Takami is a friendly and welcoming host, and a knowledgeable teacher. The experience involved an explanation of the various hand tools used in construction of traditional wood houses, a trip to the local tool shop, and a return to the workshop for demonstration on preparing the tools for work. As explained by Takami, the day does not include instruction on how to cut Japanese joinery.
As part of the demonstration, Takami made ready for work a tsuki nomi (paring chisel) and hira kanna (flat hand plane) - the demonstration here was very detailed and extremely valuable in showing the process and techniques of shaping and sharpening chisel and plane blades in real time.
The result was a perfectly functioning tool, with which we were able to take fine shavings and produce a glassy-smooth surface on a piece of cedar - a wonderful way to end the day.
I would recommend this experience to anyone wishing to learn about Japanese hand tools, and see how they are set up and sharpened.