I spent a lot of my summer holidays at my grandparents house in coastal Miyagi (the family house was actually swept away in the tsunami, last time I saw it, it was a pile of rubble and the play ground where I used to play was stacked with white coffins :-<). However, I hadn't been to Tohoku at all since my teen years since the disaster. While going to the coast was gut-wrenching, I really was amazed at the beautiful scenery of Tohoku, the graciousness of the people, loved the culture, (best matsuri festivals I have been to in Japan, hands down-- and I've been to a lot!) and food. I have a lot of friends who are foreign correspondents who went up to Fukushima for assignments, and everyone was really amazed at how lovely the people are.
I can understand if people want to avoid Fukushima, admittedly, but if you are visiting Japan, I really, really recommend going to Japan's countryside, not just the standard Tokyo, Kyoto, maybe Osaka route.
Anyways the book documents the work of 22 artisans and has full length interviews and hundreds of photos. You can get kitschier, mass produced kokeshi, the real ones are only sold at hotspring villages in Tohoku -- visiting these workshops is a great way to explore Japan's countryside, see some incredible landscapes and visit some beautiful hot spring villages. Going through the snow in a 2 carriage train in remote Yamagata is something I will never forget! I have some happy snaps here.
Like a lot of the great things about Japanese culture, a lot of craftsmen are worried about kokeshi culture disappearing, due to the apprenticeships for traditional crafts taking so many years.
They are quite mini sized, like a guide book but at 197 pages, it has quite a lot of information, durable flexi cover, lovely matte paper, stitched sides, and only 15 USD, all proceeds to Tohoku aid.
