This store is sponsored by the government to sell handcrafted stuff from all over Japan, at the same price you’d pay if you went to the artisan’s studio. It’s like getting a primo shopping tour of the country without leaving Tokyo! Even if you’re not in the market for a gorgeous memento of your trip, think of a visit to the Japan Traditional Craft Center as a crash course in the arts of Japan. Only artists who use the time-honored traditional methods and materials are invited to sell their wares here, and every prefecture in Japan is famous for something that has been perfected by local artisans for centuries. Like…
ceramics unique to that one small area in Gifu…
Kokeshi dolls…
the intricate woodwork particular to Hakone…
exquisite baskets…
lacquerware you can’t find outside Japan…
traditional wind chimes…
amazing dolls…
lucky cats and Daruma figures…
lacquer-printed deer-leather wallets…
and so much more.
In order to be sold at the Japan Traditional Craft Center, an item must meet strict criteria:
• It must mainly be used in everyday life.
• It must be primarily manufactured by hand.
• It must be made using traditional techniques.
• The materials must be the ones that have been traditionally used.
• It must come from a unique regional industry.
Handmade goods are never cheap, but for items of this quality, the ones at the Japan Traditional Craft Center are a real bargain. And because there’s such a wide range of goods, you can find everything from stationery and brushes that cost a few hundred yen to thousand dollar fishing poles.
Open: 11:00-19:00, closed Sundays
•
If you enjoyed this, subscribe!
Get all the latest Japan travel tips and tricks for free ヽ(*＾ω＾*)ﾉ
And here are the other places I take my friends when they come to town
•
Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 