Last week's business trip to Shinshu.
If you look at the souvenir shops in the Kiso region, which is famous for its wooden products,
In particular, mainly small items, wooden products made in China and products "designed in Japan and manufactured overseas" are lined up.
There are various shops and products that are properly described, and others that are selling well mixed with Japanese products.
And this is not limited to Kiso, Shinshu, but there are similar scenes in any production area or shop.
Of course, if you make everything in Japan, it will cost more, and you need to be prepared to tell the story of the product.
It takes time and effort, and it may not be easy as a business.
Especially when dealing with tourists, it may be more profitable to end up selling overseas products that are reasonably priced and look like them.
I have no intention of pursuing this.
It's not good or bad, there's a demand for both, and I think it's a difference between types.
(I think it's bad if there are customers who think it's made in Japan and buy it.)
I don't think it's right to expect the customer to judge it with a discerning eye.
The reason why craftsmanship, which is done with really careful techniques, is disappearing like this
I feel very sad.
Such manufacturing and conveying the goodness of things,
Working with craftsmen to create products that are easy to incorporate into our daily lives,
Delivering tools and things to those who like them beyond the framework of crafts and souvenirs,
Little by little, I'm doing these things with Pint!
Needless to say, all Pint! products are made by Japanese craftsmen.
We only deal with things that you can see everything from raw materials to makers.
Along the way, there was a small shop with the same idea, and I had a very lively conversation with the owner, and I was able to hear a lot of stories.
I was looking for a craftsman to make small wooden items, and I feel like I'm a little closer to realizing it.
This is also a Japanese zelkova tea caddy made by craftsmen from Shinshu. Great precision and beauty.
Product introduction page → Wooden tea caddy (small) turned on a potter's wheel
Middle ground
