There's a very new shopping place in Tokyo called 2k540 AKI-OKA ARTISAN near Akihabara, where they only sell regional Japanese artisan goods. It's a complex of 40-50 stores. The products are all manufactured by traditional artisan families (shokunin) that have been making the same product for 100 years or maybe more.
I picked up a few textiles, kitchenware, and small plates that were genuine and beautiful.
My favorite shops were:
- Nippon Hyakkaten (closest to Akihabara) where they sell small items like plates, textiles, and sake;
- Hacoa where they sell keyboards and ipod covers made of very light wood, and leather looking bags that are made of incredibly strong paper;
- Takumi no Hako where I picked up some kitchenware made of bamboo.
Don't forget to pick up a very nice cup of coffee that will be roasted just for you, at Yanaka Coffee Shop after walking around...
I really like that these craftsman families are aware that they cannot just sell the same traditional product, and that they have to constantly create something new to the likings of the modern consumers. I really hope this place (it seems, developed by Japan Railway itself) can revive these extremely disciplined and innovative artisan families.
Photo credit: 2k540 AKI-OKA ARTISAN
No comments:
Post a Comment