Int’l visitors snap up ‘boro’ stitched fabrics, unique wares at Japan’s antique fairs

TOKYO — Unique items such as traditional ‘boro’ stitched textiles are attracting foreign visitors to antique markets across Japan, as tourists return to the country in droves following its post-pandemic reopening.

The Oedo Antique Market, held twice a month at the Tokyo International Forum, was recently selected among the “27 Best Things to Do in Tokyo” by U.S. travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler. “The items on sale at Oedo are completely one-off and unique. You’d be hard pressed to find a permanent shop in Tokyo that has the choice and style that you’ll find here,” the magazine noted.

The Oedo market’s Kanako Asano commented, “We’ve always gotten lots of foreign visitors, but lately I feel like there are more from North America and Europe.”

A man visiting from London said while looking for souvenirs that it’s fun to find stuff that lets him know about daily life and culture in Japan.

Between 20 and 30 shops featuring unique items are found at the similar Aoyama Koichi antique fair, held monthly at the United Nations University in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward. Organizer Kiriko Honda said, “Nowadays about half the customers are foreigners. Used Japanese clothing and shops that deal in Japanese wares are popular.”

Old Japanese fabrics known as “boro” are popular in Europe and elsewhere. France’s top-division Paris Saint-Germain football team, which visited Japan this summer, collaborated with a Japanese designer on boro-inspired shirts and pants they’ve released for sale.

Masataka Sato, a 70-year-old dealer of boro and other items at multiple antique markets, said, “Buyers from Europe and North America have been actively approaching me for purchases. They’ve included people who design outfits for famous artists, and indeed, many come looking for boro.”

Information about the Oedo Antique Market and Aoyama Koichi is available in English on their respective websites.

(Japanese original by Tatsuya Fujii, Photo Group)