Japan! April 15 Part 2 - Hida Sangyo

After lunch, Aunt Kanchan drove us over to Uncle Koichi's work, Hida Sangyo, "one of the oldest wooden furniture companies in Japan". Uncle Koichi has been employed by this company for many years and now works at The Outlet, here is a link to the store information with a photo of the employees. My uncle is on the right.

The Outlet is two stories, the first floor has living and dining room furniture as well as an area of wooden frames, dishes and other small items. I brought home the doll chairs for Anna and Sam. The upper floor is a spacious showroom of my dream furnishings such as the red couch and glass-topped table, as well as the wooden inlay horse backdrop. Uncle Koichi did his best to explain the process of compressing the wood to change its shape and density. The result is a richer, smoother wood, the finished product silky to the touch. Visiting my uncle's work was truly an educational, enjoyable experience.