Souvenir guide
231 traditional crafts worth bringing home
Each craft is officially recognised by Japan: made mainly by hand, with techniques and materials in use for at least 100 years, in one production area. Buy it in the town where it is made and you are buying the real thing.
Region
Type
231 crafts match
- Ceramics · FukuokaAgano Yaki上野焼Thin, elegant tea pottery from Fukuchi in Fukuoka, started in 1602 by a lord who learned tea from Sen no Rikyu himself.
- Ceramics · FukushimaAizu Hongo Yaki会津本郷焼Pottery and porcelain from Aizu Misato in Fukushima, Tohoku's oldest white porcelain and home of a humble herring dish that won a world expo prize.
- Lacquerware · FukushimaAizu Nuri会津塗Lacquerware from the Aizu region of Fukushima, with lucky designs and many decorative finishes, built into an industry by craftsmen from Omi.
- Brushes, ink and inkstones · YamaguchiAkama Suzuri赤間硯Richly carved inkstones from Shimonoseki and Ube in Yamaguchi, cut from dense Akama stone that grinds ink fast and smooth.
- Ceramics · AichiAkazu Yaki赤津焼Pottery from the Akazu hills of Seto in Aichi, made with seven traditional glazes and once the official kiln of the Owari Tokugawa lords.
- Wood and bamboo · AkitaAkita Sugi Oke Taru秋田杉桶樽Hooped tubs, barrels and mugs made from fine-grained Akita cedar, from rice tubs and sushi tubs to sake barrels and beer mugs.
- Ceramics · KumamotoAmakusa Toujiki天草陶磁器Pottery and porcelain from the Amakusa islands of Kumamoto, home of the pure porcelain stone that kilns all over Japan rely on.
- Dyed textiles · AichiArimatsu-Narumi Shibori有松・鳴海絞Japan's best-known cotton tie-dye, made with around 100 binding techniques in Arimatsu, an old Tokaido road town in Nagoya.
- Woven textiles · TokushimaAwa Shoai Shijira Ori阿波正藍しじら織A crinkled, indigo-dyed cotton from Tokushima, whose airy texture was discovered by accident when a wet cloth was left to dry in the sun.
- Washi paper · TokushimaAwa Washi阿波和紙Handmade paper from Tokushima, famous for its soft, strong sheets dyed with the region's natural indigo.
- Other crafts · HyogoBanshu Kebari播州毛鉤Fishing flies under 1 cm long, hand-tied in Hyogo from feathers, silk and gold leaf to look like insects and catch ayu sweetfish.
- Metalwork · HyogoBanshu Miki Uchihamono播州三木打刃物Forged saws, chisels, planes and knives from Miki in Hyogo, a town whose carpentry tools grew from rebuilding after a siege.
- Brushes, ink and inkstones · HyogoBanshu Soroban播州そろばんHand-built wooden abacuses from Ono and nearby towns in Hyogo, with fast-flicking beads and frames polished like fine woodwork.
- Wood and bamboo · OitaBeppu Take Zaiku別府竹細工Bamboo baskets and wares from Beppu in Oita, a craft that grew with hot-spring guests and now has more than 400 weave patterns.
- Ceramics · OkayamaBizen Yaki備前焼Unglazed, unpainted stoneware from Bizen in Okayama, fired for about two weeks so that flame and ash alone decorate every piece.
- Other crafts · ChibaBoshu Uchiwa房州うちわFlat fans from southern Chiba, where one finger-thick bamboo is split into 40-odd ribs that fan out into a half-moon lattice.
- Metalwork · ChibaChiba Koshogu千葉工匠具Hand-forged tools and scissors for craftsmen from across Chiba, a smithing tradition rooted in the iron sand of the Boso Peninsula.
- Woven textiles · OkinawaChibana Hanaori知花花織A raised flower weave from the Chibana area of Okinawa City, still worn by women dancing the usudeku ritual for good harvests and health.
- Woven textiles · SaitamaChichibu Meisen秩父銘仙A silk from the Chichibu hills of Saitama, known for its iridescent sheen and big floral patterns, printed on the warp with a technique patented in 1908.
- Metalwork · NiigataEchigo Sanjo Uchihamono越後三条打刃物Hand-forged kitchen knives, carpentry tools, sickles and pruning shears from Sanjo in Niigata, each shaped and tempered for its task.
- Metalwork · NiigataEchigo Yoita Uchihamono越後与板打刃物Hand-forged carpenters' planes, chisels and adzes from Yoita in Nagaoka, Niigata, made by craftsmen for craftsmen for over 400 years.
- Lacquerware · FukuiEchizen Shikki越前漆器Glossy lacquerware from Fukui, also called Kawada-nuri, said to date back to the 6th century and prized for its flawless finish.
- Wood and bamboo · FukuiEchizen Tansu越前箪笥Heavy chests from Fukui in zelkova or paulownia, joined without nails, lacquered and dressed in ornate hand-forged iron fittings.
- Metalwork · FukuiEchizen Uchihamono越前打刃物Hand-forged kitchen knives, sickles and hatchets from Echizen in Fukui, a 700-year tradition and Japan's first designated cutlery area.