surrounding nature to make it my own design we start by walking right outside his show through your harvest in the winter and the branches you bring inside here you steam attack I can show this later branches you could an arm here we feel this water make a fire from below there and cover this barrel this big one here to the dark and steam those fresh branches the steamed branches are peeled and dried this is the foundation of washi paper it takes a lot of time to make this by hand Roger uses the traditional manufacturing technique called Tosa washi which is 100 percent sustainable but it takes a lot of time and work and skill to make yeah so that's why real traditional mate why she's very expensive well because we thousand yen or more for one sheet it's just normal it's all done labor it's all the work the dried branches are moistened again you can see the fibers it sticks together still it's time to get started some mountain water is put on top of the wooden board where it'll be beaten the purpose is to separate the fibers and make them longer it's done in a rhythm several times then put into water like this just this becomes the washi paper pulp next we go outside to look for natural ingredients to add to the washi paper basically you can pick any thing in nature in nature yes bright little small branches or leaves fresh green or dried you can make like Japanese food Kaka like like a crumb bolt this will give it some unique characteristics looks like this back in the studio Raja showed me the variety of okra found in kochi used to create slime this slime is important because when mixed with water it helps it move more smoothly and evenly like this viscous water mixed with your pulp so only slimy liquid water we want this line we want to slime we need we need the slime and again this is edible see it flows very thin layer you almost can't see it but there is a very thin layer of a fiber here the water with the fibers and slime flow over the filter the water drains leaving the fibers behind it goes after a few cups you can see the fibers joined together to make a thin layer of paper so now you can see clearly that there's something there now it's time to add some nature to the washing so yeah I brought some stuff yeah this nice but this is a little bit too white so you should and then just start arranging it and then I can push like this and then flatten it a little bit with nature after placing it where you like another layer of fibers is added which locks it in I added some color to my washing with pulp mix with other natural ingredients this gives the washi paper more characteristics okay so till you're finished yeah okay works for me and then just maybe to show you how that there's so much water it's so wet excess water is blotted and drained from the filter it's then pressed to remove any remaining water from the paper I like it it's it is nice the cut good balance then peeled and glued to a board to be dried for up to a week after the wash iasts at in the Sun for a while you can see how the final sheet will look like [Music] then it's protected by the resident cat [Music] no mice here I talked with Roger about how the area impacts his craft and his own connection to coaching was not only the paper but I think the the culture maybe within two weeks I decided to stay the culture the food the nature especially and I only got a glimpse of it but people told me about the connection between the craft and nature and that was something quite new for me that it depend the paper his the paper culture really plan on the nature on the plants on and that they use plans for paper I mean it was all so when producing paper in the traditional way he's dependent on the natural world around him I mean for bleaching if there's no Sun you cannot bleach if it's a cold year then the plants don't grow well if so if you want to like we are doing here now if you want to dry the paper you need sunshine so every day every step depends so much on nature on the weather on the climate and and not only the fiber just during the process you all the time have to adjust to that they did the weather of the day or the climate of that period so one reason that makes Kochi and the shimanto region a paper Center for washi is its strong connection to nature which is a perfect home for Roger and his family Kochi prefect his reputation for clean environment is well-deserved residents live in harmony with the waterways and rivers wildlife here like in dragonfly Park thrive around the shimanto River the shimanto River provides delicious produce livestock and fishing and the residents respect the environment with sustainable logging and business practices enriching life and the economy but more and more the river is attracting tourism with people interested in Japan's cultural connections with nature from adventure sports to washi paper making or just driving around to eat good food the river really is the life of the area [Applause] Samanta river or Chaumont Ogawa here in Kochi is truly a beautiful place it's easy to fall in love with this area there's loads of things to see and do here so if you do make the trip here to Kochi you will not regret it if you liked it hit that subscribe button and check out another one of our shows don't miss my second live streaming channel only in Japan go and check out location photos on Instagram matinee [Music]

Channel: ONLY in JAPAN

Views: 156,417

Rating: 4.9510283 out of 5

Keywords: Only in Japan, Japan, food, shikoku, tokyo, island, river, Shimanto, Kochi, advemture, travel, guide, boat, udon, day trip, hotel, japanese, bicycle, mountain, escape, getaway, honeymoon, planning for japan, visit, bridge, chinkabashi, sinking bridge, flooding, accident, yusuhara, washi, japanese paper, washi tape, Kengo Kuma, 四万十川, sustainable, logging, architect, design, houseboat, business, tokyo day trip, osaka day trip, rental car, kayak, fishing, how paper is made, driving in japan

Id: mwu1t3d6kU4

Length: 18min 52sec (1132 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 20 2019