With crinkled noses and uncharacteristic focus, my two young daughters slowly and silently stir the contents of small bowls clasped in their hands.
It's not cake mixture, nor is it a bright gloopy paint (both favorites) that mesmerizes them. Instead, the bowls contain something more unusual: a heady fusion of aromatic raw ingredients that form the basis of Japanese incense.
Japan is famed as a nation steeped in rich traditional culture, from its ikebana flower arranging and the tea ceremony to shodō calligraphy and haiku poetry. And firmly included on this list is Japanese incense making. An art form as old as it is revered, incense is believed to date back as early as the sixth century, arriving hand in hand with Buddhism and its associated rituals and ceremonies.