Kagoshima: Stories in Craft from South Japan returns for its third edition at the 2025 London Design Festival, bringing together a selection of traditional and contemporary makers from Japan’s southernmost region. This year’s spotlight is on woodworker Shintaro Oku, who will travel from Kagoshima to lead wood carving demonstrations and a hands-on chopstick carving workshop. Working under the KOPPA brand, Oku transforms camphor wood off-cuts into smooth, textural forms that honour the character of the material. His zero-waste approach and philosophy of living within one’s craft have earned him recognition across Japan’s contemporary craft movement.

The exhibition also features 21 other makers whose work expresses the region’s rich cultural identity and deep connection to the place. Visitors can also explore the textures of traditional handmade paper by Tsuruta Washi, and taste organically grown teas from Yamaguchi-en, a pioneering family-run farm in the Satsuma region.