How to Participate

JapanCraft21 (JC21) was founded in 2018 to assist vulnerable Japanese crafts to flourish in the 21st century. Please join us for a unique opportunity to deepen your knowledge about Japanese culture, to be an active part of the Japanese craft community and to make a significant difference in craft revitalization at this critical time.

Our current three projects:

School of Traditional Building Arts (Shin-Machiya Juku) – We co-founded the School of Traditional Building Arts (Shin-Machiya Juku)  in Kyoto to teach rapidly disappearing building skills. Our intensive yearlong courses are held on Sundays to accommodate young working building trades people. Currently we are teaching joinery to carpenters and bamboo mud wall construction to plasterers. An advanced course in Japanese garden building and maintenance as well as a training course in the application of natural lacquer are scheduled for 2022. JapanCraft21 provides full scholarships to all students.

The Japan Traditional Crafts Revitalization Contest – We created this series of nation-wide competitions to identify exceptional plans to save individual crafts for the 21st century. The winner of each contest will receive Y5,000,000 and the support of a group of mentors in such fields as business organization, design, Information technology, marketing and public relations.

Education - One of our goals is to help educate the general public on the breadth and depth of Japanese master crafts

An Opportunity to Learn

“Through JapanCraft21, I have experienced both the breadth and depth of Japan’s legendary craft world and my life has been greatly enriched as a result.” S.H., Japan resident

Our regular Zoom presentations for our members explore such subjects as Japanese bamboo baskets, ceramics, gardens and architecture. Our day tours include visits to craft studios for demonstrations, museum tours by curators, architectural tours, and visits to the homes of private collectors.

An opportunity to make an effective cultural contribution



“After years of looking for a way to connect to Japan in a more meaningful way, by joining JapanCraft21, I became an active member of the Japanese Craft Community.” — K.V., Longtime international resident of Tokyo

Be a part of our community of international and Japanese supporters and Japanese crafts people, working together to revitalize Japan’s exquisite craft tradition while deepening your knowledge about this culture. We are a small, lean volunteer organization identifying projects most likely to succeed with our help.