Gokayama Washi Making Experience Hall

Located in the Ainokura Gassho-Style Village, which is registered as a World Heritage site, this facility offers a hands-on paper-making experience.
Visitors can make their own original washi by making paper the size of a place mat and placing pressed flowers or leaves on it.

Gokayama washi, known as "Ecchu washi" along with Yatsuo washi and Birudan washi, is a traditional craft representing Toyama.
Surrounded by deep mountains, it was difficult to grow rice in Gokayama, so washi was delivered to the Kaga Clan as tribute instead.
Washi is made from kouzo, a low-growing tree in the mulberry family, and its fibers are thick and long, making it a strong and durable paper.
It is widely used for shoji paper, paintings, and prints, and is now also used for interior goods and accessories with designs on it.

In Shimonashi, about 2 km down Route 304, there is the Gokayama Washi Workshop (5-minute walk from the Shimonashi stop on the World Heritage Bus), where you can also experience washi making (reservation required).
The workshop is larger in scale than the Gokayama Washi Making Experience Hall, and visitors can observe the process of making washi from raw materials up close to the final papermaking process.
The museum also provides a guided tour of the facility and an explanation of the production process, and is recommended for those who want to learn more about papermaking.
There is also a direct sales shop selling a variety of washi paper and washi goods.