One fall day, elementary school students from Adachi Ward, Tokyo, visited our Nishi-Arai Workshop for a social studies field trip.

*Photos include Randoseru models no longer in production.

All morning, the workshop buzzed with anticipation as the craftspeople awaited the children's arrival.

The children, in contrast, wasted no time—questions came flying one after another. Here’s part of our conversation with them, where we share aspects of our craft and craftspeople that we rarely get to talk about.

Q: How many craftspeople work at Tsuchiya Kaban?

About 120 Randoseru craftspeople work across our three workshops: Nishiarai in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, and Karuizawa and Saku in Nagano Prefecture. If we include the craftspeople who work on our other leather bags and accessories, we have about 200 artisans total.

Just as your classroom has groups, our craftspeople work in teams. Each team is responsible for specific parts—shoulder straps, the flap, and so on. A Randoseru isn't made by one person alone. Everyone collaborates on over 150 parts through 300 steps, taking about a month to complete each bag.

The Nishiarai and Karuizawa workshops are adjacent to our stores, where you can watch craftspeople at work on weekdays. If you visit, be sure to take a peek.

Q: What is a craftsperson's day like?

We begin each day with an easy group morning stretch to loosen up. Then, the craftspeople put on their aprons—our trademark uniform. The aprons serve an important purpose: protecting the Randoseru leather from scratches and preventing our clothing from getting caught in sewing machines or equipment.

We then gather in our teams to review the day's work—which colors we'll be working on, for example. To make the best products possible, we share opinions freely regardless of age or experience, working together as we go.

Working with sewing machines and products requires constant concentration. That's why we also cherish our lunch breaks, where we can chat with our colleagues and relax. These casual moments deepen our bonds with each other and strengthens the teamwork.

Q: What do you keep in mind when making Randoseru?

Our craftspeople make many Randoseru each day, but each customer receives only one. That's why we craft every single bag with the utmost care, finishing each detail with precision.

But care alone isn't enough. It's equally important that we deliver each bag in time for when school starts in April. That’s why we’re constantly refining our skills, so we can work both beautifully and efficiently.

Seeing our customers happy with their finished Randoseru is what motivates us. Every time we receive a letter or see a post on social media, it gives us tremendous encouragement.