An curved arrow pointing right. The Sendai Kiji Workshop in Japan makes Kokeshi dolls, a type of wooden doll carved from a single block of wood that originated in mountainside villages 200 years ago.

Souvenirs from your travels become treasured pieces that spark stories for years. Hand-carved from wood and painted with delicate features, Kokeshi dolls are a charming slice of Japanese culture.

KYOTO--A huge limbless “kokeshi” doll lying on its side has impressed tourists and local residents at Higashi Honganji temple in Kyoto’s Shimogyo Ward. The 12-meter-long balloon object made ...