Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2013
At Oak Village age is no barrier to quality, it’s a plus—they turn 100-year-old trees into products that will last another century.
Producing wooden furniture, bowls, toys—and even buildings—with wood from planted and second-growth forests in Japan, Oak Village also plants broadleaved trees to increase diversity in Japanese forests.
Chiyoda-ku is famous for hanami parties, especially since they’re lit up at night. Now, the Chiyoda Tourism Association has teamed up with Oak Village to help with their annual cull of some of the sakura trees lining one of the most famous cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan.
Chidorigafuchi, near the Imperial Palace, has been in the hanami Top 100 since the Edo period. But these geriatric plants won’t go to waste. With the help of Oak Village, they are made into fragrant cherry wood limited-edition, hanami-only goods. Some of the items available include cherry wood cellphone straps (¥500) sake cups (perfect to use on the spot, ¥2,300), chopsticks with pink gingham carrying cases (with a tiny cherry blossom pendant attached, large ¥2,000, kid size ¥1,500) and sakura coasters (blossom shaped of course, ¥1,500).
Part of the sales proceeds go toward ongoing renovations of the Imperial Palace moat. These limited items are available only at Chiyoda-ku’s tourist offices located at Chidorigafuchi, Yasukuni Shrine and on Kudan Hill. These unique items (unlike the Starbucks sakura tumblers seen everywhere) make great gifts to send home.
