Have you ever heard of Japanese “urushi” tableware?
Chances are that if you’ve ever been to an authentic Japanese restaurant, you’ve been served dishes on an urushi plate or miso soup in an urushi bowl!
‘Urushi’ is a natural Japanese lacquer made from the tree sap of the urushi tree. If you’ve seen black or red colored Japanese table ware that has a slight sheen, it’s most likely painted in urushi lacquer! Once hardened, urushi is resistant to alcohol and oil and has a sterilizing effect, making it an ideal material for tableware.
To grow one urushi tree, is takes approximately 10 years. From that tree, craftsmen are only able to harvest about one bowl (around the size of a miso soup bowl) of urushi sap to use. This makes urushi lacquer very valuable and sought after.
This traditional Japanese house in Kyoto city utilizes urushi in its interior design. The bright red wallpaper welcoming you inside is painted in urushi. Enjoy a relaxing stay in a machiya while admiring a longstanding Japanese craft.
Looking for the best place to stay in Kyoto? Stay in a traditional Japanese house (machiya) during your next visit to Kyoto, Japan.
With MACHIYA RESIDENCE INN, you can rent a private traditional Japanese house – a great alternative to a Kyoto hotel that is perfect for short or long stays!