How do I stain wood Japanese style?

bonsai_audge

Relatively clueless on this as well, but I'll try to help a bit.

What exactly do you mean to stain something in the Japanese style? Do you mean the high-gloss finish you see on some ornate Japanese furniture? If so, it is the lacquer finish that you have heard about. I think as similar look can be acheived by using a high-gloss paint in either colour (red or black).

However, I would think that it is more the style of the table, how it's constructed and how's its used in the space, that would make someone say "Oh, that's Japanese." I doubt that simply painting a high-gloss to emulate that of lacquer-ware on a table will create the effect that you're after. Rather, I would go for a deep mahogany(-esque) stain coupled with some other simplistic natural elements in the space to create that asian feel that you're after.

-Audric