Japanese Daily Craftwork Are Difficult to Find Abroad
Despite globalisation and the information age making it easier than ever to access information and products from anywhere in the world, Japan still has many excellent products and materials with rich stories that remain largely unknown overseas.
Japan has a unique cultural environment where handcrafted items—daily craftwork—are still used in everyday life. This is rare among developed countries because these items are usually produced and distributed within personal networks between the makers and the customers, as such they are harder to discover from abroad compared to mass-produced industrial goods.
At Simply Native, we highlight these hidden gems and introduce them to our customers through our store and business meetings, as well as by developing original products. Here are a few examples:
A Sense of History, Climate, and Thoughtfulness
One of our most popular items—and one I personally feel strongly about—is matcha from Yanagi Sōen, a Kyoto-based tea shop founded in 1875. They supply matcha to the three major tea schools of Japan (the San-Senke). Even today, they continue to grind their tea in a stone mill at the back of the shop and sell it by weight, just as they did when they first opened. With strict temperature control, they offer fresh, delicious matcha at any time.
Moreover, when choosing a product, the staff provide thoughtful explanations and may even serve you tea with a warm gesture, “Would you like to try?”. This heartfelt hospitality makes it clear why Yanagi Sōen has no website and only sells through their own shop and Kyoto department stores.
When we asked about handling their matcha at Simply Native, they replied that while they can’t produce in large quantities, they would be happy to build a small and long-term relationship. That was exactly what we were hoping for, and I remember how delighted we were. When we opened our Surry Hills store, they even created bilingual product signs in Japanese and English and shipped them along with their goods.
When we share the history of Yanagi Sōen and our relationship with them, our customers often remark with admiration, “That kind of longevity is what you’d expect from a Kyoto establishment,”.
Outside the Yanagi Sōen Shop
Another Kyoto-based product we carry is incense from Kunjudo, an esteemed incense maker founded in 1594. For over 430 years, they have passed down traditional blending techniques using only natural ingredients.
What is impressive to everyone is how their scents are inspired by specific places and seasons. For instance, they have incense named “Cherry Blossoms of Daigo” and “Otowa Waterfall.” From the moment you open the package, to when the incense is lit, and even in the lingering fragrance afterwards, you experience a multilayered sensory journey. These products reflect the traditional Japanese relationship with nature—finding beauty in natural elements like cherry blossoms and waterfalls through scent.
Branding That Sparks Curiosity
We also develop original products by rebranding Japanese items to suit international preferences. We carefully select fragrances, colours, and flavours that resonate with Australians, and put effort into creating simple yet inspiring names.
One example is our 'Native Tea Collection', a series of traditional Japanese teas tailored for international audiences. For instance, in tea ceremony, amacha (sweet hydrangea tea) is traditionally served during Buddhist ceremonies in April, the month of Buddha’s birth. We thus named it “Buddha Tea” in our store.
Another example is 'Inabishi Tea', made from the seeds of hishi (trapa), a native water plant from Lake Inawashiro in Fukushima Prefecture. The plant is believed to be the origin of makibishi, spiked caltrops used by ninjas, so we market this tea as “Ninja Tea.”
Ninja Tea
Just like with the tea, our original sweets have also gained popularity. From Kyoto’s Tsuboneya, a wagashi (traditional confectionery) maker, we commissioned wasanbon dry sweets molded in the shapes of native Australian flora and fauna. The molds were specially crafted by a traditional mold artisan over the course of a year.
Wasanbon Shaped Like Australian Native Banksia
For our store’s first anniversary, we collaborated with a long-established candy maker in Nagoya to develop 'Kumi Ame', a decorative hard candy featuring iconic Australian motifs—our way of expressing gratitude to Australia.
Kumi Ame
We hope to continue actively developing such original products that bridge the cultures of our two countries.
The Right Balance of a Handcrafted Life
Our customers at Simply Native resonate deeply with the idea of cherishing handcrafted daily goods for a long time. Yet, we’re mindful to imbue the maker's sense of dedication and effort in creating such items to our customers, and to emphasis the importance of caring for these handcrafted goods. For example, while Japanese knives are admired for their beauty, most of our customers prefer stainless steel versions that don’t require regular maintenance. They may want authentic tools but hesitate at the upkeep needed to prevent rust or to sharpen blades.
In terms of ceramics, many people are pleased to hear when a piece is dishwasher-safe. In Australia, such carefully selected tableware is often used for large home parties, and hand-washing everything can feel burdensome. Balancing such concerns—finding products that are both refined and reasonably low-maintenance—is a nuanced and challenging task. But as a connector between makers and users, we see it as one of our most important roles.
Text & Edit by Yu Ikeo
Translation by Natasha Bray