Yamanaka, a serene hot spring town in Kaga City, is nestled in lush green valleys where traditional ways of living flourish in harmony with nature. Hannah Kirshner, an American writer, resides in this quaint town. Hannah has always been fascinated by handcrafted objects. When she first came to Yamanaka in 2015 to apprentice at a sake bar, she discovered a wide variety of artists and craftsmen who shape the local community and culture. Falling in love with the place, she signed a contract with an American publisher and immersed herself in the local traditions, learning about sake brewing, woodworking, duck hunting, and charcoal making. By the time her book, Water, Wood, and Wild Things, was published in 2021, she’d decided to stay in the town.
Hannah lives in a charming house on the edge of the hot spring town, sandwiched between mountains and a river. In addition to writing for the New York Times and producing podcasts, she enjoys traditional culinary crafts at home. She grows her own vegetables, makes herbal teas, and pickles Japanese plums. As Hannah strolls through the streets, her elderly neighbors warmly greet her, often sparking friendly conversations. Though she may stand out as a foreign resident in this traditional community, she has truly found her place here.
Currently, Hannah is dedicating her time to renovating a 100-year-old traditional house next to her home. She’s tackling much of the work herself and plans to transform it into a kitchen studio for workshops, retreats, and community gatherings, although it may take some time.
“In contemporary America, nature is typically either protected and untouched, or exploited for resources,” says Hannah, “but in some places in Japan I could see another way, where humans are active participants in an ecosystem.” In preparation for her next book, she’s observing the revival and reinvention of farming and forestry practices that cooperate with nature.
 

Hannah Kirshner
Hannah grew up on a small farm outside Seattle and studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Now based in Brooklyn and Yamanaka, she works as a freelance journalist for publications including the New York Times and The Atlantic. Her book, Water, Wood, and Wild Things, (which she also illustrated) explores traditional handcrafts and food-making in Yamanaka, intertwining these practices with the local landscape and way of life.