Hello.

This is Tomotake Ichikawa.

With the summer heat settling in day after day, it truly feels as though the season has arrived.
I hope you have been keeping well.

In this journal, I would like to introduce our Basketry Exhibition & Sale in Nara,
which will be held this September.

In preparation for this September’s event,
I recently visited OKUNO to meet with the team and see the venue in person.

OKUNO is an event space conveniently located just a three-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station.
It will be the venue for our Basketry Exhibition & Sale, where we look forward to welcoming you this September.

Tucked away at the end of one of Nara’s traditional narrow streets, you will find OKUNO.

The original roof and wooden fittings have been carefully preserved,
while the mortar floor, reminiscent of a traditional earthen floor, creates a calm and welcoming atmosphere.

Looking back, it was in September 2014 that we, the fifth generation, took over the shop from the previous generation.
It is hard to believe that nearly twelve years have passed since then.

Over those years, we have had the pleasure of welcoming so many visitors to our shop in Minami-Senju, Tokyo.
They have come not only from across Japan, but increasingly from overseas as well, making a special journey to visit us.

We have also had opportunities to take part in events in Tokyo and Yokohama.
Whether in person at those events or through messages we received afterward, there was one request we heard time and again:

“We hope you’ll hold an event in the Kansai region someday.”

It was a request we heard time and again.

It was something we had hoped to make happen ourselves as well.
But for one reason or another, the timing never seemed quite right.

When speaking with customers who had travelled from the Kansai region,
we often heard that there were very few opportunities to see and choose baskets and bamboo ware in person.

We do our very best to introduce each item carefully through our online shop.
Even so, there are some qualities—such as the texture, weight, and sense of scale—
that can only truly be appreciated by holding the piece in your hands.

We had long hoped to create an opportunity where people in the Kansai region could experience our collection in person.

Then, we received a kind invitation from OKUNO in Nara.
Thanks to that opportunity, we will be holding our Basketry Exhibition & Sale for five days,
from Saturday, September 19 to Wednesday, September 23, during Japan’s Silver Week holidays.

It was especially meaningful because the invitation came from people with whom we have shared a connection for many years.
That connection is what made this event possible.

During the five-day exhibition, we plan to bring a selection of the baskets, trays,
and other handcrafted pieces that we usually present at our shop in Minami-Senju, Tokyo,
including works by makers from across Japan and around the world.

We hope this will be an opportunity for those in the Kansai region,
who may not have had the chance to visit our shop in Tokyo, to experience our collection in person.
We would be delighted if you could discover qualities that are difficult to convey through photographs alone—
the texture of the natural materials, their weight, and even their subtle scent.

We are very much looking forward to holding our first exhibition and sale in the Kansai region,
here in the beautiful city of Nara.

OKUNO is conveniently located just a three-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station,
with Nara Park and Kofuku-ji Temple also within walking distance.
If you happen to be visiting Nara this autumn, we would be delighted if you stopped by.

▽▼▽▼▽

1basketry | Basketry Exhibition & Sale in Nara

Five days to experience and explore baskets made from natural materials in person.

Dates: Saturday, September 19 – Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (5 days)
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Venue

OKUNO
45-2 Takamacho, Nara 630-8241, Japan
Approx. 3-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station / Approx. 10-minute walk from JR Nara Station

Tel: +81-742-93-6607
(Tuesday–Saturday, 12:00 PM–5:00 PM. Calls are answered by arica.)

* Please note that parking is not available. Kindly use nearby paid parking facilities.
* The lane leading to OKUNO is very narrow, and vehicles cannot enter.