The legend grows. The Kitami Mill in Hokkaido, Japan.

For more than half a century, the finest woods have found their way into the hands of Yamaha artisans in our world-renowned Kitami Mill in Hokkaido, Japan. Yamaha is one of the only piano makers to operate our own mill. Which means our craftsmen have complete control over every piece of wood that goes into our pianos, from milling and aging to gluing and finishing. Yamaha artisans search the world for dense, resonant woods including European Spruce, Rock Maple, Mahogany and Japanese Sakhalin Spruce. But only the best of the best end up in Kitami. And only the top 15 percent of that is chosen to become the soundboard, back frame or rims of a Yamaha piano.

Our Kitami Mill holds a tree planting festival each autumn to help nurture a forest of Sakhalin Spruce that will be sustainably harvested to craft the next generation of Yamaha pianos. Keeping the forest, and the music it helps create, beautiful for years to come.