You cut wood in the forest, if you click the door out side mayu's store and one more screen forward you should see an path or option on the left (by the fort). If you go in there it should have axe icon on screen and you click it to do the wood gathering mini game and gather wood to build stuff. Or you may need to hit talk on the right with mayu? I don't remeber if you needed anything special for the ladder, I thought just some wood and money. You can sell your fish to Tome by clicking it on the bottom left and clicking sell no the right. I hope that helps.. I don't think there was anything special needed to make the ladder.