The plastic umbrella that can be found everywhere in town and brings us great relief during sudden thunderstorms was actually invented in Japan. Pioneering...

The tsuge (boxwood) comb, which was mentioned in Man’yoshu—the 8th century anthology of Japanese poetry—has been used to maintain hair since olden ti...

The beautiful geometric patterns of hemp leaves and tortoise shell are thrown into contrast as soft light passes through a paper sliding door. Kumiko handi...

Japan’s Sekku (Seasonal Festivals) culture has developed and become ingrained because of the stark contrasts between the four seasons. Since a long t...

Taiko drums are beaten vigorously, portable shrines are paraded through the streets, and shouts and hayashi (musical accompaniment) echo loudly. Such a fes...

Ubukeya, specializing in the manufacture and sale of knives, scissors and other bladed goods forged in the traditional manner and hand-sharpened, was found...

In Suido, Bunkyo, approximately 160 years since the Edo period, there is a workshop that continues to make woodblock prints. Founded in the Ansei period (1...

K. Hattori & Co., the predecessor of Seiko, was founded in 1881 in Ginza. The shop was founded by Kintaro Hattori, who started his business repairing...

Noren (partitioning curtains), dyed with a shop’s symbol and name, are iconic features adorning the façades of Japanese shops. Thought to have arisen from ...

Kyogen was founded at Kyobashi in 1910 as a Mon-nori-ya, a craftsmen’s company that pastes the shape of a family crest onto kimono. Later, Kyogen became Mo...

Kimoto Glass Tokyo has seen the glass industry inside and out during its 80-year operations since its founding as a glass wholesaler. Pressured by cheaper ...

Hanashyo, the manufacturer and seller of edo kiriko, has a relatively large staff for an edo kiriko workshop of 13. It does everything, from the product de...