Show your work
in Japan.
Japan is one of the most receptive markets in the world for British craft, design and art — and one of the hardest to enter cold. We have spent thirty years working between the two, and we open the doors from this side.
Why this exists
Japan does not answer
cold emails.
British makers who try to reach Japan directly usually get the same result: nothing. Not because the work is wrong — Japanese buyers are unusually receptive to British craft, tailoring, ceramics and print — but because the approach is wrong.
Japanese galleries, shops and agents operate almost entirely on introduction. An unsolicited email from an unknown foreign name, however good the work, has no context attached to it and is therefore very hard to act on. It is not rudeness; it is a different mechanism.
We have spent thirty years on the London side of that relationship, producing shows, exhibitions and market entry work for Japanese designers coming to Europe. That work built a network on the Japanese side — agents, shops, galleries, producers — and it runs in both directions.
Three ways in
What we actually do
Exhibit in Japan
Gallery introductions, group shows, pop-ups and department-store event spaces. Japanese department stores run an enormous programme of short exhibitions that most foreign makers never hear about, and they are frequently the most commercially productive route.
We handle the proposal, the introduction, the logistics and the on-the-ground running.
Place stock
Concept stores, craft shops, museum shops and select boutiques. Japan has a dense network of small, highly curated retailers with genuine buying power and a real appetite for imported craft.
We identify the right fit, make the approach, and translate the commercial conversation — including the parts that do not translate literally.
Find people
Agents, distributors, collaborators, and Japanese designers or artists to work with. Also the reverse: if you are a European buyer, gallerist or creative looking for Japanese work or partners, we introduce in that direction too.
Send a proposal and a portfolio through the enquiry form and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Calendar
The next twelve months
in Japan.
Which Japanese trade shows, fairs and design events actually accept foreign exhibitors — with dates, organisers, official links, how to apply and how far ahead you need to move.
The recurring mistake is timing. Japanese trade shows generally close applications four to five months out, and the good stand positions go long before that. Knowing the deadline is worth more than knowing the date.
The other direction
Looking for Japanese
work instead?
If you are a European select shop, gallery, buyer or brand looking to stock, exhibit or collaborate with Japanese designers, makers and artists — that is the same network read backwards, and we are glad to hear from you.
What is useful in an approach: the kind of work you are after, your price bracket, your existing roster or stock list, and what you are offering. What is not useful: "we are interested in Japanese products". Everyone is. Specificity gets answered.
The same applies if you are a creative freelancer — stylist, photographer, hair and make-up, film crew — wanting to be considered for production work in London, or a designer or influencer proposing a collaboration. Send a portfolio and a concrete proposal.
Get in touch
Start with the work.
Send a link and a sentence about what you want to happen. We reply within two working days and will tell you straight if we are not the right people.