Traditional Japanese crafts are becoming increasingly popular among tourists.
Their delicate craftsmanship and colors are attracting many foreign visitors to a specialty store at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Craft producers and others are also making efforts to develop new sales channels and lure overseas customers by showcasing their artisanship passed on through generations.
The popularity of such crafts is also being boosted by the weak yen. Japan Mastery Collection, a specialty shop that opened at Haneda's Terminal 3 last December, has seen a number of tourists stopping by and admiring its wide array of items.
Among the products, Sanuki Kagari Temari, a traditional hand ball from Kagawa Prefecture with woven patterns made using colorful thread, is particularly eye-catching. Also in high demand are Tsugaru Vidro colorful glassworks from Aomori Prefecture, and Kutaniyaki traditional porcelain and ochoko sake cups decorated with gold leaf from Ishikawa Prefecture.
According to Japan Airport Terminal Co., the number of tourists who flew to and from Haneda on international flights in fiscal 2023, which ended in March this year, soared 3.4 times from the previous year to 10.37 million. Foreign visitors account for 95% of shoppers at JMC.
Yoshie Nakamura of Haneda Future Research Institute, the operator of JMC, said, "There are many attractive craftworks across Japan, but some have been left piled up in closets" because not many places to sell them were found. "We want to help craftspeople even if only slightly," she said.
With the rising popularity of Sanuki Kagari Temari, an official in charge of developing sales channels at the Kagawa prefectural government said, "We hope that foreign nationals who get to know Kagawa and its capital, Takamatsu, through our local craftworks will visit the prefecture and the city."