Operating from Hyogo prefecture in the Kansai region, Gute Gouter is an online store selling “items for everyday use.” Don’t be fooled, though; with Gute Gouter “everyday” doesn’t mean commonplace or ordinary. On the contrary, Gute Gouter offers items of admirable quality and exemplary design.
This in-depth guide gives the lowdown on Gute Gouter’s outstanding design philosophy, highlights a range of the store’s top products – including some exceptionally beautiful Japanese stationery – and explains how overseas buyers can easily order from the Gute Gouter site via ZenMarket.
Gute Gouter’s Design Ethos: Authentic Japanese Craftsmanship
Gute Gouter is known as a leading source for fine Japanese stationery online. What you may not be aware of, however, is that the store is also a fantastic destination for many other high quality Japanese design and craft products. Not only that, but Gute Gouter also supports individual artisans and crafts enthusiasts by offering a range of crafting tools and materials.
While Japan is of course home to some of the most successful techno-industrial behemoths on the planet, for many people around the world it is the nation’s smaller-scale crafts industry and individual artisans that are worthy of true esteem. Indeed, there is no greater source of quotidian joy than making regular use of the beautifully designed and well made items for which Japanese craftspeople are so rightly renowned.
This is a fact Gute Gouter is very much aware of. In fact their stated goal is to provide customers with items “that are infused with the maker's feelings rather than being cheap and convenient…to which we can become attached, where that attachment is cultivated by long periods of use, more than things for which the joy of owning them will disappear in an instant.”
In practice this means that the store provides beautiful, high quality Japanese stationery, tableware, homeware, and sewing materials. Simple items of daily use, but carefully designed to make the user’s experience more pleasurable – from both a practical and an aesthetic point of view.
Why Gute Gouter is a Top Choice for Japanese Stationery and Homeware
Stationery on offer from Gute Gouter includes pens, pencils, notepads, and bottles of ink – none of them, of course, standard items. There’s an enormous variety of washi tape available, too, featuring designs that include food, flowers, people, animals, abstract graphic elements, and much else besides. Needless to say, these are also of exceptional quality and design.
Above all though, Gute Gouter is one of the best places to source stylish Japanese seals and rubber stamps. The available designs range from quaint characters and cute animals to neo-trad icons, decorative graphic motifs, and even a bunch of assorted fruits. What’s more, there are also text and numerical based stamps on offer here, ranging from individual numbers and letters through to full words and sentences in English. These include everything from the purely practical ("this side up,” “paid,” or "don’t forget”) to seasonal greetings and messages that are either cute or romantic.
Best Japanese Stationery, Homeware & Craft Items from Gute Gouter
For many people, Gute Gouter’s main draw is undoubtedly the beautiful Japanese stationery on offer. But the store also extends its rigorous standards of craftsmanship and design to a wide selection of non-stationery products, too.
While united by the philosophy of high quality items for daily use, the products on offer are actually rather diverse, and range from traditional Japanese setta (leather-soled sandals) to handmade smartphone accessories, handkerchiefs, place mats, and linen dishcloths.
Meanwhile, vessels and containers for eating and drinking clearly classify as some of the most essential everyday items, and at Gute Gouter you’ll find a modest selection of tableware designed to make meal and snack times that little bit more pleasurable. Items range from dishes and cups to chopsticks and chopstick rests – mostly featuring a fun, folksy aesthetic.
Elsewhere, in the Homeware department, you’ll find lovely wooden storage boxes designed with a variety of uses in mind – make-up, first aid, sewing kit, tools etc. – and high quality wooden cutting boards. There are even a couple of wall clocks on offer.
The craft items sold by Gute Gouter largely consist of necessities for sewing, needlework, and embroidery. But there are many tangentially-related tools and materials to be had as well. These include wash-fast fabric pens, and plain tote bags awaiting decoration. Finally, lovers of traditional Japanese textiles will be excited to find natural home-dyeing kits, miniature weaving looms, and sashiko patterns for the taking here as well.
Best 15 Homeware, Craft, and Stationery Picks From Gute Gouter
01. Happy Feet
These traditional Japanese Setta “snow” sandals are hand-made using fifty-year old vintage Japanese fabric for the thongs and leather for the soles. Suitable for either indoor or outdoor wear.
02. Letter Perfect
These charming alphabet rubber stamps suggest a myriad of uses, from decorating greetings cards, letters, and gifts, to scrapbooking, journaling and illustration.
V. E. R. Y. N. I. C. E.
03. Watch The Birdie
Photography enthusiasts – and let’s be realistic, who isn’t a photography enthusiast – will love this neat analog film-themed sticking tape. Available in a variety of colors and designs.
04. The Golden Rule
A sturdy, practical, and neatly designed ruler in lazer-engraved brass. Could this be the perfect gift for the craftswoman or man in your life?
05. Weave Your Magic
Learn basic handweaving skills with this portable miniature loom. Comes complete with shuttle, yarn, etc.
Now, which is warp and which is weft again?
06. All The Better to Eat You With
Folksy and adorable, this ferocious wolf-themed porcelain dish should keep all thieving mitts off your cookies. Made in Aichi prefecture, the wolf design was produced by means of an archaic copper-plate printing process.
07. To Dye For
Environmentally friendly and distinctly Japanese, the wonder of plant-based natural indigo dye seems almost magical – especially when the cloth comes out of the dye-bath green and turns blue before your eyes! Now you can try it at home, with this easy DIY indigo dye kit. Perfect for experimenting with shibori and other creative dyeing techniques. And it’s safe for kids, too!
08. Close Knit
Add a Scandi sweater vibe to your journal, letters, gifts etc. with these natty knitwear design ink stamps.
09. Simple Pleasures
They say it’s the simple things that matter, and that’s certainly true if this wonderful handmade wooden tool box is anything to go by. It was specifically designed for holding washi tape, but with its convenient inner dividers it could be used for many other purposes besides. No fuss, only unadorned utility and calm beauty; exactly what traditional Japanese artisans most excel at.
10. Sealed With a Kiss
Largely gone the way of gigantic handlebar mustaches, gramophones, and penny-farthing bicycles, sealing wax has got to be one of the most anachronistic items imaginable today. But that can only mean one thing; it’s time for a hipster revival!
And if you’re keen to be among the vanguard of early adopters, this sealing wax stamp kit is for you. The set contains a wood handle with three interchangeable stamps, sealing wax, a candle for heating the wax, and a pan for melting it in. Then get your wax pill refills here.
11. Bold as Brass
There’s something very reassuring about brass. It’s durable; ages beautifully; and quietly says “high quality.” But it isn’t such a precious material that it needs to be kept under lock and key. And here it is again, this time in the form of a wonderful little pencil case. Which self-respecting artisan wouldn’t want one of these minimalist beauties on their desk?
12. Cat Got The Cream?
Great Aunt Flo sent yet another stingy and inappropriate birthday gift? Sealing your “thank you” letter with a feline posterior might be just the snub you were looking for! For more deserving relatives, however, rubber stamps featuring more flattering views of cats are also available.
13. Eternal Fountain
Brass and glass combine to elegant effect in this classy fountain pen set. The kit also includes a glass pen rest, three interchangeable nibs, and a set of refills in three different shades of ink. Refills in other colors can be found here. Made to last!
14. Don't Miss a Stitch
The Japanese art of sashiko has become very popular in recent years. If you’ve ever considered giving sashiko a go, but were worried it might be too difficult, this easy sashiko pattern kit is the ideal place to start.
Essentially the kit consists of a piece of cotton fabric with the sashiko pattern already indicated on it. So all you have to do is follow the pattern – and the stitching instructions provided – until the design has been fully sewn onto the fabric. Now pop the cloth in the wash, and the guide pattern will come out – leaving only your beautiful stitching on display. Sashiko thread is sold separately, so you are free to choose your own colors.
15. Shady Goings On
As our planet continues to heat up at an alarming rate, this delightful embroidered cotton parasol is guaranteed to both keep you cool and add a touch of class to your summer days.
How to Buy Japanese Stationery and Crafts from Gute Gouter via ZenMarket
Shopping from Gute Gouter is simple via ZenMarket. Follow these five easy steps to begin adding beautiful Japanese stationery and other high quality crafts and homeware to your cart right away.
1. Create a ZenMarket Account
Simply sign up with your email address and create a password; it's completely free.
2. Select Your Favorit Items
Visit Gute Gouter, to browse Japanese stationery, homeware, and craft products.
3. Add The Items to Your Cart
Copy the URL of your chosen product from the Gute Gouter website and paste it into ZenMarket.
4. Review and Confirm Your Order
ZenMarket provides a detailed breakdown of costs – including product prices and estimated shipping fees – so you can review your order before finalizing the purchase.
5. Choose a Shipping Method
ZenMarket offers fast and secure international shipping options and allows you to track your order until it lands on your doorstep.
Done!
Conclusion
In summary, Gute Gouter offers a unique selection of high-quality, well-designed items for everyday use – from beautiful Japanese stationery to practical homeware and craft materials. So whether you’re looking for fancy rubber stamps, elegant tableware, or sewing materials for your next creative project, Gute Gouter has something to offer.
Sign up for your free ZenMarket account now, and immediately start shopping from Gute Gouter’s range of charming, stylish, and well-made products.
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