Photo= Flower vases made from roof tile materials (upper), new paper lanterns with round pieces of paper of various sizes (middle) and a wall clock with gilded Japanese paper attached (lower)

Utilizing skills developed in traditional crafts, young craftspeople are engaged in producing interior goods for Western-style rooms, which are better suited to modern lifestyles. Sales to hotels and restaurants will go into full swing in order to expand the use of paper lanterns and roof tiles.

Asada Kawara Factory, a roof tile maker in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, produced flower vases using roof tile materials. Two types have been created: one has a hand-made feel with a broken-looking edge, while the other is partially glazed. The silver dullness of roof tiles is expected to enhance the beauty of flowers. Vases will be priced around 9,000 yen and up. They will go on sale before the end of this year. Masaki Sakata, a craftsperson, expects overseas demand, saying, "The carbon coating technique for tiles isn't used much abroad, so it will probably be a rarity for foreign people also."

At Kojima Shouten, a paper lantern maker in Higashiyama Ward, two brothers, Syun and Ryo Kojima, have created paper lanterns that will suit Western-style rooms. Round pieces of paper of various sizes, which are processed with gold leaves and other decorations, are attached to a lantern's framework so that it looks like a lamp. They sell lanterns with diameters of 40 centimeters and 60 centimeters for 88,560 yen and 205,200 yen, respectively. Syun expectantly said, "I hope the charm of Kyoto's paper lanterns with tightly wound bamboo frames will be widely recognized."

Inoue Kogado, a traditional Kyoto-style paperhanger in Fushimi Ward, has created a wall clock using a wooden board that is 20 centimeters square. Using paperhanging skills, Japanese paper and gold foil are attached to the board, in which four round boards, indicating the hour, minute, second and overseas time respectively, are embedded. This is scheduled to go on sale before this year ends, at a price of 150,000 yen. Masahiro Inoue, a company representative said, "The number of orders for Japanese paper as wallpaper for Western-style buildings has been increasing. We would like to suggest a wider range of applications for it."