Toyama, a coastal city on Japan’s main island, Honshu, is a beautiful and appealing place that is both quaint, but also contemporary. A destination that embraces the past, but also the future combining historic traditions and modern craftsmanship in harmony. A plethora of places here take great care in maintaining their expertise in craft, meticulously holding on to their traditions while harnessing a futuristic mindset. In Toyama, you are sure to find hidden gems just around the corner.
Text by Adrian Bianco
After working as a senior digital creative and editor-in-chief for VICE Media Germany, he became independent. As a social media editor, photographer and director, he has worked for a wide range of fashion brands and cultural media in Europe, US and Japan. Major clients: VICE, VOGUE, New Balance, NIKE, adidas, ANA, OCVB, Nagasaki Mastercard and many more.
Shimoo Design
Tucked away in the mountains of Toyama hides a wonderful, bespoke workshop that transcends the sense of age and fashion; a studio which pulls together the organic essence of Toyama with the contemporary aspect of the city. Shimoo Design, run by a husband and wife team, Kazuhiko and Saori Shimoo, is a pillar of thoughtful design paired with an emotionally driven ethos. Experts in wooden furniture and accessory design, Shimoo sets unprecedented standards when it comes to its highly crafted selection of wooden creations, ranging from chairs to benches all the way through to wooden tableware.
Using materials from Toyama, Shimoo Design is luxurious as it is elegant. With nature as a backdrop, the studio opens up a world of modern craftsmanship deeply rooted in the outdoors. With a focus on creating an emotional value as much as a functional value in their creations, Shimoo aims for their customers to connect with their products. Pursuing the ‘Beauty of Japan’, the owners take care to always provide an authentic and rich experience in every moment through their craft.
NOTE
It is not a tourist attraction, so if you would like to visit, please inquire through wondertrunk&co.
Established in 1946, Sakurai Casting is deeply rooted in its craft, and its expertise has been moulded throughout 75 years of dedication and meticulous attention to detail. A factory which produces highly elegant and high-quality lead-free brass castings such as whiskey glasses, cups, and mugs, their creations go through a journey of incredibly rustic and high-temperature conditions to birth beautiful and luxurious outcomes.
Sakurai Casting has a complimentary blend of old style that meets future-facing innovation: nostalgic yet undiscovered, historic yet progressive. Real people with a true passion for their craft. Each day at Sakurai is another pursuit for perfection and through the many years of work their skills have been passed on down the line to always stay true to their origin yet continue to reinvent themselves for the contemporary-led world.
NOTE
It is not a tourist attraction, so if you would like to visit, please inquire through wondertrunk&co.
Delicate, graceful, and elegant, silk has been used for thousands of years to allow beautiful creations to come to life. Bridging the gap between natural resources and human craftsmanship, silk allows us a window into nature through the joint efforts of man and creature. Matsui Kigyo Silk Weaving, a silk weaving company established in 1877, has passed down their knowledge and expertise on luxurious silk production for 6 generations, and now offers unparalleled products of beauty.
Based in Toyama, Matsui Kigyo Silk Weaving is not just your average silk production company. Harnessing the true beauty of nature, the collective of modern craftsmen utilise old machines with innovative mindsets to produce an array of stunning silk creations. Consistently selling traditional Johana silk and shike silk paper, which is a combination of shike silk and Japanese paper, Matsui thrives for perfection and absolute luxury whilst also retaining its original ethos. From scarves to Japanese sliding doors, their creations are the epitome of delicate beauty.
*Shimatani Syouryu Koubou is a workshop in Takaoka City that produces new tin products that are thin like paper and can be bent freely and singing bowls.
