If you happen to walk by Laurie Berliner’s handmade hat shop on any given day, chances are you’ll see the Fairfax resident working away on her latest creation on her 1914 Bulasky straw braid machine.

“Often, the true architects of local history remain hidden in the shadows, their immense contributions known only to a few. In Ota Ward, Tokyo, one such overlooked figure is Kawata Tanigoro (川田 谷五郎), ...