The Birthplace of Japanese Denim: Kojima's Jeans Story

From School Uniforms to Denim

Kojima has long been a center of textile and sewing industries, and it was here — building on the sewing expertise developed through school uniform production — that Japan's first domestically made jeans are said to have been born in the 1960s. Taking on the then-novel challenge of "made in Japan" denim may have simply been Kojima's manufacturing spirit at work.

Since then, a culture of handling every step of jeans-making in-house — from dyeing and weaving the thread to cutting, sewing, and finishing — has taken root in Kojima, earning it recognition today as a home of Japanese denim, both at home and abroad.

Strolling Kojima Jeans Street

Centered on the Ajino shopping arcade, Kojima Jeans Street is lined with flagship stores, select shops, and artisan workshops representing a wide range of denim brands. Playful touches like jeans-shaped signs, postboxes, and manhole covers are part of the fun of wandering the street.

Trying on jeans crafted with painstaking care, or watching artisans at work up close — getting a firsthand feel for a real manufacturing town is a pleasure unique to Kojima.

Try a Hands-On Jeans-Making Experience

Kojima is also home to workshops where you can make your very own pair of jeans. At a hands-on studio run by the denim brand Betty Smith, you can try real jeans-making — from cutting to sewing — with support from experienced craftspeople along the way. Reservations are often required, so please check the official website for details.

Easy to Reach From the Stay

"Nihon-kaoku Kojima" sits close to Jeans Street, just across from Kojima Station. Why not take a break from your stay to wander the town and hunt for a pair of jeans to call your own?