Why shop with us?
Like those in other countries around the world, many Japanese craft traditions currently face immense challenges (see our page ‘About traditional Japanese crafts’). This is especially the case in the socio-economically disadvantaged areas of regional and rural Japan. Through our online shop, we hope to contribute to the survival of these craft traditions, even if it’s in a small way in our belief that every bit counts.
We directly source all our products from the producers in regional and rural Japan, so they benefit as much as possible from our sales, and you get the best value from your purchase. Our products are made on a small scale by family or community-operated local businesses—most are handcrafted individually and many are one-off creations that are truly unique. We personally hand-select all our products at the source in Japan to ensure that we offer the highest quality to you. We do not sell mass-produced, budget items offered by many traders of Japanese wares. The producers we source our products from generally do not ship their wares overseas, so we hope to provide a ‘bridge’ between you and the artisans in regional and rural Japan.
Through your purchase, you will be giving the traditional craft artisans of Japan a better chance to preserve their age-old traditions into the future. Thank you very much for your support.
