About Us

Project Team

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About Us

Project Team

01.Concept
02.Definition of "Craft" and "Journey"
03.Project Team

To Preserve & Promote Japan's Craftsmaking Areas for the Future

We want to show you the authenticity of the people, and natural habitat in each craft-production area.
We will take you to the workshops to see the daily lives of the craftspeople, who carry on traditional practices as well as introducing new innovations. We will also show you the natural environment that continues to inspire their creations. We will continue to discover and promote the charm of the regions. Sharing with you the rich history, skill and beauty of craftsmaking, and inspiring a new generation to help ensure the future of Japan’s craftsmaking regions.

LOCAL CRAFT JAPAN is a project team run by “Mitemo Co., Ltd.”, which supports the development of products and sales channels for traditional crafts throughout Japan, and “TRUNK DESIGN Inc.”, which promotes traditional crafts throughout Japan. We put together the itineraries for journeys, showcasing craft-tourism that allows people to experience the beautiful crafts of Japan, the areas where they are made, and the local way of life.

For the traveler, we want to offer a rich experience, a moment to savor, connecting the past with the future through engaging with craftsmaking and craftspeople. For the craftsmaking areas, we want to help local crafts-manufacturers to pass on the richness of craftsmaking to help ensure a thriving future. By spending time engaging with each other, we will discover a new Japan and create new friendships.

Message from the Representative Director

Tetsuya Sawada
Message 01.
“We want to share our passion for Japanese craftsmaking with the people of the world so that they too can share in its richness and help preserve it for the future.”
Tetsuya Sawada(Director of Insource Co., Ltd. / Representative Director of Mitemo Co., Ltd.)

In traditional crafts making areas, where technology, culture, philosophy, and identity have been handed down over a long time, there are people who are taking up the challenge of creating products that are appropriate for the present age and welcome in the future. We want to share the enthusiasm of these people who are passing on the baton from the past to the future, and the richness of each day's work in making things with people all over the world who are living in the present age and pass them on together to the future. This is why we started LOCAL CRAFT JAPAN. We hope that you will take the time to enjoy this journey of deep, intellectually curious crafts and their makers.

堀内 康広
Message 02.
“We want to provide time to think about the joy of making things and the future of craftsmanship through a moving and inspirational visit to a craft workshop.”
Yasuhiro Horiuchi(TRUNK DESIGN Inc. Representative & Creative Director/Designer)

As we traveled around Japan and worked with craftspeople, we realized that we were the ones who were most moved by their work. How do we convey this emotion? We want to share an atmosphere that cannot be delivered/conveyed through images or websites.Through LOCAL CRAFT JAPAN, we want people to experience the joy of making things and the culture that engenders the creation of the crafts by spending time with the makers. Throughout these journeys, we hope to forge a connection for you with the local people, to help you enjoy the region to the fullest, and that it will be a welcoming home for you when you return one day.
We hope that this will be a time for you to see and feel for yourself the Japanese craftsmanship that has been handed down over time and to think together about the future of craft.

We are looking for people to connect travelers and manufacturing regions together.