[Tsubame-Sanjo, the town of craftsmen] The storehouse is the starting point for encounters and connections, spreading the appeal of craftsmanship to the world

It all started with an abandoned storehouse that has woven the history of the local industry

Tsubamesanjo, located in the center of the prefecture, has long flourished as a "town of manufacturing." It has inherited traditional techniques from the Edo period and is a hub for metalworking, with a diverse range of techniques not found anywhere else in the world. It is a place that continues to make tools essential to daily life, such as work tools, blades, and Western-style tableware.

The former Sanjo Bussan storehouse is located in Nishi Yokamachi, Sanjo City, overlooking the Shinano River. Built 85 years ago, this huge vacant storehouse measuring over 900 square meters is the site of a factory and warehouse that once produced tabi socks, a specialty of Sanjo. It is a rare building in terms of its structure, with three storehouses housed within a wooden exterior wall.

KRaft Tour was started as a business that creates new added value by utilizing the precious locations that have woven the industrial history of Tsubame-Sanjo.

KRaft Tour: https://kraft-ts.jp/

We wanted to convey the appeal of Tsubame-Sanjo craftsmanship to the world.

"I wanted to convey the appeal of Tsubame-Sanjo region craftsmanship and have young local artisans feel proud and attached to it," says Hirohisa Yokoyama, CEO of KRaft. Originally from Sanjo City, he used to work as an employee at Sanjo City Hall, where he first encountered warehouse.

At first glance, I thought it was a very cool building, but when I learned that it was scheduled to be demolished soon due to the difficulties of maintaining an empty house, I wanted to somehow preserve this building, and with the kindness of the owner, I decided to take possession of the storehouse.

"Tsubame-Sanjo is an area highly regarded overseas for its manufacturing, but many factories have been forced to close due to a lack of successors. While many players are active in the area, there have been few initiatives focused on tourism. I thought that by attracting people from Japan and abroad who appreciate the value of Tsubame-Sanjo products to the area and creating new connections, we could preserve this region's manufacturing for the future."

Sympathizing with his thoughts, KRaft, Inc. was established. It is a new business entity made up of seven people with various backgrounds and origins, from members originally from Niigata to members living outside the prefecture in places like Tokyo and Kyoto.

As part of a program to generate new businesses in the region, KRaft Tours was born as a tourism business based at this brewery, which has long been a key part of the local industry.

KRaft's vision is to "create a business where people involved in manufacturing from all over the world can meet in Tsubame-Sanjo, where diverse values can mix and create new appeal and value for the region." Tourism is merely a means to an end, and by highlighting the appeal of local industries, we aim to create opportunities for new encounters and the mixing of values, so that people who live here can live with even more pride and attachment to the work and life in front of them.

"During the monitor tours, people from overseas showed great interest when they visited the brewery, and we felt that this was a positive response. In the future, we will not only continue with the tour business, but also aim to build a hotel and carry out activities to make this brewery a base for the local community, so that it will become a reason to visit Tsubame-Sanjo."

I want to preserve the craftsmanship that has been passed down since my grandfather's generation for the future

"While talking with my friends overseas, I began to want to convey in my own words the high quality and technology of Japanese manufacturing," says tour guide Kensei Kochi. Like Yokoyama, he is originally from Sanjo City, and after spending most of his time abroad, mainly in the United States, during his university years, he has a unique career history, having worked as an interpreter at a U.S. military base in Okinawa.

I returned to my hometown of Sanjo City to take over my father's manufacturing business, which has been passed down since my grandfather's generation. While I was thinking about learning about the history and knowledge of local industries, I came across an advertisement for a tour guide position at KRaft.

"It was because I was fascinated by and admired Western culture that I came to understand how cool Japan is from the outside world. Wherever I go in the world, Japanese culture and craftsmanship are highly regarded. The culture and technology that our predecessors have preserved are the culmination of their efforts, and are an asset to Japan and to the Tsubame-Sanjo region.

The charm of the Tsubame-Sanjo area is that you can see and feel the high quality of Japanese craftsmanship. I decided to participate in KRaft because I wanted to convey the charm of the area, and the pride and value of being Japanese, not only to people from overseas, but also to children who are about to become adults.

Kochi is not only fluent in languages, but also has excellent communication skills, and is able to quickly open up to international guests. The appeal of KRaft Tours is that he knows the local area so well that he can take you to hidden local factories that are not listed in guidebooks and local spots frequented by locals.

"When you travel abroad, all the resort areas have similar presentations and souvenirs, so you can't really get a feel for the area. With this tour, we want to offer something that can only be done in a non-tourist area. For foreigners, the life of the people of Tsubame-Sanjo, integrated with their industry, will be the best souvenir they can take home."

A base for passing on local industrial technology

The abandoned storehouse is also a symbol of the KRaft Tour introduced earlier. In the future, we aim to open it as a hotel for inbound tourists, but as the first step, we are preparing to open a gallery. The main theme of the gallery is "Inheritance of Tsubame-Sanjo's Technology."

Yokoyama plans to not only exhibit current techniques that have been passed down, but also to display techniques that have not been passed down as part of Tsubame-Sanjo's industries. "The tabi socks that were made in this storehouse have disappeared as an industry, but they certainly existed in history. I would like to portray these lost techniques as one of the elements that make up present-day Tsubame-Sanjo," he says.

By utilizing the storehouse, KRaft hopes to express the passing on of skills in a new way.

Please keep an eye on the new encounters and new business ventures that will begin at this brewery.

KRaft Tour

955-0851 1-16-22 Nishiyokkamachi, Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture

This is the base of KRaft Tour, which operates a manufacturing experience tour business in Tsubame-Sanjo. The large vacant storehouse, built...