Paint Your Own Lion Head at a Woodcarvers Studio near Kanazawa

Step inside Chida Studio, the only workshop in Japan where Kaga shishi lion heads are still carved from a single block of wood and painted entirely by hand. In Japan, lion heads are believed to "eat" misfortune and protect the family. Here in Hakusan, they are danced at festivals and given to celebrate births and new beginnings — a tradition of about 400 years. Meet the second- and third-generation artisans of this family studio, founded about 70 years ago, and hear how a lion's face is carved from one piece of paulownia wood from the foothills of sacred Mt. Hakusan — no joints, no glue, no second chances. Then pick up a brush and paint your own small lion head to take home as a good-luck charm. Finish at Shishi World Museum, where Japan's largest pair of carved lion heads stands alongside lion masks from around the world.