Tsutomu Kono's life is all wrapped up with washi, the handmade Japanese paper made of pure, natural fiber.

A planning officer for Higashi Chichibu Village in western Saitama Prefecture, Kono is always thinking of his village's ancient papermaking tradition, and how to keep it alive. At this time of year in particular, his head is full of an upcoming festival at Washi-no Sato (Village of Japanese Paper), a theme park in the narrow Tsuki River valley about 70 km northwest of Tokyo.

Washi-no Sato is landscaped around the 250-year-old home of a papermaking craftsman that was moved there from another location nearby. Facing the thatched farmhouse there is a spacious garden with a pond and stream, while in several new, but tastefully harmonious buildings around, visitors can get hands-on experience of traditional papermaking and noodle-making following local recipes, or view exhibits on paper-related arts and crafts, such as woodblock print-making. Both the gift shop and a thick-walled kura (storehouse) also have many fine examples of locally produced papers.