Located in a far-flung corner of Aizu, set against a backdrop of magnificent mountains, lies the little village of Mishima. Surrounded by forests and fields, one would hardly think this little village was anything out of the ordinary, yet Mishima boasts a wealth of tradition in crafts, something the town is fighting to continue in the face of adverse influence from modern society. At the heart of this movement is the Mishima Traditional Crafts Centre, a facility constructed as one of five new enterprises to combat the village's depopulation trend. The centre was completed in October 1986, and serves as the area's base for local traditional crafts such as woodwork, ceramic art, weaving and painting, all of which are characterised by their use of natural resources to make daily objects. With experienced instructors and top class facilities, the centre focuses on increasing the popularity of these crafts by running classes for both locals and visitors as well as providing facilities and guidance for people who already possess fundamental skills. This has proved a hit not only with the residents of Mishima, but also the tourists, who flock to the village to try their hand at creating everything from tables and chairs to straw raincoats and bamboo sieves.

One of the personalities working at the Mishima Traditional Crafts Centre is Setsuko Kubota, regarded by the centre as being a living treasure. Mrs Kubota, who was recently presented with the Prefectural Technical Excellence Award for her superior weaving, has worked at the centre for eight years, teaching the craft to both tourists and locals. Brought up in an environment where handicraft was part of the lifestyle, her greatest love is to make things. As a result, she can create just about anything from anything. Mrs Kubota's work is well-renowned and, consequently, there is a waiting list of up to two years for her goods. Her unique style is attributed to the fact that she was not taught her craft. In fact, with no one remaining who possessed the knowledge to continue it, the tradition was, in effect, dead, so Mrs Kubota set about learning the craft on her own, using her inquisitiveness and her natural flair for handicraft to pull apart old woven items such as bags and baskets and reweave them to learn how they were made. This must undoubtedly have been a labourious activity, as making even a small bag from scratch takes a professional like her eight days. The time consuming process involves soaking dried grass overnight to soften it and twisting it into strands of twine before weaving it into a splendid creation. However, Mrs Kubota makes this process look easy, and, at first glance, it is almost as if her hands are magic. "You just do it like this," she says, twisting a few strands of grass into a tight twine rope with a few quick flicks of her youthful wrists. One can't help but think a beginner would not say the same. The fruits of Mrs Kubota's labour are displayed around the centre and it is easy to see why she is held in such high esteem. With a lifetime of weaving experience behind her, her products, which include everything from clothes such as raincoats and sandals to baskets, bags and even stools, are of the highest quality. Mrs Kubota teaches weaving at the Mishima Traditional Crafts Centre every week from Tuesday to Saturday, but, as materials must be prepared a day beforehand, bookings are advised.