June 8, 2025

For our last full day in Ogawa and at the Mokuhanga workshop, we continued with the final touches on any carving that still needed to be done on our prints and also began the printing process on sheets of paper. Although we wouldn’t receive the handmade paper until the next day, it was truly a delight to see our carvings come to life. My print of the coffee cup with steam and a plate turned out to be a success, with only a few minor adjustments needed before I committed to the final prints.

The day was once again filled with the familiar rhythm: receiving instructions from the teachers, watching their demonstrations, and diligently working on our own prints. During our lunch hour, we went to a curry restaurant we had made reservations for the day before when the group visited the sake shop. The restaurant was small, but it had a unique and homey atmosphere. The staff, all women, offered a wide variety of curry dishes. I personally ordered their special, and it turned out to be one of the best curry meals I’ve ever had. Every bite was an explosion of flavor, with an assortment of toppings that made each mouthful feel like a new experience.

After a well-deserved lunch, we returned to the Mokuhanga workshop to continue working and prepare our woodblocks for the final morning, when we would print our designs onto the handmade paper crafted by the staff. This was also our last night at the Kataoka house. Our host, Ei-san, was one of the most respectful, helpful, and kind individuals we met during the entire trip. She was incredibly supportive throughout our stay helping us get familiar with what we had access to in the house, running the bath for anyone who wished to use it, and assisting with the forms needed to ship our luggage from the Kataoka house in Ogawa to our hotel in Kyoto.