I just learned that sugi trees (杉) which are known as Japanese cedars, are actually not cedar trees. This is a misnomer. Sugi trees are in fact cypress trees. So my earlier post on cedars should be read again, substituting "cypress" with "cedar".
This is the tree whose wood is used in the construction of many pieces of Japanese furniture, including the drawers which safeguard many of the beautiful kimonos here. I was told that cypress (perhaps like cedar) keeps away worms and other bugs. However, I can't rectify this idea with the following from Wikipedia: "Cryptomeria [the scientific name for the sugi tree's genus] is used as a food plant by the larvae of some moths of the genus Endoclita."
