The Sumida Ward has long prospered as the center of Japan's fabric industry. Even today, it is capable of reproducing nearly any color on demand.

Specialists in every step of denim manufacture—spinning, dyeing, weaving, washing—abound in Fukuyama, a leading producer of denim in Japan. The locale is a driving force behind the worldwide appeal of Japanese denim.

Launched by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Local Creators’ Market focuses on five Japanese locales noted for producing exquisite traditional handicrafts.

Hiroshima is known for its denim. But the denim being made here may not be the kind of denim you know!

How are pearls processed? Prized Akoya pearls are sorted in front of a north-facing window, where the low-angled natural light reveals any scratches and irregularities, and practiced artisans recognize flaws as slight as a tenth of a millimeter.

Look closely through the translucent sheen of any Akoya pearl and you’ll see a rainbow of colors—a joint gift from the growers, the oysters, and the sea itself. But how are they produced?

Swords have been forged in this Gifu Prefecture town since the late Kamakura Period. Now the same traditions are being applied to some of the best knives you can hope to find.

Working by hand at scales that can at times only be seen with a magnifying glass, these two artisans are heirs to a 400-year-old legacy of woodworking in Ishikawa Prefecture.