paper - The Japan Times

'Paper sommelier' hopes to help revive Japan's <I>washi</I> industry

Lifestyle Jul 29, 2018

'Paper sommelier' hopes to help revive Japan's washi industry

Yoshinao Sugihara, head of a traditional paper wholesaler in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, takes the use of washi paper to a new level in interior design.

Business / Corporate Jun 16, 2017

Squeezing paper from a stone: an entrepreneur's approach to ease deforestation

by Masumi Suga

Stone tablets were one of the earliest writing tools used by man before paper. One entrepreneur now plans to take things full circle by making paper out of stone. Nobuyoshi Yamasaki's venture TBM Co. makes paper from limestone, a rock it proclaims is "almost inexhaustible." ...

Environment Jun 10, 2017

Plastic fantastic: How does Tokyo recycle its waste?

by Tim Hornyak

The next time you trek out to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, situated on the fringes of Shinagawa along Tokyo Bay, look around and you'll see a giant smokestack by the Konan Ohashi Bridge. The visa-dispensing center, essential for foreign nationals who want to ...

National Nov 24, 2015

British washi evangelist rolls out medium as canvas for artists

by William Hollingworth

Growing numbers of artists and designers in Britain are exploring the potential of handmade Japanese paper as a new material with which to work, according to artist Elaine Cooper, one of the very few foreign experts in the field. Cooper, 55, spent 10 years in ...

National | CHUBU CONNECTION Nov 14, 2014

Honminoshi traditional paper-making flows from long dedication, and UNESCO takes notice

UNESCO recently announced that Honminoshi, a traditional Japanese paper-making craft, is being considered for the organization's list of intangible cultural heritage. Honminoshi originates from Mino in Gifu Prefecture, and boasts more than 1,300 years of history. Masters of the "tesuki washi" (traditional handmade paper) technique are ...

Business Oct 3, 2014

Nippon Paper to build timber-fired power plant in Akita

Nippon Paper Industries Co. plans to build a 100-megawatt coal-fired thermal power plant at its paper pulp factory in Akita Prefecture, with the aim of beginning commercial power sales in 2017, industry sources said Thursday. The company will invest tens of billions of yen in ...

Travel Jul 5, 2014

Off the beaten path on Japan's paper trail

by Mark Brazil

At a little roadside store in rural Nagano, a foreign tourist is miming a rice bowl with her cupped left hand. Firm in the belief that Japanese washi (paper — wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper) was made from rice, she waves her ...