Tōei, Aichi: Handmade Cosmetics and Mine Tours Put the Town on the Map

These tea fields belong to Michelin-listed restaurant Chazen’ichi, known for its organic, tea-infused soba.

The entrance to a mineshaft in the Awashiro sericite mine in Furikusa, Tōei.

Misaki Jun’ichi, third in a line of miners, says he hopes to carry on mining sericite for at least 30 more years.

The ambient temperature in the mine is a pleasant 17°C all year round.

All sericite is mined by hand.

The sericite produced by Sanshin Mining (on the right) is much whiter and finer than that produced by a competitor.

The Nokiyama School, housed in a disused school.

You’ll feel like you’re back in class! The Nokiyama School also holds pizza-making and wadaiko drumming workshops.

Ōoka Chihiro.

Quantities can be varied to suit skin type and skin tone.

This foundation is not even finished and it already feels great!

Bath bombs infused with baking soda, citric acid, and honey.

Mine-tour participants holding freshly mined sericite.