Links

Websites based in the U.S.

My friend Clare Hess in California builds Japanese ship models. You can learn a lot about the craft by reading through his site:
http://wasenmodeler.com

Harvey Golden is a friend who has done amazing work on the subject of Arctic kayaks:
http://www.traditionalkayaks.com/

My friend Bruce Whiting's business page in Portland, Oregon:
http://www.ospreycustomsawing.com/index.html

Paul Kotta's tea page, a useful source for good tea:
http://www.mellowmonk.com

A very nice gallery of Japanese antiques:
http://www.shibuihome.com/

Len Brackett builds Japanese style houses and has a wonderful links page of his own:
http://www.eastwindinc.com/index.html

List of books on Japanese woodworking by this California group:
http://daikudojo.org/Archive/gallery_books/

WoodenBoat magazine:
http://www.woodenboat.com/

I built the sail ferry Weatherwax working with Andy Davis and the gang at Tri-Coastal Marine, Inc.
http://www.tricoastal.com

After giving a lecture at Trinity College (Hartford, CT) someone wrote me with this blog site. Chris Hall lives in Western Massachusetts and has an amazing background in Japanese woodworking, architecture, etc., and blogs at The Carpentry Way:
http://thecarpentryway.blogspot.com

Websites based in Japan

The Nippon Foundation supports philanthropic initiatives around the world:
http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/

My friends Takumi and Yoshiko have been canoeing all over Japan, sell candles at festivals and take part in peace ceremonies. They keep blogs of their activities:
http://hacarame.com/canoe/index.html

A gorgeous website about the mountain regions of Ishikawa prefecture:
http://shofu.pref.ishikawa.jp/shofu/shirayama/english/index.html

This Japanese opthamologist has been blogging about boats:
http://wave.ap.teacup.com/wasennfunadaiku

Woodworking school in Takayama, Japan (in Japanese):
http://www.takumijuku.com

Basic overview of Japanese culture:
http://www.wanogakkou.com/culture/500000.html

Atsushi Doi is a good friend and an enthusiastic amateur boat builder. He has invented a new type of sculling oar for small boats:
http://www.lares.dti.ne.jp/~doi-a-md/

Monotsukuri Daigaku is a new Japanese university devoted to craft training:
http://www.iot.ac.jp/english/index.html

The famous monkeys of Nagano, who use a hot spring, are visible on this live webcam:
http://www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp/livecam/monkey/index.htm

Traditional Crafts Association, Japan has an interesting gallery in Tokyo and supports craftspeople from throughout Japan:
http://kougeihin.jp.e.oo.hp.transer.com/

Koji' san's site:
Timberline Small Craft
http://minamiizu.net/timberline/

This Japanese group is building reed boats:
http://www.kamuna.net

Osamu Monden and Kyoko Miyazawa are filmmakers in Tokyo who make documentaries on the culture of the sea:
http://www.umikoubou.co.jp

Here is eight seconds of me in Tokyo sculling the chokkibune that I built:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX8MFCfGPnM
You can see more videos of the traditional Japanese sculling oar, the ro, by searching YouTube under "ro-scull."

Japanese Museums

Lake Biwa Museum
http://www.lbm.go.jp/index.html

Museum of Maritime Science (now closed)
http://www.funenokagakukan.or.jp/

Seto Inland Sea Folklife Museum
http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/setorekishi/

Toba Sea Folk Museum
http://www.umihaku.com/index2.html

Urayasu Folk Museum
http://kyoiku.city.urayasu.chiba.jp/hakubutukan/index.html

The Mizunoki Museum
http://www.mizunoki-museum.org

Tokyo Furniture Museum
http://www.fuchu.or.jp/~kagu/museum/index.htm

The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
http://dougukan.jp/archive/eng/index.html

Tokyo Kite Museum:
http://www.tako.gr.jp/eng/museums_e/tokyo_e.html