The birthplace of Japanese denim has nearly 40 specialist shops to browse and gain an insight into the history and craftsmanship behind the world’s best jeans
In a country where craftsmanship is so highly prized, it’s no surprise to learn that even a product as universal as jeans has been raised to an art form. Thanks to traditional production methods that create high-quality, long-lasting jeans, Japanese denim has iconic status among “connoisseur denim heads”, who are prepared to pay £250 or more for a pair.
Major Japanese brands, such as Momotoro, Pure Blue Japan and Studio d’Artisan, all have stores in the big cities, but arguably the best – and certainly the most interesting – place to buy jeans in Japan is hundreds of kilometres away from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, in a sleepy coastal district on the southern coast of Honshu, the biggest of the four main islands.
