GUIDES & STORIES
This archive brings together guides that explain how to choose Japanese-made products — such as “Japanese-made frying pans”, “domestic kitchen knives”, “baby tableware”, or plush toys — along with makers' stories and special features. Use it as a starting point when you want to carefully discover tools and daily essentials made in Japan.
Tochigi leather is a tannery, not a label — which is why it appears on Iron Heart and 3sixteen alike. What veg tanning does, and how to size a belt in cm. Read More
About 13 min read
Japanese lasts come in E to EEEE as standard, Goodyear welted, at half European prices. The catch is getting them — h... Read More
About 14 min read
English calls both "boar bristle". Japanese brushes separate soft pig bristle from stiff wild boar — and that decides... Read More
About 13 min read
Most bamboo matcha whisks are Chinese-made and bleached. Takayama bamboo is dried for two to three years. Which chase... Read More
About 14 min read
Your Alvarez Yairi was hand-built in Gifu. Yamaha's A.R.E. ages wood artificially, and Fujigen builds for brands you ... Read More
About 13 min read
Stella and Exist are the same reel in Japan and the US. The JDM advantage is lineup, not quality — and the US model h... Read More
About 13 min read
Japanese rice cookers run on 100V and a transformer costs more than the cooker. Buy the 120V version — Zojirushi's be... Read More
About 15 min read
Why people import Japanese sunscreen: the US approved its first new UV filter in 25 years only recently. Plus sake le... Read More
About 14 min read
Topre is not a mechanical switch, and that is not the point. HHKB vs Realforce, which layout to order, and why the mi... Read More
About 14 min read
Final, Audio-Technica, Fostex. What is worth buying at $50, $500 and $5,000 — plus the T50RP mod scene and why your 4... Read More
About 15 min read