Ihara Shikki Senmonten

"Ihara Shikki Senmonten"  is located at Matsumoto-city Nakamachi Street in Nagano Pref. It is a lacquerware specialty shop with a history of over 100 years.
Nakamachi Street has a beautiful townscape with white and black "Kuradukuri"(Japanese storehouse style architecture). The shop stands there with a rich and pleasant ambience, and its placemark is a signboard with a "Karajihi-Botan" pattern(a design for a peony-and lion combination) which makes you feel the history. Available in store are lacquerware of all over Japan, including Kiso, Yamanaka, Aizu and Echizen(All are the old names of areas in Japan). You can find classic tableware, chopstick, salad bowls as well as nteresting items such as address book covers.
Though you may imagine that lacquer is expensive and a luxury, the shop sells a lot of affordable lacquerwares for your daily use. Staff there are willing to kindly tell you how to maintain your lacquerware. Please take one to find your favorite.