KYOTO -- Kyoto boasts Japan's largest concentration of traditional crafts. Despite the pall the COVID-19 pandemic has cast over the country, young entrepreneurs with unorthodox backgrounds are bringing new thinking and innovation to Japan's ancient capital.
One is 42-year-old Masataka Hosoo, who last August became president of Kyoto-based Hosoo. The company produces nishijin-ori, a traditional textile made in the Nishijin district of Kyoto that is often used in kimonos. Hosoo, who was once a musician, brought the tradition-defying spirit of punk rock to the 330-year-old family business.
