Ino-cho Paper Museum, Paper museum in Ino, Japan
The Ino-cho Paper Museum displays exhibits about traditional washi paper production, showing the materials and tools involved in this Japanese papermaking craft. The collection reveals the step-by-step methods that turn raw fibers into finished sheets of paper.
The museum opened in 1985 to preserve the legacy of Tosa washi, a papermaking tradition practiced in this region for over a thousand years. This long history established Tosa paper as one of Japan's most enduring craft traditions.
Washi paper appears throughout the exhibits as material that shapes how people live and create in Japan, from wall coverings to ceremonial uses. You understand its presence in everyday Japanese life as you walk through.
The museum sits about a 10-minute walk from JR Ino Station, making it easy to reach by foot. Allow time to move through multiple exhibition spaces and consider visiting when you are not rushed, as watching demonstrations or trying hands-on activities takes longer than viewing displays alone.
A standout feature is Tosa tengujo paper, an extraordinarily thin yet remarkably strong material measuring just 0.03 millimeters thick. Visitors can watch how craftspeople create this delicate sheet and grasp how such thin material maintains its strength.
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