.I have been living in Japan since 1987.  Initially working in the IT business, in 2010 I decided there was more to life than corporate obedience, and started woodturning as a second career.  The decision between woodturning and general woodwork or cabinetry was practical.  Our house has a small cellar which was better suited to running a lathe in, rather than the usual woodwork workshop tools.  I had done woodwork at school, and worked on a few woodturning projects as part of the course. So there we are. I like using the Japanese indigenous woods where possible, as the Japanese climate ranges from cold, to sub-tropical which provides for a wide range of wood types. The wood grain - as you see from the Nikko Cedar in the image below is well defined.  I find great pleasure in unleashing the natural beauty in these woods.  As you can see from my gallery, the variation is boundless. I hope you can get as much pleasure from using them as I have had making them