Some objects I bring back from Japan because they exist nowhere else.

The objects with a long history and the pieces that serious collectors look for: a complete sake set with the maker's documentation still inside the box. A haori worked in shibori silk that represents more hours of labour than anyone would budget for today. A kabuki doll pair on their original display stand. Lacquer ware made from wood and painted with gold.

An Edo-period altar bell set that has been marking the beginning of practice for two centuries. A large temple singing bowl with the weight and tone that only comes from decades of use in a real space. A silver silk kimono purse from the 1920s with the temple talisman still folded inside. With an elegant kimono watch.

I find these one at a time, in person, in places that do not advertise. When they are gone they do not come back. That is not a sales line. It is just the nature of this kind of sourcing.

If you collect Japanese objects seriously, or if you want something that will still matter in thirty years, this is where to look.