JUNEI is a Japanese hotel and tourism company based in Kyoto.
Ever since our founding in 2016, we have provided unforgettable experiences to the tourists during their stay in Kyoto.
In October 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, JUNEI launched a new service, JUNEI Experience. Its aim is to deliver the beauty of Kyoto to guests abroad even if they are not in Japan.
Kyoto has a history of over 1200 years stretching back to 794 A.D., and throughout that time many successive generations of craftsmen have passed on their techniques and gifted the world with many valuable works. It’s gotten easier to purchase items from abroad or to visit, but notwithstanding the preexisting difficulties of international travel, it has become considerably more difficult in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While it is still possible to order products over the internet, there are many items with charms unique to their creators which can be nearly impossible to discover without visiting in person. Japan in particular has many such pieces of traditional craftsmanship.
At the JUNEI Experience, we believe that in order to truly feel the value of a product, one must not see it only as a simple object, but understand it in the context of the place where it was created and in speaking directly with the artisan. That’s why we created this platform to bring this added value to traditional products and connect artisans to customers around the world, as well as to promote and protect Japan’s traditional cultural arts.
We seek to expand our operations to include artisans and genres across Japan, and in addition to promoting and protecting Japan’s traditions, to also see them evolve.
The Yume-Yusai dyeing workshop was granted an opportunity in 1990 to study historical pieces of Korozen at Koryuji Temple, and was able to unravel the mystery of the “illusionary dye” worn by generations of Japanese emperors. In 1992, the company representative Mr. Okuda Yusai (Mr. Okuda Koshichiro) used his findings from research on the historical Korozen pieces to recreate the color-changing effect in a variety of other shades and colors, thereby developing his dyeing method called “Yume-Korozome” (Dream Korozome).
Located in the southern part of the prefecture, Uji has long been known as the Hometown of Tea, with the beautiful, terraced tea fields of the Wazuka District especially influencing generations and generations of the local’s daily lives. The district has been recorded as Japanese heritage for its 800 years of Japanese tea history. Mr. Uejima Noriyasu, continues to protect the traditions passed on by his ancestors, so you that you can enjoy a set of the most strictly selected Wazuka District tea from the Uejima Sorokuen Tea Field in the comfort of your home.
Koshun-gama Kiln opened in 1943 nestled among the hills of the Hiyoshi neighborhood in Kyoto’s Higashiyama District, which is famed for its many pottery kilns. The first generation started by applying blue painting techniques to white ceramics, and the second generation branched out into a “kochi” technique imported from China and cherished in the world of the Japanese tea ceremony. The third generation and current master potter, Mr. Takashima Shinichi, developed upon one of the kochi techniques called “icchin” to add his personal touch in a Shippo “Seven Treasures” pattern to everything from tea ceremony wares to items for everyday use.
