Satsuma Suzuki Tin Tumbler by Iwakiri Bikodo: Where to Buy Kagoshima Pure-Tin Cups [2026]
Hand-finished pure-tin tumblers from Kagoshima's Satsuma Suzuki tradition. Tin's high conductivity chills beer and highballs fast and is…
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Articles
Editorial features on Japan's regional crafts — the makers, the materials, and the places each piece comes from.
Mooka Cotton Tenugui: Edo’s Finest Hand Towel Cloth from Tochigi [2026]
Mooka Momen was Edo's most prized cotton, famed for its whiteness, softness, and durability. This Tochigi tenugui revives…
Yokohama Silk Scarf: Where to Buy Hand-Printed Nassen Silk [2026]
Born from the silk-export port that opened Japan in 1859, the Yokohama scarf is hand-screen nassen printing on…
Sanuki Kagari Temari: Kagawa Hand-Stitched Thread Ball, Where to Buy [2026]
Sanuki Kagari Temari are decorative thread balls hand-embroidered in Kagawa with plant-dyed cotton, geometric pattern by pattern. A…
Nikko-bori Carved Lacquer Hand Mirror: Tochigi Peony Te-kagami, Where to Buy [2026]
Born from the master carvers who built Nikko Toshogu, Nikko-bori lacquerware uses the signature hikkaki gouge to raise…
Nagasaki Poppen Glass (Bidoro): Where to Buy Japan’s Singing Glass [2026]
Nagasaki bidoro began at Dejima, the port where glassmaking first entered Japan. The poppen, a paper-thin blown glass…
Tsugaru Kanayama-yaki Yakishime Beer Cup: Where to Buy [2026]
Unglazed wood-fired stoneware from Goshogawara, Aomori. The rough yakishime surface of this Tsugaru Kanayama-yaki cup breaks beer into…
Shinshu Uchihamono Nata: Hand-Forged Japanese Hatchet Guide [2026]
Forged in Nagano's Shinshu blade district, the single-bevel nata is a laminated carbon-steel hatchet built for splitting kindling,…
Okuaizu Yamabudo Basket Bag: Fukushima Wild Grapevine Craft [2026]
Woven from wild grapevine bark in the snowbound mountain villages of Okuaizu, this Mishima yamabudo basket bag is…
Kyo Sashimono Paulownia Wood Box: Where to Buy Kyoto Joinery [2026]
Kyo Sashimono is Kyoto's nail-free joinery, refined over centuries by the imperial court and the tea ceremony. This…
Yakumo Nuri Lacquer Chataku Tea Saucer Set: Matsue’s Living Lacquer [2026]
Yakumo Nuri from Matsue layers translucent lacquer over painted motifs so the colors deepen and surface with years…
Tobe-Yaki Baizan-Gama Indigo Porcelain Rice Bowl: Where to Buy [2026]
Born in Ehime's Ozu domain in 1777, Tobe-yaki is thick white porcelain hand-painted in cobalt blue. Baizan-gama's karakusa…
Naruko Shikki Ryusen-nuri Lacquer Cup: Miyagi Wood-Grain Ware [2026]
Naruko Shikki Ryusen-nuri lacquer cups carry the marbled wood-grain finish of Miyagi's hot-spring woodturners. Here is what the…
Kamo Kiri Paulownia Rice Container: Echigo Woodwork Storage Box [2026]
From Kamo in Niigata, where artisans make roughly 70% of Japan's paulownia chests, comes a kiri-wood rice bin.…
Shigaraki-yaki Tanuki Okimono: Where to Buy the Lucky Raccoon Dog Figurine [2026]
From one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns, the Shigaraki tanuki is a hand-built ceramic raccoon dog placed at…
Kiyomizu-yaki Kyusu Teapot — Where to Buy This Kyoto Sencha Pot [2026]
A hand-painted Kiyomizu-yaki side-handle kyusu from Kyoto's Gojozaka kiln district, built for brewing sencha and gyokuro. Here is…
Hamamatsu Chusen Tenugui: Enshu Cotton Hand-Dyed Cloth Guide [2026]
One of Japan's three great chusen dyeing towns, Hamamatsu pours dye through stencils to color Enshu cotton on…
Tulip Hiroshima Sashiko Needles: Japan’s Heritage Needle Craft [2026]
Tulip's Hiroshima-made sashiko needles draw on Edo-era needle craft from Japan's needle capital: precision-polished high-carbon steel for clean,…
Tosa Uchihamono Hand-Forged Nata Hatchet: Free-Forged Kochi Blade Guide [2026]
A double-bevel kurouchi nata hatchet free-forged by Tosa smiths in Kochi, where 400 years of jiyu-tanzo blacksmithing meets…
Tanegashima Hand-Forged Nigiri Scissors: Japanese U-Shaped Blades Where to Buy [2026]
Forged on the island where Japan's first matchlock guns were made in 1543, Tanegashima nigiri-basami carry 480 years…
Iwayado Tansu: Iwate Iron-Hardware Zelkova Chest, Where to Buy [2026]
Iwayado Tansu pairs honey-toned zelkova and lacquer with hand-forged iron hardware, a chest-making craft born in the Oshu…
Ryukyu Lacquerware Tsuikin Bowl: Okinawa’s Vermilion Craft, Where to Buy [2026]
Ryukyu shikki is Okinawa's royal lacquerware, born of Ryukyu Kingdom trade. This tsuikin bowl layers colored lacquer dough…
Aizu-Nuri Maki-e Jubako Lacquer Stacking Box: Where to Buy [2026]
A two-tier Aizu lacquer jubako finished with auspicious pine-bamboo-plum maki-e, the New Year food box from a craft…
Tokyo Ginki Hammered Silver Sake Cup: Edo Silversmith Craft Guide [2026]
Tokyo Ginki is Edo's designated silverware craft, born from the shogunate's silversmiths who once worked near the old…
Kyo Shikki Makie Lacquer Jubako Stacking Box: Where to Buy [2026]
Kyoto's Kyo-shikki lacquer, refined in the old imperial capital, reaches its peak in maki-e gold-painted jubako stacking boxes…
Etchu Seto-yaki Guinomi: Toyama’s Oldest Pottery Sake Cup [2026]
Fired in the Tateyama foothills since the late 16th century, Etchu Seto-yaki is Toyama's oldest ceramic tradition. This…
Aizu E-rosoku Painted Candles: Where to Buy Aizu’s Floral Wax Art [2026]
Aizu E-rosoku are hand-painted Japanese candles from snowbound Fukushima, where artisans paint camellias and peonies onto pure-vegetable haze…
Yamagata Imono Cast Iron Trivet: Heian-Era Nabeshiki Casting [2026]
Yamagata Imono is one of Japan's two great cast-iron traditions, born of Heian-era war and prized for paper-thin…
Shodai-yaki Uchikake Glaze Yunomi: Kumamoto’s Hosokawa-Domain Tea Cup [2026]
Shodai-yaki is one of Kyushu's oldest folk kilns, founded around 1632 under Kumamoto's Hosokawa lords. This yunomi shows…
Nousaku Takaoka Tin KAGO Bendable Basket: Where to Buy [2026]
A 100% tin basket from Takaoka, Japan's foremost metal-casting town, that bends by hand into a bowl, tray,…
Tsubame-Sanjo Stainless Coffee Spoon Set: Hand-Polished Niigata Flatware [2026]
Mirror-polished 18-8 stainless coffee and dessert spoons from Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata's metalworking heartland. The hand-finished migaki sheen that supplies…
Nousaku Tin KAGO Bendable Basket — Takaoka Metalwork Guide [2026]
A 100% pure-tin basket from Takaoka you bend by hand into any shape—Nousaku turned famously soft tin into…
Nanbu Tekki Cast Iron Wind Chime: Iwachu Iwate Furin Guide [2026]
Nanbu Tekki iron casts more than kettles: its furin wind chime rings with a clear, lingering tone straight…
Mashiko-yaki Teapot (Kyusu): Where to Buy This Mingei Pottery [2026]
A thick, earthy Mashiko-yaki kyusu glazed in kaki iron or nuka ash — the mingei teapot Hamada Shoji's…
Nara Shikki Raden Lacquer Tray: Mother-of-Pearl Yamato Lacquerware, Where to Buy [2026]
Nara Shikki revives the raden mother-of-pearl inlay technique preserved in Todaiji's Shosoin treasures. This hand-lacquered tray sets shimmering…
Hida Ichii Ittobori Yew Wood Okimono Carving: Where to Buy [2026]
Hand-carved from Japanese yew (ichii) in Takayama, this Hida Ittobori okimono needs no paint — the wood's natural…
Kaga Mizuhiki Knot Ornament: Where to Buy Kanazawa’s Paper Cord Art [2026]
Kaga Mizuhiki turns twisted washi cords into sculptural three-dimensional knots, a Kanazawa gift-culture craft refined under the Maeda…
Imari Nabeshima Iro-Nabeshima Porcelain Plate: The Shogun’s Secret-Kiln Ware, Where to Buy [2026]
Iro-Nabeshima was the porcelain the Nabeshima clan made only as gifts for the shogun, fired behind guarded gates…
Ryukyu Bingata Coaster Set: Okinawa’s Royal Stencil-Dyed Textile, Where to Buy [2026]
Bingata is the vivid paste-resist stencil dyeing once reserved for Ryukyu royalty. This coaster set brings Okinawa's tropical…
Odawara Chochin: Collapsible Washi Paper Lantern from Kanagawa [2026]
A hand-pasted washi-and-bamboo lantern that folds flat, the Odawara chochin once lit Edo travelers crossing the Hakone checkpoint…