Tsuchiya Kaban Seisakusho, a manufacturer of handcrafted school bags and other leather goods, opened its storefront and school bag workshop, "Tsuchiya Kaban Seisakusho Karuizawa Workshop," in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on June 26th. Visitors can observe the artisans handcrafting the school bags.

Tsuchiya Kaban Seisakusho, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, originally started as a school bag workshop run by two artisans. While inheriting the Western bag culture, the company crafts school bags with the skills, care, and hospitality of Japanese artisans.

The Karuizawa Workshop was opened with the aim of creating a "school for families to spend time together and create memories," with the hope that "choosing a school bag, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, will be a happy one." Karuizawa, a city with a long history of blending Western and Japanese culture, was chosen as the ideal location to embody the company's philosophy of "providing the best experience to its customers." The building makes generous use of brick and wood, creating a workshop that will develop a unique character over time, just like a leather bag.

The attached store offers the full lineup of 57 types of Tsuchiya Kaban school bags. From nostalgic to colorful, they offer a wide variety of materials, including cowhide, cordovan, Clarino® F, and tanned leather. In addition, the store will be selling a limited edition "Karuizawa" school bag (140,000 yen including tax), which combines the techniques and passion that the company has handed down for 50 years with the beauty of Karuizawa.

The store's large windows open onto the spacious lawn garden, and visitors can freely tour the glass-walled workshop. A workshop viewing space has been set up at the back of the store, where visitors can watch artisans create school bags from more than 110 small parts through more than 300 handcrafted processes.