Our brand name, “Unfamiliar Japan” comes from the title of a work by Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn) entitled, “Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan.” A Greek-born British author, after coming to Japan in the late Meiji Period (1890), he became fascinated with Japanese culture, art, and tradition, writing many books introducing Japan to the West. He wrote from the perspective of the outsider, as Lafcadio Hearn, on Japanese culture and customs.
After settling in Japan, Yakumo was moved by its unique sights and phenomena, writing on any that caught his fancy. With a fondness for the vestiges of a Japan that was quickly disappearing in a time of Westernization, he explored the nature of the Japanese character.
Japan has a long and venerable tradition of craftsmanship, producing many well-known products. Among them, one-of-a-kind hand-made items found nowhere else in the world. However, with a shrinking domestic market, many traditional crafts are in danger of disappearing. Sadly, even to people in Japan, they have become “unfamiliar.”
And so, we follow in the footsteps of Hearn/Yakumo, discovering and introducing rare gems that modern Japanese often overlook even though they are right in front of them. From the perspective of Yakumo, who loved the uniqueness of Japan as distinct from the West, we also value what remains, products still made in Japan to this day with great care and attention to even the smallest unseen details, hoping to popularize them overseas and create a new trend for the Japan of tomorrow.
Our aim is not simply to sell Japanese products overseas because they are old or unusual. Rather we aim to supply authentic items of excellence to those with a true aesthetic sense. In part, we aim to develop entirely new “Made in Japan” products through collaboration with artisans and contemporary artists; a fusion of sophisticated and detail-focused craftsmanship cultivated over many years and the visions of artists with an intimate awareness of the current mode. We will create truly one-of-a-kind items, developing and introducing all new masterpieces of “Unfamiliar Japan.”