What Kakumei is

Kakumei is a Japanese homeware shop in Braddon, Canberra, ACT, Australia, selling Japanese glassware, tableware, kitchen pieces and incense chosen in Japan and imported directly. It is a small shopfront on Lonsdale Street, and the range runs from plates and mugs to hand cut Edo Kiriko glass.

Who runs it and how the stock is chosen

Kakumei is run by its owner, James, who has worked in the Japanese-goods trade for years and buys the stock himself. It is the sister shop of Knives and Stones, the Japanese knife specialist James also runs. Nothing comes through a local wholesaler; he imports directly and travels to Japan to choose what ends up on the shelf. If a piece is in the shop, he looked at it in person and decided it was worth bringing home. That also means the shelf changes with what turned up on the last trip, and the range comes from suppliers he has dealt with for years.

Visiting the shop

The shop is at Unit 3, 32 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT 2612, Australia, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30 to 16:30. You can phone on +61 2 8599 0898 or email sales@kakumei.com.au. Most of what is on this website is on the shelves in Braddon, so you can look a piece up online, then come in and hold it before you decide. If you are after something specific, contact the shop first and ask whether it is on the shelf today.

Where to go next

Read Kakumei in Braddon for the shop's own story, browse the full collection to see what is in stock now, or start from the stories index for every guide on the site.