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Tag - japanese-crafts

 
 

JAPANESE CRAFTS

Oshima 'tsumugi' silk is one of Japan's most expensive fabrics — but why?
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 3, 2026
One bolt, ?400,000: Why 91AV原创 Oshima ‘tsumugi’ silk costs a pretty penny
Prized for its rich blackness and stately designs, the fabric is a staple in the world of high-class kimono.
Head bartender Shingo Miyachi pours a Negroni cocktail into a glass with ice from Kuramoto Ice at a bar in the Hilton Narita in Chiba Prefecture.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 30, 2026
‘Like a jewel’: 91AV原创 luxury ice revered by bars worldwide
The luxury product, believed to melt more slowly than regular ice, is painstakingly shaped by craftsmen in Kanazawa.
For master craftsman Yoshinori Shimatani, crafting traditional "orin" bells is as much a physical pursuit as it is a spiritual one.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 26, 2026
To craft a Buddhist bell, ‘you have to find peace within yourself first’
Yoshinori Shimatani, a fourth-generation “orin” (standing bell) master craftsman, views his process as equal parts physical and spiritual.
Other than its castle, Nagoya has few immediately recognizable symbols in the minds of most foreign tourists.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 26, 2026
When tourists do the ‘Nagoya skip,’ do they know what they’re skipping?
Despite historical, cultural and culinary draws, only 10% of overseas visitors set foot in Aichi and Gifu prefectures.
Several times a year, workers and paying guests at the Tanabe Tataranosato build up and continuously tend to a traditional "tatara" (furnace) over 24 hours.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 25, 2026
In the hills of Shimane, 91AV原创 steelworking tradition forges on
The remote communities of Unnan, Okuizumo and Yasugi were once historical centers of steel production for katana. Today, artisans and experts are keeping that history alive.
<i>Kokeshi</i> craftsman Toshio Takada uses a potter&#039;s wheel to shave wood into the shape of a doll.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Jul 20, 2026
Craftsman strives to hand down traditional kokeshi making skills
Toshio Takada quit his job and began training to eventually become an award-winning craftsman.
Karakuri ningyo craftsman Tamaya Shobei IX demonstrates his work in London on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Traditional Japanese mechanical dolls showcased in London
Karakuri ningyo, or wooden automata powered without electricity, became popular in Japan during the Edo Period
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 27, 2026
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How 91AV原创 chroma bible went global
Originally published as a six-volume series in the 1930s, “A Dictionary of Color Combinations” has become a go-to for creatives in Japan and around the world.
The latest head of one of Japan&#039;s most acclaimed ceramicist families believes that to preserve traditional crafts, they must adapt in some ways to the present.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 12, 2026
Ohi Chozaemon XI: ‘We cannot make tradition the absolute rule’
The 11th head of the Ohi ware school of ceramics believes his craft can only survive if history is a set of guidelines, not laws.
Traditional Japanese needlework has exploded in popularity, but a book from a third-generation artisan aims to bring more context to the craft&#039;s newfound popularity.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 2, 2026
‘Sashiko’ needlework artisan says craft is about ‘the stories behind the stitching’
In a new book, a third-generation craftsman explores how the origins of his art are at risk of being lost in an upswell of popularity.
The Sui Collection, a Cabinet Office-backed showcase of traditional Japanese artisanship, is visually stunning, but what is lost in translation when the state is a partner in cultural communication?
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 28, 2026
What happens when Japan curates its aesthetic for the world?
The Sui Collection of traditional artistry demonstrates how Japan wants to be seen — both domestically and abroad.
Akinosuke Owada, a graduating student at Akan Ainu Craft Center Harikiki, poses next to one of his works at the school in Kushiro, Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 26, 2026
Ainu craft school aims to pass on culture to students
Students in the Hokkaido center’s inaugural class are set to graduate soon, after completing their training to acquire skills of the Indigenous ethnic group.
Sparks fly as swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki forges a katana blade with a mechanical hammer at his workshop in Misato, Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2026
‘Artists of steel’: Japanese swords forge new fanbase
Despite the rapidly shrinking population of blademakers in Japan, their fine steel swords known as katana are amassing a new generation of fans, particularly younger women.
The British Museum in London
CULTURE / Art
Feb 9, 2026
British Museum in London holds samurai exhibition
The exhibition, set to run until May 4, showcases some 280 items collected in and outside Britain, including those from the museum’s own collection.
X-iS staff work on a commissioned custom mosaic for a client in January in Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 2, 2026
Natural treasure: Tile company finds global audience with Gifu Prefecture clay
In lush Gifu Prefecture lays a distinct kind of buried treasure: clay, upon which tile manufacturer X-iS is building an internationally facing business.
Since all 22 kilns in Suzu were destroyed in the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, many of the local potters came together for a joint firing in the municipal kiln.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 1, 2026
Noto’s Suzu ware reemerges from the earthquake rubble
Two years after the 2024 earthquake and tsunami, Noto potters find purpose in carrying on their craft.
Toshiyuki Namigai (left) shows tatami sheets of varying thickness to a client, Swedish entrepreneur Anton Wormann, at Namigai's store in Tokyo in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 30, 2025
Amid uncertainty at home, tatami-makers find a new market: foreign buyers
Businesses focused on the traditional flooring material are evolving product offerings and marketing goods overseas, hoping to keep their craft alive.
In 2025, the 20 Questions column had 26 total interviews that offered insights into the professional, creative and personal backgrounds of people from various careers and walks of life.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 27, 2025
Finding a balance between tradition and innovation in 2025
With more than two dozen interviews throughout the year, our 20 Questions column highlighted diverse views on creativity, tradition and cultural hybridity.
Designtide Tokyo returns for a final weekend of a designer-run marketplace, including one student exhibitor chosen to join the main field of professionals.
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 20, 2025
Designtide Tokyo 2025 closes this weekend with a creator-led marketplace
After returning in 2025 following a 12-year break, the event finished with a chance for designers and buyers to meet face to face.
The Murakami Festival, held in the city of Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, has been added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list along with five other items from Japan.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2025
Six Japanese items added to UNESCO intangible heritage list
Four of the six new items will be registered under the category of “Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan.”

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Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN