Hakone Yosegi Zaiku: World of Woodcraft
Hakone 'yosegi zaiku' is a kind of woodworking technique typically used to make puzzle boxes with elaborate opening mechanisms. Not only do they make a great gift—at the Hakone Trick Museum you can even make one of your own!
All About the Local Creators' Market
Handicrafts Local Creators' Market
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.
Kaya no Sato: Life in Thatch
This association on the edge of Mount Fuji is working to preserve the thatching techniques needed to preserve many of Japan's historic structures, including the 'praying hands' houses of Shirakawa-go.
How Japanese Pearls Are Processed
Handicrafts Local Creators' Market
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.
Stamps Capture Japanese Bathhouse Charm
One Japanese artist is putting his stamp on the traditional Japanese bathhouse, or 'sento.'
Katsumata Seicha: Organic Tea on Fuji's Edge
Located in the heart of Japan's premier tea-growing region, Katsumata Seicha traces its tea-making history back to the days of the Warring States Period.
Make Your Own Manga With Cool New Tape
Give your packages (or any surface really) some stylish Japanese flair with this award-winning tape!
The Hand-Dyeing Specialists of Sumida-ku
Handicrafts Local Creators' Market
If you're looking for custom, hand-dyed fabrics, these three specialists in Sumida-ku, Tokyo, are dyeing to set you up!
The Ultimate Cup Ramen Cooker
Place your cup noodles into this vessel and you'll feel as though you'll be transported back thousands of years.
For Custom Fabric Colors, Go to Sumida-ku
Handicrafts Local Creators' Market
Place an order with a swatch or color chip, and shops in this Tokyo district will delve into a formidable databank of colors amassed over the history of the craft to instantly dye your fabric to the exact color of the sample.
Endless Design Possibilities: Fukuyama Denim
Local Creators' Market Hiroshima
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.
Sharpen Your Look With Damascus Steel Watches
Wear a unique, exquisite timepiece filled with Japanese sword tradition on your wrist.
Taking Denim Beyond the Jean Jacket
Local Creators' Market Hiroshima
Hiroshima is known for its denim. But the denim being made here may not be the kind of denim you know!
Untraveled Japan: Tokyo Day Trips & More
You don’t have to go far from Tokyo to experience Japan like no one has before!
The Ultimate Wedding Cake Knife
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.
The Secrets of Pearl Harvesting in Japan
Handicrafts Local Creators' Market
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?
The Organic Beauty of Kaga Lacquerware
Local Creators' Market Ishikawa
A mountainous land dotted with hot springs, Yamanaka in Ishikawa Prefecture is a major center of lacquerware production, thanks to woodturners who emigrated to this area 400 years ago.
Designers Ring in the Year of the Dog in Style
New Year's cards are an important Japanese tradition, and our friends at Spoon & Tamago have compiled some of the most stylish cards from Japanese artists around the country.
Japanese Painter Creates Photo-real Portraits
Yasutomo Oka’s oil portraits are so lifelike you'll swear they were captured with a camera.
2 Modern Masters of Woodwork & Lacquer
Local Creators' Market Ishikawa
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.
