Interviews
Meet the people behind our goods. We visit workshops across Japan to hear how each piece is made, and why. Find a story by craft or by region, or search for a maker.
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Kamoshika Doguten: Banko Ware Tools for a Whole Region
We visited Kamoshika Doguten in Komono, Mie, a regional brand of Banko ware kitchen tools made with partner kilns to keep the whole craft region thriving.
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Kasamori: Triple O, Jewelry Made Only of Thread
We visited Kasamori, an embroidery company founded in 1877 in Kiryu, Gunma, to learn how its brand 000 (Triple O) makes feather-light accessories from thread alone.
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Kamezaki Senko: Hand-Dyed Fishing Flags from Kagoshima
We visited Kamezaki Senko, a dye works founded in 1869 in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima, to learn how its fifth-generation dyer keeps hand-dyed fishing flags alive in a changing world.
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Take Kobo Kisetsu: From Office Worker to Bamboo Craftsman in Kyoto
We visited Take Kobo Kisetsu in Kyoto, where craftsman Mr. Hosokawa, who left an office job at 31 to learn bamboo craft, weaves ajiro bamboo bags made for everyday life.
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Mimatsu Kogei: The Beauty of Wood Grain, from Saga
Among the rice fields of Kanzaki, Saga, Mimatsu Kogei went from making furniture parts to order to creating its own brands, M.SCOOP, NENRIN and GREEN, that bring out the character of every piece of...
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Onishi Seisakusho: Handmade Pens from Higashiosaka
In Higashiosaka, Keizo Onishi draws on more than 65 years with pens to make every fountain pen and ballpoint by hand. We visited his workshop to see how a single pen comes to life.
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Odate Kougeisha: Magewappa and the Story of Blanc Pa
In Odate, Akita, Odate Kougeisha has crafted magewappa bentwood ware from century-old Akita cedar for 65 years. We learned how every piece is made by hand, and why they created Blanc Pa.
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Mizutori Kogyo: Reinventing the Geta in Shizuoka
Founded in 1937 in Shizuoka, Mizutori Kogyo went from geta to shoes and back again, creating hand-carved geta designed for all-day comfort.
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JIKAN STYLE: Hand-Dyed Tenugui from Sakai, Osaka
We visited Sakai, Osaka, to see how JIKAN STYLE tenugui are hand-dyed using chusen, a pouring technique that colors both sides of the cloth, and to hear the story behind the brand's playful seasona...
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Nousaku: Four Centuries of Casting, Reimagined in Takaoka
We visited Nousaku in Takaoka, Toyama, a foundry founded in 1916 that turns more than 400 years of local casting tradition into modern tin and brass pieces for everyday life.
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