Can anyone living in Japan help me with finding those cuties?

[Gina]

Hi there!

I was not sure where to post this so if this is the wrong category or not okay in general I apologise in advance.

I want to open a Japan store in Germany (starting with an online-store and then opening a retail store later) which will offer all sorts of kawaii stuff but also traditional crafts, chirmen objects, bento accessory, kanzashi and so on. All of those things are still pretty much unavailable in Germany so it's about time.

I have already made contact with quite a lot of Japanese brands and manufacturers who offer wholesale but there are still a few things I am looking for, will need a translater for to contact as my Japanese is way to poor and some products I simply cannot identify/find the manufacturer.

I found these beautiful chirimen Zeiku parts here:

Japanese Chirimen-Zaiku Parts

I would LOVE to contact the manufacturer but I couldn't even find I hint of a product series called "Craft Collection". It's definitely an original Japanese product judging from the labels on the back of the packaging. I also noticed that I actually bought two items from the same series from Ebay a couple of years ago so this is probably not too unknown in Japan.

Has anyone in Japan seen these products before and knows who the brand/manufacturer is and maybe if there is a website where I could enquire about wholesale? I couldn't thank you enough because I just can't get this out of my head, I just.. need them, argh and I doubt the online store owner will tell me (I probably wouldn't either).

Greetings from Germany,

Gina

[Tsuwabuki]

You might want to contact the Nishijin Textile Industrial Association:

Nishijin Textile Industrial Association

I was there a few weeks ago, and they had a lot of little Chirimen-Zaiku parts. They represent many manufacturers in Kyoto and probably could direct you to the companies that produce what you are looking for.

[Troo]

If you get the chance to go to Tokyo, head for Fabric Town. I guarantee you'll find things like this in vast abundance.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by Gina

Hi there!

I was not sure where to post this so if this is the wrong category or not okay in general I apologise in advance.

I want to open a Japan store in Germany (starting with an online-store and then opening a retail store later) which will offer all sorts of kawaii stuff but also traditional crafts, chirmen objects, bento accessory, kanzashi and so on. All of those things are still pretty much unavailable in Germany so it's about time.

I have already made contact with quite a lot of Japanese brands and manufacturers who offer wholesale but there are still a few things I am looking for, will need a translater for to contact as my Japanese is way to poor and some products I simply cannot identify/find the manufacturer.

I found these beautiful chirimen Zeiku parts here:

Japanese Chirimen-Zaiku Parts

I would LOVE to contact the manufacturer but I couldn't even find I hint of a product series called "Craft Collection". It's definitely an original Japanese product judging from the labels on the back of the packaging. I also noticed that I actually bought two items from the same series from Ebay a couple of years ago so this is probably not too unknown in Japan.

Has anyone in Japan seen these products before and knows who the brand/manufacturer is and maybe if there is a website where I could enquire about wholesale? I couldn't thank you enough because I just can't get this out of my head, I just.. need them, argh and I doubt the online store owner will tell me (I probably wouldn't either).

Greetings from Germany,

Gina

Something outside of your listed category, but strapya-world have some interesting stuff Strapya World : Japanese Cell Phone Straps, Kawaii Charms and Otaku Gadget they also deal wholesale, so maybe thats an option for you

[Gina]

Thank you so much for the aswers everyone!

I will definitely contact Nishijin Textile Industrial Association, maybe they can point me out to some manufacturers or stores who do wholesale.

Godwine, oh yes, Strapya Worlds has some really lovely stuff. I already found some of the manufacturers they order from and I thought about maybe getting some products wholesale from Strapya but the best is most of the time to order directly from the brand because it's the lowest price. And the more affordable the wholesale price the better the deal my costumers get.

There must be a way to find out which brand/manufaturer these little buggers are from it's driving me crazy, eeek. I wish my Japanese was better. I have a good friend who is Japanese but I don't want to "abuse" him with business contact and stuff like that.

[Troo]

If he's genuinely a good friend I'm sure he won't feel abused if you ask him the question of whether he's willing to help out as a one-off.

[Gina]

Originally Posted by Troo

If he's genuinely a good friend I'm sure he won't feel abused if you ask him the question of whether he's willing to help out as a one-off.

Yeah, he would help me without thinking twice. He already did several times, that is why I don't want to ask him again.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by Gina

Yeah, he would help me without thinking twice. He already did several times, that is why I don't want to ask him again.

Gina, also try collectiondx.com. On the right of the page, they have sponsor links, mostly links to hobby stuff, but some of them do carry some interesting items.

Another one will be hobbylinkjapan, but that one is truly just for figurees and model toys..

good luck and have fun

[Sangetsu]

Your task won't be easy, there are many sources you will have to contact in order to get the merchandise you need. If you are a regular, small-businessperson, then this is still the best bet. But it will take time and work.

If you have greater means (lots of money), you should contact Mitsukoshi (a large, Japanese department store) and ask them about the possibility of a franchise in your area. You'll need a solid business plan, and you'll need to be able to put up a lot of your own capital.

I've seen a couple of Mitsukoshi's smaller stores in America, and they have countless small outlets and stores throughout Japan. These smaller stores tend to sell mostly gift items and souvenirs.

This approach would be expensive, but it would give you a name brand, strong support, and a pre-existing line of merchandise to sell.

[Gina]

godwine, thank you for the tip, I'll work through the links and see if I find something.

Sangetsu, I think Mitsukoshi even got two stores in Germany but they cover a different range of products from what I would like to offer. I know, it's a LOT of work. I am working on contacts with wholesalers since about a year and it is tricky due to the language barrier. I already found suppliers for Kawaii goods, chirimen/traditional purses/bags/lucky cat items, kokeshi dolls, stationery, candy toys, arigurumi, kanzashi, some craft supplies, paper goods, stickers, beto etc.

There are just a couple of things I still need to get my hands on like little chirimen items. I wanted to fax the Chirimen Museum as well because they get their producs for their shop from this brand:

http://www.chirimenzaikukan.com/brand/

There also have a sister company that produces kanzashi so maybe they distribute their products to other retail shops as well?

I would whether they even know how crazy Europeans are for these items?

As for the money issue *sigh* I got a bit of capital but I will definitely start with an online shop because you got to pay enormous provisions for renting a retail store in a good area and it is defnitely impossible without taking at least a small bank loan. Which is fine because it is a puzzling market niche in Germany and there is basically no competition.