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June 16, 2002

After dutifully posing for a group shot in a "serious" fashion, some of the students from Wyoming cut loose. Every so often, it's healthy to be silly---and it makes traveling fun! Kaoru Slotsve-sensei and her students from Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, Wyoming pose for a group shot after going on a cross cultural "scavenger hunt" in Kyoto. Whew, it's hot! The master "washi" maker at Rakushikan demonstrates the method of removing excess water from newly-formed paper with the use of a powerful vaccuum. It's a busy time at the "washi" making presentation. Here, you can see the St. Mark's School of Texas in various stages of making paper. From the foreground to the background, students are dipping trays in the pulp pool, adding dies and colored chips, suctioning water out of the nearly complete paper, and brushing air pockets out of paper as the drying rack finalizes the process.

A trio of potential Picasso's? As part of their "washi" (paper) making workshop, three of the students from St. Mark's School of Texas begin adding dyes and colorful chips to the post cards they are creating. Talk about rolling up your sleeves and getting to work! Freshly formed paper is quickly moved to the next stage---removal from the forming tray and rolling out the excess water. "Washi" making is an ancient, time-honored craft in Kyoto, a tradition that has existed for more than 8 centuries! Here's a look at a budding paper-making apprentice. The first stage in "washi" making is dipping the forming tray in the pulp pit.