News

Xmas & New Year Special Offer
15% Off 2019's Bestsellers! (until January 7th, 10 AM JPT)

15% OFF on 2019's Bestsellers!

Here we are, gifts preparation is done and the last Christmas orders placed before December 16th are on their way to our customers’ Christmas trees. It is almost the big day and it is now time to think about the good resolutions to hold during the new coming year.

On KuSakuraShop’s end, 2019 has been a very enriching year marked by some changes and novelties. But now, it is time for resolutions and to think about the new coming year new projects.

In order to get this new decade off to a great start, KuSakuraShop is offering you 15% discount on 2019’s bestsellers. A Judogi for your forthcoming competitions, a brand new embroidered belt or a KuSakura bag to transport all your equipment, everything you need to perform the best on the mats. Please note that this offer will only run until January 7, 2020, 10 am (JPT).

2019 Report

The year really started in February, when KuSakuraShop held a booth at the Grand Slam in Paris. We were actually quite proud to see that the Kodokan stand presented KuSakura’s product as their official equipment.

This very same month, the jewel of KuSakura’s high-end Judogi line, the famous Dojin Master was released online, followed the next month by the JOV and the JNV.

The famous Dojin Master now available online!

May saw Emperor Akihito’s abdication, who decided to pass the throne down to his eldest son the current Emperor Naruhito. Following this unprecedented move KuSakuraShop took 10 days off, but this one-in-a-lifetime event was extremely pleasant to live for all the team.

Summer began with KuSakura’s Karategi release. Four high-end models, for the greatest benefit of our fellow Karateka. These new products were also in a way, a confirmation of our will to provide more martial arts communities (other than Judo) with high quality equipment.

The World Judo Championships took place in August in Tokyo, and we naturally couldn’t circumvent this major event. KuSakura was there to hold a booth and once again, we were able to meet our customers providing them with high quality products, in the country that saw the birth of our brand as well as of Judo. Some pictures are available on our official Facebook page.

KuSakura's booth during the Judo World Championships

Moreover, the summer season was the occasion for our staff to work on many projects that will be released very soon or that are already online, such as the blog which the team work keeps working hard on to improve the customer experience on KuSakuraShop.

More information regarding your favorite Judogi on The KuSakuraShop Blog!

In October, it was the turn of KuSakura’s Sauna Suits as well as the Kendo referee kit to be on the spotlights. Furthermore, the birthday of Judo's founding father was a great occasion for us to undertake a focus on his life and his accomplishments, an article that you can find on our blog.

The perfect equipment for athletes

During the two last month of the year, we were quite focused on KuSakuraShop’s #BFCM and Christmas preparations.

In 2020 on KuSakuraShop!

A lot of new products will be released really soon on KuSakuraShop, which will allow us to extend our product lines to more martial arts and to offer our products to more Budo practitioners.

Several publications will be released on the KuSakuraShop blog. Some will be quite technical such as our newest released about the Sashiko fabric used in the conception of your favorite Judogi, and some other will be lighter but will always deal with KuSakura’s activity or with other martial arts in general. Finally, the creation of our blog allowed us to improve the global customer experience on KuSakuraShop and we naturally wish to keep up on this path.

All in all, our wish remains to offer the best quality of products to our customers, but we would also like to go further and offer them a whole experience to live with KuSakura.

As usual during this period of the year and to start the new decade on a sound basis, our team will take some well deserved days off from December 31st to February 5th. All shipping will be suspended during this period, but you will still be able to place your orders and our team will bring some homework and will still answer your message.
Schedule for Delivery Before '19 Xmas
Your last chance to be delivered before Christmas: December 16th. Check the visual calendar, or read more details here.
Christmas is almost here and maybe some of you are considering completing their gift list before the big day. Even though KuSakuraShop provides the fastest service, we cannot perform miracles, and we thought that some of you may need the deadlines for orders to be delivered before December 25th.
- Made to Order items (embroidered belts, custom Judogi sizes): Order before November 26th and you will be delivered before Christmas.
- Products available at the warehouse (Judogi, some belts) shipped via EMS/ePacket: last chance to get items with embroideries/engravings delivered before Christmas is December 6th.
- Products available at the warehouse (Judogi, some belts) via FedEx, DHL or UPS: last chance to get items with embroideries/engravings delivered before Christmas is December 12th.
- In stock products (belts, bags) shipped via FedEx DHL or UPS: last chance to get items with embroideries/engravings delivered before Christmas is December 16th.
Yes, we're sure. We usually deliver in 4 days in Europe and North America. Our entire team will be focused on preparing your orders, and all orders for in-stock items placed the 17h will ship the 18th.

We'll be open on December 31st, then closed from the 1st to January 5th, for our winter holidays. And of course, email support will be slower but maintained the whole time.

Finally, please understand that our carriers don't employ magical reindeer, and Santa Claus isn't working at the customs. Hence, on-time order delivery cannot be guaranteed 100% so please don't wait until the last minute to order!
December Special Offer
15% OFF On All Accessories & Bags! (until December 19th, 10 am JPT)

15% OFF On All Accessories & Bags!

The autumn colors of the Momiji leaves (Japanese maples), get Japan dressed with a flood of yellowish colors while Christmas magic is on its way.

With our annual #BFCM program, the most foresighted of you were able to check the last box of their Christmas wish list with our exceptional discount on all our products. Now, the KuSakuraShop staff offer you the opportunity to complete the new equipment set your recently acquired with some more-than-useful accessories in the Dojo. It is 15% OFF on all accessories & bags available on the website that we offer you, until December 19th, 10 am (Japan time).

This year, it is 300,000 JPY that has been collected for charities during KuSakuraShop’s Black Friday and we would like to thank all our customers for this outstanding collective endeavor that will be of great help to the three organizations we support. Thanks to all KuSakuraShop’s staff members and to the Judo community, this Black Friday has been a huge success.

As we approach from Christmas and the same way as November were, December will be a rather busy month, both for our workshop in Osaka and our website staff offices in Tokyo.

Enjoy the discount and stay tuned for KuSakuraShop actualities!
Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2019
10% OFF Everything & Donation to Amnesty, MSF & UNICEF (until December 03rd, 5pm JPT)

10% OFF Everything & Donation to Amnesty, MSF & UNICEF

At KuSakuraShop, Business and ethics are not antonyms

Last year, we decided not to follow everyone by offering any discount that would not suit our vision of business at all. We had rather opted for a charity donation campaign to Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International.
Although this event was quite successful and supported by a vast majority of people in the martial art world, we also listen to our customers. We heard that some of you were quite frustrated to not be able to celebrate the #BFCM by enjoying KuSakura’s product quality for a better price like during our monthly promotions throughout the year.

This is why for this edition, and as we hold charity events throughout the year now, we have decided to do both.

On the one hand, during the #BFCM 2019, you will be able to enjoy KuSakura’s quality with 10% OFF on all our products. On the other hand, 5% of all our sales during this period will be donated to Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International and UNICEF.

Furthermore, we would like to take this opportunity to come back on all the charity events we have run so far, since #BFCM 2018.

We hold charity events every month, with always the same concept of donating 10% of all orders to charities for a period that goes from 36 to 72 hours. What is actually happening at the back of the shop, is that each order placed during these periods is tagged with a "charity eligible" tag, and once we have reached a decent amount, we can proceed to the donation to each charity organization we support, through bank transfers.
To follow the results and to keep track of these campaigns, we even developed our own tool that automatically fetches all orders eligible for charity donation.

This graph below is a simple screenshot of the tool we use internally, that shows how much, when and the charity organization the money went to.

Here you can see that Amnesty International, UNICEF and Doctor Without Borders all received 199,500 YEN (approx. $1900 USD) for a cumulative total of 598,500 YEN (approx. $5500USD) donated over a period that starts from January 1st and ends on November 11th.

In fact, Japan is not very "charity-friendly" and the conditions are far less motivating than in most European countries, even if donated money can be deduced from company taxes. This can explain why KuSakuraShop, with only slightly less than $2000 USD, is one of the main donating companies for Amnesty International in Japan. Naturally, we are proud of the ethical line we strive to implement behind our brand, but this trend really shows how much these organizations need our support.

Through what we do and what we offer, the KuSakuraShop staff all aim at following the fundamental values of Judo and are bound with the same desire and objective to contribute to social prosperity and harmony leading ultimately to the benefit of everyone. We all share the same vision of what ethical business is, and this is precisely why all KuSakura’s products are strictly controlled, to fit our global vision.

If you would like to know more about our ethics and our charity program, please feel free to read our dedicated "KuSakuraShop Charity Programs page".

Thank you very much for all your support and we wish you the best on the mats!
November Special Offer
15% OFF on All Judogi! (until November 28th, 4pm JPT)
15% OFF on All Judogi!

After the most powerful typhoon ever experienced since 1958, it is time for recovery in a lot of areas in Japan. More shaken than hurt, the activity has finally resumed its normal course both at our workshop in Osaka and at our offices in Tokyo.

Some of you were quite thrilled from our last monthly discount on belts and all their embroideries, and we thought that it might be time for some of our customers to refresh their entire Judo set. In November, it is 15% OFF that we offer on all the Judogi that are available on our website! For the most far-sighted of you, it is the perfect time to anticipate the coming Christmas and New Year’s gifts.

October Report
- The Kusakura Sauna Suit is now available on KuSakuraShop. CramerJapan and KuSakura’s engineers worked hard to design the very first Sauna Suits: it is flexible, resistant and stretchy enough to allow excellent freedom of movements during your training sessions. This training garment will be a reliable ally for all martial art practitioners who need some equipment for weight management to prepare their forthcoming competitions. Comfortable, this product efficiently retains moisture for optimal warming and better toxin elimination. This outfit is even used during his training sessions by our partner Alexandre Mariac, winner of the Pan American Open in Cordoba and of the Team French Championships this year.
- “Referee Equipment”, this is the title of the new section we just released on our website, in which you will be able to purchase all the equipment you need to ensure the smooth running of a martial art match. Kendo referees can already purchase their flags online!
- We also published our third article about the manufacturing steps of your favorite Judogi. With this new episode of our little series of articles about “The story of the iconic Judogi”, dive with us in the heart of our Osaka workshop activity.
- October 28th was a very special day for Judo as it was the birthday of its inventor, Jigoro Kano. On this occasion, we realized a small focus on Kano Sensei, his life and his work for Judo development during his lifetime as well as his heritage.
Finally, the address of KuSakura’s Tokyo Showroom has changed and is now located on the 3rd floor of the NOGUCHI Building, 1-13-2 Hongou Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033. Still situated only 5 min away from the Kodokan, this new Showroom will be wider and better arranged, a quality that will allow us to welcome you in better conditions when you stop by to visit us during your stay in Tokyo.

Enjoy the monthly discount and see you soon on KuSakuraShop.com!
October Special Offer
15% OFF on all our belts and their embroideries (until October 28th, 10 am JPT)
15% OFF on All our Belts and their Embroideries

The end of the typhoon period always announces the arrival of one of the most beautiful season in Japan. The Momiji (maple) season is just starting, and it is undoubtedly the ideal period to enjoy the outstanding colors that wilting leaf offer during the Japanese autumn. A landscape and temperatures perfect for an unplanned outdoor training session.

Grades exams are over for some and approaching for others, it is now time to change your old fraying belt with a brand new KuSakura belt. And this month, KuSakura offers 15% OFF on all the belts and their embroideries! Whether you plan to pass a Kyu, a Dan or just would like to offer a new belt to your relatives, it is the moment to benefit from this offer which will be running until October 28th, 10 am (Japan Time).

September Report
- This month, we have released a brand new section on our website specifically dedicated to our blog articles. Through these various topics, you will be able to find out more about the brand KuSakura, Judo, and about martial arts in general. We deeply wish to share all our passion as well as our experience with our audience. All in all, we will do our best to keep a steady publication frequency, some months being busier than others, some of our articles might be delayed from time to time.
- September was the occasion to benefit from our exceptional “Back to The Dojo” monthly offer which has been well received by our customers who were able to get back to the dojo with equipment essential to be back on track in good conditions. Many of you decided to return to the Dojo with a new Judogi and regarding this point, our Competition Japan Judogi JOF model, specifically designed for competitors, turned out to be well appreciated this month. Furthermore, our Kuroobi Shusu Kodokan JGK model remains an unbeatable classic of our black belt line.
This month has been quite busy for our workshop in Osaka and October is set to be the same for our staff. Furthermore, the autumn season is the ideal period to practice any sport in Japan and it is particularly true within schools. October 14th is actually a public holiday, dedicated to “Health and Sports” and most probably that some of our staff at KuSakura will head to the dojo to practice their new techniques.

Enjoy this month discount and see you very soon on KuSakuraShop!
KuSakuraShop Blog Release
Visit the brand new KuSakuraShop Blog!

We are thrilled to announce the release of The KuSakuraShop Blog! Through some illustrated articles, we will be able to bring you behind the scenes of your favorite Judogi production. It will also be a good occasion to learn a little bit more about KuSakura in general, its products and its values.

Although some months will be busier than others, rest assured that we will try our best to keep a steady publication frequency.

Make sure to stay tuned for our actuality and to bookmark the KuSakuraShop Blog!
'Back To The Dojo' Special discount
15% on a selection of 10 essential products (until September 26th, 10 am JPT)
15% OFF on Our New Season-Essential Selection

It’s the end of summer holidays and the return to regular training sessions at the Dojo! We hope that you enjoyed your summer seminars for those who participated in some and that you are ready to get back to the Dojo on a sound basis.

After a rather cloudy summer, the incoming new season suggests a sunny spell in Japan, and we naturally thought about our customers by offering this month 15% on a selection of 10 essential products suiting both beginners and competitors. Whether it is a new bag to carry all your equipment safely, a brand new Judogi to get back to competition, or a Hanbo to work on your Kata, you will most certainly find what you need to start this season perfectly. Please note that this discount will end on September 26th at 10 am (Japan Time).

August Report
- The World Judo Championship has just ended and KuSakura was naturally present during the whole event with a booth crowded with passionate Judoka and determined athletes. We had the occasion to attend to some rounds which the best shots will be available soon on our social media. You can already find a picture of the fierce match opposing the Georgian Lasha SHAVDATUASHVILI against the Japanese Shohei ONO, winner of the -73 kg this year.
The summer season was the occasion for some of us to take some rest but also to prepare September and the return to the Dojo season. As usual, during this period, we foresee a rather busy month for our workshops in Osaka. But rest assured that everything is ready to make you live the best experience with KuSakura products as possible.

Enjoy the #BackToTheDojo discount and see you very soon on KuSakuraShop.com.
August Special Offer
15% Off on All Our Weapons! (until August 30th, 4 pm JPT)
15% OFF on all weapons!

A month is still left before the end of the summer holidays! The majority of people prefer to fully enjoy their last free summer moments, while the most passionate ones are already looking forward to getting back to the Dojo.

Anyway, we all better be ready to get back to training with the best equipment and as always KuSakura has planned everything by offering you the best for the practice of your Kata. With 15% OFF on all our weapons, you have everything you need to get back up to normal life on a clean slate with brand new Buki. An ideal offer for any Judoka demanding on the quality of the weapons they use. Please note that this offer will run only until August 30th.

O'Bon holidays will start soon, from August 12th to August 15th, this year. A Japanese Buddhist tradition to commemorate the ancestors in Japanese families. Filial piety indeed represents one of the pillars of Japanese society and culture. During this period, Japanese companies are used to close for a week in order to allow their employees to visit their family and the graves of their ancestors. It is also a great time of reunion for all generations within families.

Nevertheless, rest assured that you will be able to order normally during this whole period as the delay will be taken into account in our shipping estimation displayed on our website.
On an ending note, our team prepared a special surprise to help you get back on your daily life after long holiday weeks. If you would rather not get thrown away as soon as you just got back on the mates, prepare your workbooks and your knowledge about Kano’s sensei’s world!

Keep updated on KuSakura actuality!
Enjoy the discount, have fun on the mats and see you in our shops!
O'Bon & Summer Holidays 2019
Although KuSakuraShop will not close for the "O'Bon" period (Aug 12th to Aug 15th), our workshop will take a few days off, so all custom made orders will be delayed accordingly.

Although KuSakuraShop stays open all summer with a slightly reduced team, our craftsmen will take some time off, as it is customary during the "O'Bon" festival in Japan.

O'Bon is a Buddhist festival to honor the spirits of the ancestors, and it's also the time to go back to your hometown to celebrate with the family. Although the period can slightly vary depending on the region, most of our workshops close for more a less a week, at mid-August.
This year, it will be from Monday 12th to Thursday 15th.

During this time, the workshops will be completely closed, so we will not be able to provide quotations for custom made items, or to provide accurate production times. In addition, all custom made orders placed before and during O'bon will be naturally delayed by about a week if their production time includes the O'Bon period.

This delay is already taken into account in the estimations of the shipping dates that are displayed on all products, as well as in your carts before checkout. However, we expect no additional delays.

Enjoy the summer (sorry for our fellow friends in the South Hemisphere!) and see you soon on KuSakuraShop.com!