Japanese-made glasses are highly regarded worldwide for their exquisite craftsmanship. If you plan on buying a pair during your trip to the Kansai area, Osaka is the place to go. The large-scale shopping malls that connect directly to Umeda Station are home to a variety of popular and highly reputable eyeglass shops. Prices range from affordable to luxury brand, but you can always count on the glasses carefully handmade by Japanese craftsmen. In this article, we'll take a look at four quality Japanese eyeglass brands. Let's take a peek through the looking glass!

How to Choose Glasses

The art of selecting the perfect pair of glasses is complex enough to consider it a kind of science. Glasses are a tool, of course, to help correct vision, but when you choose the right frame, they're also an important accessory that can enhance the impression of your face. Japan is home to a wealth of high-quality eyeglass brands, and we suggest keeping the following two points in mind when selecting the best pair of glasses for you. First of all, choose a brand that you like. Second, you'll need to find a design that suits your particular face shape.

Japan's famous eyeglass brands each have their own unique strengths and characteristic designs. So once you've narrowed down to a favorite brand, you'll next need to pick out a frame design that fits your face shape, is comfortable to wear, and of course looks stylish.

Another feature in favor of Japan's eyeglass brands is how quickly you can receive your new glasses after selecting the frames: many stores offer same-day pick-up. Let's take a look at four eyeglass brands available in the Osaka-Umeda Station area where you can confidently shop.

4 Top Popular Brands

KANEKO OPTICAL

Founded in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture in 1958, Kaneko Optical is one of Japan's top handmade eyeglass brands. The company is widely known for its outstanding production techniques and impeccable designs. Their craftsmen carry out each step of the process precisely, hand-cutting the eyeglass frames, inserting the temples (the "arms" that support the lenses), and polish the frames again and again. All of their products are produced at the company's own factory, BACKSTAGE.

KC Series

Kaneko Optical's two signature frames are the KC (KANEKO CELLULOID) and the KV (KANEKO VINTAGE) series. The KC series uses celluloid, a material that requires a high level of skill and a number of proceses to produce, making these glasses a testament to the excellent quality and unique aesthetics of traditional Japanese handmade glasses.

KV Series

The KV series, on the other hand, makes extensive use of composite materials, and is characterized by a lightweight and delicate design. It's offers a classic, vintage sensibility.

MASUNAGA1905

MASUNAGA1905 is a store directly managed by Masunaga Optical, the oldest eyewear frame manufacturer in Fukui with a global presence. In 1905, the company's founder, Gozaemon Masunaga, invited skilled craftsmen from Osaka and Tokyo to Fukui Prefecture, laying the foundation for the prefecture's development into one of Japan's leading eyeglass production areas.

Masunaga Optical is an eyeglass maker that has been passed down through four generations of its founding family. For over 100 years, they have maintained a delicate manufacturing process, with strict quality control and traditional production methods that put each frame through over 400 manual steps. The company also continues to evolve to meet the needs of the times, and produces glasses with a variety of modern designs. The frames we particularly recommend are the BROOM and BEGONIA designs from MASUNAGA K3.

BROOM

BROOM has a Boston-style frame with a unique yet sophisticated brow, combining a vintage feel with a contemporary design. The gloss of the hand-polished frame enhances the sense of luxury they evoke.

BEGONIA

Meanwhile, BEGONIA is a combination frame with a delicate arabesque design that brings out a sense of elegance.

Wearers choose "MASUNAGA since 1905" for three points in particular: its comfortable fit, great designs, and durability. In a recognition of its excellent quality, a gift of MASUNAGA glasses was even given to the Showa Emperor in 1933. MASUNAGA has also been the recipient of France's Silmo d'Or award - sometimes called the "Oscar award of eyeglasses" - multiple times.

PARIS MIKI

Founded in 1930 in Himeji, Japan, PARIS MIKI is a major Japanese eyeglass brand with its own factory in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture. The brand's high quality “Made in Sabae” glasses have earned the brand high praise from consumers in Japan and worldwide.

With a dedication to tailoring to each individual customer, PARIS MIKI offers unique, custom-made glasses that are tailored to the contours of the customer's face, their eyebrow shape, and the size of their eyes. Be sure to take a look at these two lines: the DIGNA Classic and MICRO TITAN.

DIGNA Classic 955E

The DIGNA Classic is a series inspired by the designs of glasses worn by popular rock stars and actors of the past, breathing new life into classic styles by combining Japanese craftsmanship with the latest materials.

MICRO TITAN 187

MICRO TITAN, on other hand, is a series that uses beta titanium, as its name suggests. Lightweight and extremely flexible, this frame delivers such comfort, it feels like you're not wearing anything at all.

Zoff

If you love visiting Japan, you may have stepped into Zoff, a mega chain store, before. Founded in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo in 2001, Zoff is known for its lightweight materials, high quality, courteous service, low prices, and extremely fast eyeglass assembly. For busy modern customers, being able to receive your glasses within 30 minutes at the fastest is a huge plus, and has given the store its good reputation.

Zoff stores nationwide feature clean, spacious interiors decorated in blue and white. Amongst the wide variety of frame designs, we particularly recommend the Zoff SMART series. This series of frames use high-performance super engineering plastic, which is also used in aircraft parts. The most notable feature of Zoff SMART glasses is their lightness and flexibility, which makes them durable and difficult to break. The temples, or "arms" that go over your ears can be easily adjusted, so they're also comfortable to wear for long periods without causing any pain to your ears.

*Eyeglass assembly time may exceed 30 minutes, depending on the type of lens selected, or in the case of special orders (ex. lenses for astigmatism).

In an era of mass production, we have to appreciate the Japanese craftsmen who continue to use the incredible skills they've honed over many years to create such comfortable, beautiful, and durable glasses. Next time you visit the Kansai area, come visit the shopping malls around Osaka-Umeda Station, and find yourself a pair of practical and long-lasting - not to mention stylish - pair of Japanese-made glasses!

For more details on how to get to Umeda, see here.

For more information on Umeda, check out some of our Trip Ideas.

*Information in this article is accurate as of the date of posting. There is a possibility that details regarding these products and services have changed, or that some shops have since closed.