When Tokyo-born Yozo Otsuki moved to Sydney in 2013, he noticed a lack of Japanese homewares available to Australian consumers. To address this gap in the market he launched Kurasu – which means ‘to live’ in Japanese – an online store dedicated to showcasing the best of Japanese design and functionality.
“I was fortunate to meet people in Sydney genuinely keen to know more about the Japanese culture, art, design, and products which I’ve always felt a connection with,” says Otsuki. “I feel I’m in the unique position to appreciate both cultures and really tell a story from a Japanese perspective but in a way relatable to Australians. For me, that was through showcasing beautiful Japanese homewares.”
All the products Kurasu stocks have been handpicked by Otsuki and imported to Australia directly from Japan, many of them for the first time. These include 4th-market, a company that produces traditional Bakoyaki pottery using methods that date from the 18th century. The name 4th-market refers to the Japanese city it comes from, Yokkaichi, which translates to ‘market on fourth day’.
Kurasu is also the first store to bring Japanese lifestyle brand “DO” to Australia. “DO” is operated by the CLASKA brand, based in Tokyo, which originally began as a boutique hotel before expanding into handcrafted homewares.
Other ranges include the Tsukiusagi Jirushi collection of enamel kettles in bright colours, and Saito Wood, which has been producing pressed plywood products in Shizuoka for three generations.
Otsuki believes the market for Japanese products is growing in Australia. “We’ve recently seen larger Japanese retailers such as Uniqlo and Muji creating a huge movement and increased recognition of Japanese brands, which I feel will translate into a focus towards smaller Japanese brands we carry as well.”
Although Kurasu is yet to get into wholesale, Otsuki can see this changing. “Many of the products we stock are handmade and have a limited production line. This means distribution is scarce even in Japan…That being said, we do see an increased demand for wholesale, and we are looking at ways we can provide products to other retailers in the future.”
