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What we do
Introductions,
and everything after.
An introduction on its own is worth very little. What makes the difference is what happens next: the proposal in the right register, the images that meet Japanese expectations, the shipping and customs, the person standing in the room on the day. We do all of it.
For British and European makers
Five things we do in Japan
Gallery and exhibition introductions
Identifying galleries whose existing roster your work sits alongside, preparing the approach in Japanese, and negotiating terms. Japanese galleries typically want to see a coherent body of work rather than range, and they read a CV closely.
We also arrange group shows, where the cost and risk are shared and the barrier to a first Japanese exhibition is far lower.
Department store exhibitions
The route most foreign makers never find. Major Japanese department stores run continuous programmes of one- and two-week exhibitions on dedicated gallery floors. They are commercially serious, extremely well attended, and almost never advertised in English.
For craft, ceramics, jewellery and homeware this is frequently the highest-return option in Japan. Scheduling runs six to twelve months ahead.
Stockist placement
Concept stores, craft shops, museum shops and select boutiques. Japan has an unusually dense network of small, sharply curated retailers with real buying power and genuine appetite for imported craft.
We identify the fit, make the approach, and handle the commercial conversation — wholesale terms, consignment, minimum orders, lead times and the parts of a negotiation that do not translate literally.
Trade shows
Application, stand design, shipping, customs, interpretation on the day and follow-up afterwards. Japanese trade shows with foreign exhibitor programmes are the most structured route in, and the most predictable in cost.
See the Japan calendar for what is coming and when applications close.
Material that works in Japan
Most failed approaches fail on the documents rather than the work. Japanese buyers expect a specific standard: professional photography on clean backgrounds, a concise statement, a full CV, a price list in yen, clear lead times, and packaging that signals care.
We prepare that set with you before anything is sent.
Logistics
Shipping, customs, ATA Carnet for work that returns, insurance, and the choice between temporary and permanent import — which changes the duty position entirely and must be decided before anything is booked.
Also crating, installation and de-install on the ground in Japan.
For buyers, galleries and creatives
Looking for Japanese work
or Japanese partners?
The network runs both ways. If you are a European select shop, gallery, buyer, brand or creative looking to stock, exhibit or collaborate with Japanese designers, makers and artists, send a proposal.
What makes an approach work
- The specific kind of work you want. "Japanese ceramics" is not a brief. "Wood-fired stoneware, functional, £80–£250 retail" is.
- Your price bracket and terms. Wholesale or consignment, minimum order, payment terms.
- Your existing roster or stock list. This tells us instantly whether a given maker fits.
- What you are offering. Exposure is not an offer. Shelf space, a show slot, a budget or an audience is.
The same applies to freelance crew — stylists, photographers, hair and make-up artists, film crew — wanting to be considered for production work in London, and to designers or influencers proposing collaborations. Send a portfolio and a concrete proposal rather than an introduction.
How it runs
Four stages.
Look at the work
Send links. We tell you honestly whether there is a route, and which one. No charge and no obligation.
Prepare the material
Images, statement, CV, price list in yen. This is where most approaches are won or lost.
Make the approach
The introduction, in Japanese, in the right register, to the right person. Then the negotiation.
Deliver it
Shipping, customs, installation, interpretation on the day, and the follow-up that turns a first show into a second.
Questions people ask
Short, direct answers to the questions this reliably raises.
How do British makers usually get into the Japanese market?
Almost never by direct approach. Japanese galleries, shops and agents work on introduction, so an unsolicited email from an unknown foreign name has no context attached and is very hard to act on. The realistic routes are a Japanese trade show with a foreign exhibitor programme, a department store exhibition slot, or an introduction through someone already inside the network.
What sells well in Japan from the UK?
Categories where British provenance carries meaning: tailoring and cloth, ceramics and studio pottery, silversmithing and jewellery, printmaking, leather, and heritage manufacturing with a visible story. Japanese buyers reward evident craft process and documented provenance more consistently than most Western markets, and will pay for it.
Do I need to speak Japanese?
No. All correspondence with us is in English and we handle the Japanese side. What you do need is material that survives translation: professional images, a clear one-page statement, a price list in yen, and realistic lead times. Vague material fails in Japan faster than anywhere else.
What are Japanese department store exhibitions?
Major Japanese department stores run continuous programmes of short exhibitions and pop-ups in dedicated gallery and event floors, typically running one to two weeks. They are commercially serious, well attended, and largely invisible to foreign makers because they are not advertised in English. For craft and design they are frequently the most productive route into Japan.
How long does it take to get something happening in Japan?
Plan on six to twelve months from first conversation to an actual exhibition or stocking arrangement. Trade show applications close four to five months ahead, department store programmes are scheduled six to twelve months ahead, and gallery cycles are often booked a year out. The single most common failure is approaching too late.