mizutori creates modern Japanese wooden sandals (geta) designed for comfort and everyday wear.
Episode 20
An Open Workshop, A Connected Future
Among those who have long cherished mizutori’s geta, many have told us:
“I would love to see where they are made.”
Some are deeply interested in craftsmanship.
Some wish to consult directly with our artisans about concerns with their feet.
Others simply say, “Since I’m visiting Shizuoka, I wanted to stop by.”
Their reasons are as varied as the people themselves.
Our factory is a small, decades-old workshop — never originally designed to welcome visitors.
Whenever guests came, we would hurriedly tidy up and somehow carve out a space for them to observe.
As some traveled great distances to see us, we often felt apologetic about the modest setting in which we received them.
Behind the Craft
In Shizuoka, traditional manufacturing has long relied on a division-of-labor system.
At mizutori, our factory is responsible for the crucial assembly process — the stage that determines the comfort and final balance of each pair.
A tour lasts about thirty minutes, yet many visitors respond with surprise:
“I had no idea they were made so carefully by hand.”
“There is so much effort and dedication hidden behind the finished product.”
At times, guests have even traveled from overseas — introduced through mutual acquaintances — to witness the process firsthand.
Watching the steady rhythm of handcrafted geta-making, some have said, “I wish I could try this myself.”
Each time we encounter such reactions, our desire grows stronger:
We want more people to see the reality behind craftsmanship — not only the finished product, but the human hands and accumulated knowledge that sustain it.
At the same time, we became increasingly aware that many traditional industries across Japan are quietly facing the risk of decline, and that small workshops often struggle to find the next generation who will carry the craft forward.
Opening our doors, we felt, might be one small but meaningful step toward sustaining that future.
Opening the Gates to Protect What Matters
“To protect, we must open our doors and create connections.”
With that belief, we renovated our factory several years ago.
Our goal was to create a space where guests could feel welcome and comfortable.
Between the demands of our daily work, we have been gradually preparing to offer hands-on workshop experiences.
It has not been a dramatic transformation, but rather a steady, ongoing effort — balancing production with hospitality, tradition with new ways of sharing.
In recent years, more international travelers have sought meaningful encounters with local people rather than simply visiting well-known tourist sites.
If we can share Shizuoka’s local industries and Japan’s culture of craftsmanship with such visitors, we believe it becomes a lasting asset — not only for mizutori, but for the region itself.
By connecting tourism and industry, and by continuing to experiment with ways to open our workshop while preserving its integrity, we hope to carry craftsmanship forward into the future.
That, we believe, is the true spirit of Mizutori Kogyo.
