Trade names: Japanese Ash, Sen Origin: Japan, China Range: Japan, Korea and various parts of China, but only veneer quality is imported to Europe and exclusively from Japan. Best known growing area for high quality veneer logs is Hokkaido in Northern Japan. It is only possible to import Sen to Europe when debarked and as flitches i.e. as already sawn half logs. Uses: Used exclusively as veneer for bedroom furniture and mass produced panels in Europe, Sen is seldom used for decorative interiors. In Japan, however, Sen is considered to be an allround wood species and is used for almost all purposes. This moderately hard wood can be machined cleanly and easily by all woodworking methods. Very smooth surfaces are obtained due to the straight grain. Character: The wood is similar to ash, but slightly brighter and has a stronger shine. It is a very decorative wood that is uniformly whitish to yellowish-brown colored. The sapwood is 4 to 6 cm wide and white to milky. Mat gloss surface finishes are an obvious choice due to the silky gloss of planed surfaces. Due to different pores, the wood is unobtrusive but clearly structured. Particularities: When freshly cut the wood has an acrid odor. In the current export country Japan, Sen is more frequently used as a solid wood in the construction of musical instruments.