Interviews

m+: Leather Goods That Their Owners Complete

We visited m+ in Kuramae, Tokyo, to hear how a former architect trained in Italy became a leather craftsman, and designed wallets that age beautifully with use.

Wajima Kirimoto: Bringing Lacquer Back into Everyday Life

We visited Wajima Kirimoto on the Noto Peninsula, a family of woodworkers turned lacquerware maker, to learn how it is making lacquer part of everyday life again.

Reela: Leather Room Shoes Shaped Like Fine Footwear

We visited Yamato in Matsuyama, Ehime, a sandal maker of over 60 years, to learn why its room shoe brand Reela is shaped on wooden lasts like fine footwear.

Takaokaya: The Art of Relaxing, from a Kyoto Futon Maker

We visited Takaokaya, a Kyoto futon maker founded in 1919, to learn how its craftsmen turned their skills to the art of relaxing, and the secrets of the Ojami cushion.

sufuto: Tsuzure Weaving, Woven with the Fingernails

We visited Kiyohara Orimono in Shiga, the Nishijin weaving house behind sufuto, to learn about tsuzure weaving and the extraordinary fingernail technique of tsume-kaki.

Beret is flamingo: Pure Wool Berets from Kumamoto

We visited the Kumamoto factory of Beret is flamingo, Japan's leading beret maker, to follow the many hands and steps that go into a single 100% wool beret.

Sonobe Sangyo: Wooden Bowls from Odawara, Made to Return to the Earth

We visited Sonobe Sangyo in Odawara, Kanagawa, to see how its Meiboku wooden bowls are made over eight months, using nature's help and wasting nothing.

TADAFUSA: Blacksmith Knives from Sanjo, Niigata

We visited TADAFUSA in Sanjo, Niigata, to learn how a struggling blacksmith workshop reinvented itself with three essential knives, and helped open up its whole craft town.

KURODA: Leather Gloves from Japan's Glove Capital

We visited KURODA in Higashikagawa, Kagawa, the town that makes 90% of Japan's gloves, to learn how its leather gloves achieve their remarkable comfort.

SHINTO TOWEL: The Ultimate Towel from Senshu, Osaka

We visited Shinto Towel in Senshu, Osaka, the birthplace of Japanese towels, to learn how a 1907 towel mill created its own brand and three "ultimate" towels.