Shopping Guide
HELP / FAQs
By onemall 
TL;DR
Japanese yarn brands split into the export names — Noro, ITO, Habu — and the domestic houses that make almost everything in a Japanese pattern book but rarely leave Japan: Hamanaka and its premium line Rich More, Daruma (Yokota), Puppy, Olympus, Ski, Diamond, NASKA, AVRIL and Pierrot. The tools are the other half of the search: Clover (Osaka) and Tulip (Hiroshima) make the needles and hooks sold worldwide, at Japanese shelf prices that are a third to a half lower than the export price.
- If you want one name: Noro for colour (¥1,155 for a Kureyon ball today), Hamanaka for everything in the pattern books, Clover and Tulip for tools.
- Cheapest way in: Daruma iroiro ¥363 a 20 g ball, Hamanaka Bonny ¥386, Pierrot Cotton Neat ¥418, Rich More Percent ¥528, a Clover Amure hook ¥660.
- The sets people import: Tulip Etimo Red hook set ¥9,464, Clover Takumi Combo circular set ¥13,145, Tulip Carry C Long ¥16,980.
- Sizes: Japanese needles are numbered 0–15号 (2.1–6.6 mm), hooks 2/0–10/0 (2.0–6.0 mm); full conversion tables below. Yarn weights are namibuto (worsted), aibuto (DK), chuboso (sport), gokubuto (bulky).
- Shipping: yarn is light and unrestricted; a ten-ball box plus a needle set is well under 1 kg by Japan Post or DHL (times and tracking).
How the Japanese yarn market works
Japan has a handful of large yarn companies rather than hundreds of indie dyers. Hamanaka (Kyoto), Daruma’s parent Yokota (Kyoto), Puppy and Ski (Tokyo), Olympus (Nagoya) and Diamond (Osaka) spin or commission their lines, publish the pattern books that use them, and sell through the craft chains — Yuzawaya, Okadaya, ABC Craft — and through Rakuten. Because the pattern books name the yarn and the needle size, a Japanese pattern is usually written for a Japanese yarn, which is why searches for “Hamanaka Piccolo substitute” and “Japanese yarn brands” go together. Noro in Aichi is the exception: it built its business on export and is easier to find in a US yarn shop than in a Japanese one.
Japanese yarn brands: who makes what
| Brand | Where / since | Lines to search | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noro (野呂英作, Eisaku Noro & Co.) | Ichinomiya, Aichi (est. 1972) | Kureyon, Silk Garden, Silk Garden Sock, Ito, Kama, Taiyo, Malabrigo-style long-repeat colourways numbered by colour, Marble, Ice Cream, Sonata, Kureopatora; also weaving yarns | The one Japanese yarn brand every knitter abroad knows[1]: hand-blended wool, silk, mohair and kid mohair in long self-striping repeats. A 50 g ball of Kureyon is ¥1,155 on Rakuten today; a three-ball Silk Garden lot on Mercari is ¥4,000; the 150 g Koma ball ¥4,785 on Amazon Japan. Sold abroad through Knitting Fever (US) and Designer Yarns (UK) at roughly double the Japanese shelf price. |
| Hamanaka (ハマナカ) | Kyoto (est. 1940) | Amerry and Amerry F/L (wool-acrylic, the Japanese DK/aran standard), Bonny (bulky acrylic, the amigurumi yarn), Exceed Wool (extrafine merino), Sonomono (undyed alpaca-wool), Piccolo, Wash Cotton, Eco Andaria (raffia-look rayon for hats and bags), itoa amigurumi yarn, Cotton Nottoc, Aran Tweed, Men’s Club Master; kits, needles, felting | The biggest hand-knitting yarn company in Japan and the one behind most Japanese pattern books[2]. Ten balls of Amerry F are ¥4,900 today, a Bonny ball ¥386, Exceed Wool FL ¥752, five balls of Junmo Chuboso (pure wool fingering) ¥2,500, itoa amigurumi yarn ¥396 a ball; the Chiikawa amigurumi kit is ¥1,320 on Amazon Japan. |
| Rich More (リッチモア, Hamanaka’s premium line) | Kyoto | Percent (the 100-colour wool DK), Spectre Modem, Excellent Mohair Count 10, Warbonnet, Cocoon, Gerty, Bacara, Cashmere lines | Hamanaka’s higher-end label with its own pattern books; Percent is the workhorse colourwork yarn in Japanese magazines, ¥528 a 40 g ball today. |
| Daruma (ダルマ, Yokota & Co.) | Kyoto (est. 1901) | iroiro (20 g mini balls in 50 colours), Merino Style, Airy Wool Alpaca, Wool Mohair, Wool Roving, Pom Pom Wool, Geek, Loops, Soft Lambs, Knitting Cotton, Linen Ramie Cotton, Crochet Café, Daruma Lace Yarn #20/#30/#40, sashiko thread, Daruma Home yarn twister | The Kyoto thread house[3] behind the iroiro craze — ¥363 a 20 g ball today — and the classic Daruma lace threads (¥950 for #20). Airy Wool Alpaca is ¥792 a ball, a five-ball Wool Mohair set ¥3,850. Its sashiko thread is the same company. |
| Puppy (パピー) | Tokyo | British Eroika (the aran standard), British Fine, Queen Anny, Shetland, Kid Mohair Fine, Alpaca Mollis, Pima Basic, Puppy New 4PLY, Princess Anny, Julika Mohair, Cotton Kona | The yarn house of the Tokyo knitting-school world; British Eroika is ¥804 a 50 g ball today. The brand most often called for in Nihon Vogue’s Keito Dama magazine after Hamanaka. |
| Olympus (オリムパス製絲) | Nagoya (est. 1908) | Emmy Grande lace thread (the tatting and doily standard), Make Make, Shizuku, Tree House series (Famille, Palace, Leaves), Shizen no Tsumugi, Sonata cotton; also sashiko thread, embroidery floss and cross-stitch kits | Japan’s lace-thread and embroidery-thread maker[6]; Emmy Grande 50 g is ¥1,100 today and three 100 g balls of Make Make merino ¥4,350. |
| Ski Yarn (スキー毛糸, Motohiro) | Tokyo | Ski Shelly, Ski Tasmanian Polwarth, Ski Neige, Ski Bambi, Ski Swimmy, Luge print cotton, Shaved Star | The other old-line Tokyo yarn brand; a ten-ball Shelly pure-wool pack is ¥2,200 on Amazon Japan. |
| Diamond Yarn (ダイヤモンド毛糸, Diakeito) | Osaka | Dia Tasmanian Merino, Dia Gold, Dia Monet, Dia Exceed, Master Seed Cotton, Dia Domina | Osaka’s big yarn house, strong on merino and printed multicolour yarns; ten balls of Dia Tasmanian Merino are ¥6,100 today. |
| NASKA (Naito Shoji, 内藤商事) | Tokyo | Everyday Solid and Everyday Print (100 g budget wool-acrylic), Hi Bubble, Diana, Naif Mela, Alpaca lines | The wholesaler brand behind a lot of Japanese craft-store house yarn; Everyday Solid is ¥633 a 100 g ball on sale today. |
| AVRIL (アヴリル) | Kyoto (Ichijoji) and Tokyo (Kichijoji) | Fancy yarns sold by the metre or on cones: Cotton Gima, Wool Gima, Kibiso silk, paper yarns, mohair loops, hikisoroe (plied-together) sets | The designer-yarn shop of Kyoto; lots turn up on Mercari, such as a five-cone hikisoroe set at ¥1,560 today. |
| ITO Yarn (イトー) | Tokyo | Kinu (silk noil), Sensai (mohair-silk lace), Shio, Gima (paper-like cotton), Urugami (washi paper yarn), Rakuda, Tetsu | The Japanese yarn most sold in European and US indie yarn shops; the paper yarns (Urugami, Gima) are the “Japanese paper yarn” people search for. |
| Pierrot (毛糸ピエロ, Gosyo) | Aichi | Basic Cotton, Cotton Neat, Fine Merino, Framboise, Soft Merino, Fruit Cotton; hundreds of free Japanese patterns on its site | Japan’s budget online yarn brand; Cotton Neat is ¥418 a ball today. |
| Amimonet, Yuzawaya, Okadaya and the craft-chain house brands | Osaka / Tokyo | Store-brand alpaca and wool (Amimonet natural alpaca DK ¥470), Yuzawaya’s exclusive Noro colourways (¥2,200 for Ice Cream), Okadaya Shinjuku’s wall of Japanese and imported yarn | Where Japanese knitters actually shop; Yuzawaya and Okadaya are the chains, Amimonet and Pierrot the online-only houses. |
| Habu Textiles | New York (Japanese-run) | Silk stainless steel, kibiso, bamboo, linen paper — Japanese mill yarns sold in the US | Not a Japanese company but Japanese-sourced; listed because “Japanese yarn brands” searches always include it. |
Japanese knitting needle and crochet hook brands
Hiroshima has been Japan’s needle town since the Edo period; Osaka’s Clover grew out of the same craft-tool trade. Between them they make most of the bamboo needles and cushioned hooks sold in the West.
| Brand | Where / since | What to search | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover (クロバー) | Osaka (est. 1925) | Takumi bamboo straight, double-pointed (¥1,557 for a set of four 15-gauge) and circular needles, the Takumi Combo interchangeable set (¥13,145 today), Amour / Amure soft-grip crochet hooks (¥660 each, ¥5,080 for the eight-size set), Pen-E hooks (¥6,732 for the set), Soft Touch hooks, stitch markers (¥567), Petit darning-needle set (¥540), pom-pom makers, Kantan Couture bead tool | The Clover sold in every US and UK craft shop is this Osaka company[4]; Japanese shelf prices are typically a third to a half lower than the export price. “Amour” abroad is “Amure” in Japan. |
| Tulip (チューリップ) | Hiroshima (est. 1948) | Etimo Red (¥9,464 for the set), Etimo Rose (¥11,310), Etimo Grand jumbo hooks, Etimo Premium Gold, Sucre bead-crochet hooks, Carry C and Carry C Long interchangeable bamboo circulars (¥10,208 for the fine-size set, ¥16,980 for Long), Knina steel circulars, sewing and beading needles | Hiroshima has made needles since the Edo period and Tulip is its biggest maker[5]; Etimo hooks are the crochet hook Reddit recommends against Clover Amour. Inline-versus-tapered: Etimo is tapered with a cushioned grip. |
| Seeknit (Kinki Amibari, 近畿編針) | Nara | Shirotake and Koshitsu bamboo needles, Seeknit Umber interchangeable sets, double-pointed sets in 10 cm and 15 cm | The bamboo-needle specialist; sold abroad as Seeknit, in Japan under the Kinki name. |
| Hamanaka Ami-Ami | Kyoto | Ami-Ami bamboo straights and double-points, jumbo hooks, the beginner tool sets sold with kits | Hamanaka’s own tool line; the needles in most Japanese starter kits. |
| Daruma, Olympus and Avril accessories | Kyoto / Nagoya | Daruma stitch markers and row counters, Olympus lace hooks for Emmy Grande, Avril spool holders and the yarn twister | Small accessories that ship cheaply in the same box as the yarn. |
Six of those
A Noro ball, a Hamanaka box, a Daruma mini ball and the three tool sets people most often import from Japan.
Japanese knitting needle sizes to mm and US / UK
Japanese needles use a 号 (gou) number in 0.3 mm steps, which does not line up with US or UK sizes; the nearest equivalent is given, and a Japanese pattern that says “8号” means 4.5 mm.
| Japanese size (号) | mm | Nearest US / UK |
|---|---|---|
| 0号 (0-gou) | 2.1 mm | US 0 (2.0 mm) / UK 14 |
| 1号 | 2.4 mm | US 1 (2.25) / UK 13 |
| 2号 | 2.7 mm | US 2 (2.75) / UK 12 |
| 3号 | 3.0 mm | US 2½ / UK 11 |
| 4号 | 3.3 mm | US 3 (3.25) / UK 10 |
| 5号 | 3.6 mm | US 4 (3.5) / UK 9 |
| 6号 | 3.9 mm | US 5–6 (3.75–4.0) / UK 8 |
| 7号 | 4.2 mm | US 6 (4.0) / UK 8 |
| 8号 | 4.5 mm | US 7 (4.5) / UK 7 |
| 9号 | 4.8 mm | US 7–8 / UK 6 |
| 10号 | 5.1 mm | US 8 (5.0) / UK 6 |
| 11号 | 5.4 mm | US 9 (5.5) / UK 5 |
| 12号 | 5.7 mm | US 9–10 / UK 5 |
| 13号 | 6.0 mm | US 10 (6.0) / UK 4 |
| 14号 | 6.3 mm | US 10 / UK 3 |
| 15号 | 6.6 mm | US 10½ (6.5) / UK 3 |
| 7 mm (ジャンボ) | 7.0 mm | US 10¾ / UK 2 |
| 8 mm | 8.0 mm | US 11 / UK 0 |
| 10 mm | 10.0 mm | US 15 / UK 000 |
| 12 / 15 / 20 / 25 mm | as marked | US 17 / 19 / 35 / 50 |
Japanese crochet hook sizes to mm
Standard hooks are written “n/0号” and lace hooks with a plain number — a bigger lace number is a thinner hook.
| Japanese hook size | mm | Nearest US / UK |
|---|---|---|
| 2/0号 | 2.0 mm | US B-1 / UK 14 |
| 3/0号 | 2.3 mm | US B-1–C-2 |
| 4/0号 | 2.5 mm | US C-2 / UK 12 |
| 5/0号 | 3.0 mm | US D-3 / UK 11 |
| 6/0号 | 3.5 mm | US E-4 / UK 9 |
| 7/0号 | 4.0 mm | US G-6 / UK 8 |
| 7.5/0号 | 4.5 mm | US 7 / UK 7 |
| 8/0号 | 5.0 mm | US H-8 / UK 6 |
| 9/0号 | 5.5 mm | US I-9 / UK 5 |
| 10/0号 | 6.0 mm | US J-10 / UK 4 |
| 7 mm / 8 mm / 10 mm jumbo | as marked | US K–P |
| Lace 0号 | 1.75 mm | US steel 4–5 |
| Lace 2号 | 1.5 mm | US steel 7 |
| Lace 4号 | 1.25 mm | US steel 9 |
| Lace 6号 | 1.0 mm | US steel 11 |
| Lace 8号 | 0.9 mm | US steel 12 |
| Lace 10号 / 12号 / 14号 | 0.75 / 0.6 / 0.5 mm | US steel 13 / 14 |
Japanese yarn weights: namibuto, aibuto, chuboso, gokubuto
| Japanese label | Western weight | Needles | Typical yarns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 極細 gokuboso | lace / 2-ply | Lace hooks, 0–2号 needles | Emmy Grande, Daruma Lace #40 |
| 合細 aiboso | fingering / 3-ply | 1–3号 | Puppy New 4PLY, Daruma Merino Style aiboso |
| 中細 chuboso | sport / 4-ply | 2–4号 | Hamanaka Junmo Chuboso, Ski Chuboso, Dia Gold |
| 合太 aibuto | DK / light worsted | 5–7号 | Amerry F, Exceed Wool FL, Rich More Percent |
| 並太 namibuto | worsted / aran | 6–9号 | Amerry, British Eroika, Exceed Wool L, Everyday Solid, Sonomono |
| 極太 gokubuto | bulky / chunky | 10–15号 | Bonny, Amerry L, Pom Pom Wool |
| 超極太 chogokubuto | super bulky / jumbo | 7–15 mm jumbo | Hamanaka Jumbony, Sonomono Super Bulky, T-shirt yarn |
Japanese knitting and crochet pattern books, publishers and kits
| Publisher / kit | What to search | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nihon Vogue (日本ヴォーグ社) | Keito Dama magazine, Knit Marche (¥1,650 for vol. 32 today), the “Kihon” basics series (¥799 for the crochet basics book used on Mercari), Hitomi Shida’s stitch dictionaries (the “Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible” in English), Yoko Hatta, Michiyo; runs the Vogue Gakuen knitting schools | The publisher behind most Japanese knitting books[7], and the origin of the charted-symbol system (JIS symbols) the world calls “Japanese knitting patterns”. |
| Applemints (アップルミンツ, E&G Creates) | Crochet motif, doily, amigurumi and bag pattern books; the kaleidoscope-pattern and Japanese-flower motif books | The crochet-diagram publisher; symbols only, so English readers can follow them. |
| Bunka Shuppankyoku, Shufunotomo, Seibundo Shinkosha, Kawade | Designer books (Junko Okamoto, Keiko Okamoto, Mariko Mikuni), amigurumi (Ami Ami Dogs, Hansigurumi), the Aran and Fair Isle titles | Most sell for ¥1,300–2,000 new; used copies on Mercari from a few hundred yen. |
| Amigurumi kits (Hamanaka, Olympus, Pierrot) | Hamanaka bear five-kit set ¥4,400, Chiikawa kit ¥1,320, sheep dress-up kits, Sumikko Gurashi, San-X and Sanrio licences | Amigurumi (あみぐるみ) is a Japanese word and the licensed character kits only exist in Japan. |
| Amirisu, Keito, Walnut Kyoto | Bilingual Amirisu magazine (Kyoto), the Keito shop in Tokyo and Walnut in Kyoto stocking Japanese and imported yarn | The English-friendly end of the Japanese knitting scene; their patterns are on Ravelry. |
What Japanese yarn and tools cost in Japan today: live listings
Every row is a listing on sale on 20 September 2026, read from the shop page the morning this article went live; asking prices in yen before proxy fees and shipping. Rakuten rows are new stock from Japanese craft retailers; Mercari rows are private sellers, mostly unused balls, discontinued colours and used books.
Japanese yarn terms to read a listing
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 毛糸 / 編み糸 | keito / amiito | yarn (literally wool thread) / knitting yarn — the word to search |
| 編み物 / 棒針編み / かぎ針編み | amimono / bobari-ami / kagibari-ami | knitting and crochet in general / knitting / crochet |
| 棒針 / 輪針 / かぎ針 / レース針 / とじ針 | bobari / wabari / kagibari / resu-bari / tojibari | straight needles / circular needles / crochet hook / lace hook / darning needle |
| 切り替え式 / 付け替え | kirikae-shiki / tsukekae | interchangeable (needle set) |
| 玉 / かせ / コーン | tama / kase / kon | ball / hank (skein) / cone |
| ロット / 同ロット | rotto / do-rotto | dye lot / same dye lot (what to check in a Mercari multi-ball listing) |
| 廃番 / 廃盤 / 生産終了 | haiban / seisan-shuryo | discontinued colour or line (Rakuten sells these off; Mercari is where they live afterwards) |
| 色番 / 検品番 | irobán / kenpin-ban | colour number / quality (check) number on the ball band |
| 編み図 / 記号 | amizu / kigo | chart / symbols (the JIS chart symbols Japanese patterns are written in) |
| ゲージ / 目 / 段 | geji / me / dan | gauge / stitch / row (10 cm × 10 cm gauge is given as “20目28段”) |
| 段数マーカー / 目数リング | dansu-maka / mesu-ringu | row counter / stitch marker |
| あみぐるみ | amigurumi | crocheted stuffed toy (from ami, knitted, + nuigurumi, stuffed toy) |
| 並太 / 合太 / 中細 / 極太 | namibuto / aibuto / chuboso / gokubuto | the four weight words that appear on nearly every label (see the weight table) |
| 純毛 / ウール / アクリル / 素材 | junmo / uru / akuriru / sozai | pure wool / wool / acrylic / fibre content |
| 未使用 / 未開封 / 余り糸 | mishiyo / mikaifu / amari-ito | unused / unopened / leftover yarn (the three Mercari condition words) |
Where to buy Japanese yarn from Japan
- Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping carry the craft retailers (Kojima, Yuzawaya, Amimonet, Pierrot) with full colour cards and ten-ball boxes; the price is the Japanese shelf price.
- Mercari Japan is where discontinued Noro colourways, half-used lots and out-of-print pattern books go — search the brand in Japanese plus 未使用 (unused) and check 同ロット (same dye lot) for multi-ball listings.
- Amazon Japan lists Noro, Hamanaka, Daruma, Clover and Tulip under English titles; prices are close to Rakuten and the links in this article resolve through proxy search.
- Yahoo! Japan Auctions for bulk lots (まとめ売り) of yarn and for vintage pattern books.
Buying at the source works through a proxy service (the best ones compared, the cheapest fees). The stationery, woodworking tools, silk and ceramics guides cover the other Japanese craft categories in the same format; the knife and tea brand guides follow this one.
Shipping yarn from Japan
- Weight and size: ten 50 g balls are 600 g packed; add a needle set and a book and a typical order is 1–1.5 kg. Yarn compresses, so ask for a small box; carriers charge by volumetric weight when it is larger than the real weight.
- Carrier: Japan Post small packet or air for a couple of kilos, DHL when it is heavier or you want it in a week (the shipping-time guide).
- Customs: yarn and needles have no restrictions; duty thresholds are in the import-tax guide. Wool and alpaca are not subject to the plant and food inspections that catch tea and snacks.
Quick answers: the Japanese yarn and needle questions people search
| Question people search | Answer |
|---|---|
| Best Japanese yarn brands? | Noro for colour, Hamanaka and Rich More for the everyday and pattern-book yarns, Daruma for iroiro and lace thread, Puppy for classic wool, Olympus for lace and embroidery thread, ITO and AVRIL for designer fibres; Diamond, Ski and NASKA are the other big houses. The table above has twenty-plus. |
| Japanese knitting needle brands? Japanese crochet hook brands? | Clover (Takumi bamboo, Amure / Amour hooks, Pen-E, Soft Touch), Tulip (Etimo hooks, Carry C bamboo circulars, Sucre bead hooks), Seeknit / Kinki Amibari (bamboo), Hamanaka Ami-Ami. Clover is Osaka, Tulip is Hiroshima, Seeknit is Nara. |
| Tulip vs Clover crochet hooks? Etimo vs Amour? | Both are tapered with a cushion grip; Etimo has a slightly longer, narrower handle and a polished tip, Amour a fatter rubber grip. Prices in Japan: an Amure hook is a few hundred yen, the Etimo Red set under ¥10,000 — see the live table. Neither is inline; for inline hooks look at US brands. |
| Where are Tulip crochet hooks made? Where is Noro yarn made? Clover? | Tulip: Hiroshima, Japan. Noro: Ichinomiya, Aichi (the spinning-mill town). Clover: Osaka (needles are made in Japan; some accessories are made abroad, check the pack). |
| Japanese knitting needle sizes / Japanese crochet hook sizes in mm? | Needles run 0号 = 2.1 mm up to 15号 = 6.6 mm in 0.3 mm steps, then jumbo 7–25 mm; hooks run 2/0 = 2.0 mm to 10/0 = 6.0 mm and lace hooks 0号 = 1.75 mm down to 14号 = 0.5 mm. Both full tables are above. |
| Japanese knitting pattern symbols / diagram / abbreviations / how to read Japanese patterns? | Japanese patterns are charted with JIS symbols (記号) rather than written; the same symbols are used by every publisher, so one key works for all books. Needle size, yarn weight and gauge (ゲージ) are in the header. The English-language keys are in Hitomi Shida’s stitch bible and on the Nihon Vogue site. |
| Japanese knitting books in English / pdf / free download? | Official English editions exist for Shida, Hatta, Michiyo and Nihon Vogue’s stitch dictionaries (Tuttle). Free pdfs on the internet are pirated scans; the books are ¥1,300–2,000 new on Rakuten and a few hundred yen used on Mercari, which is cheaper than the English editions. |
| Best amigurumi yarn (Japanese)? Hamanaka Piccolo substitute? | Hamanaka Bonny (bulky acrylic) is the yarn most Japanese amigurumi books call for; Piccolo (acrylic-wool sport) is the fine one; itoa is the newer amigurumi-specific line. Substitutes abroad: any sport-weight acrylic for Piccolo, worsted acrylic for Bonny. |
| Noro yarn: Kureyon vs Silk Garden? Substitutes? Ravelry, gauge, socks, crochet patterns? | Kureyon is 100% wool aran, Silk Garden adds silk and mohair; Silk Garden Sock and Kureyon Sock are the sock weights. Gauge is on Ravelry per line. Japanese price is roughly half of the US price, which is why people import it. |
| Japanese washi paper yarn / linen paper yarn? | Daruma, ITO (Urugami) and AVRIL make paper yarns; Hamanaka Eco Andaria is the rayon raffia-look yarn used for summer hats and bags. |
| Japanese knitting terms / knitting in Japanese hiragana / what is knitting called in Japan? | Knitting is amimono (編み物) or bobari-ami; crochet is kagibari-ami; yarn is keito. The term table above has the rest. |
| Japanese yarn in the USA / UK / Australia / Canada / Amazon? | Noro (via Knitting Fever and Designer Yarns), ITO, Habu and Clover and Tulip tools are distributed abroad; Hamanaka, Daruma, Puppy, Olympus, Rich More, Diamond, Ski and NASKA mostly are not, which is what the proxy links on this page are for. |
| Japanese yarn shops in Tokyo / Kyoto / Osaka? | Tokyo: Okadaya (Shinjuku), Yuzawaya (Kichijoji, Kamata), Keito (Kuramae), AVRIL Kichijoji. Kyoto: AVRIL Ichijoji, Walnut, Amirisu. Osaka: Yuzawaya Namba, ABC Craft. Daiso and Seria sell ¥110 yarn. |
| Daruma iroiro / Daruma Home / Daruma loops? | iroiro is the 20 g, 50-colour mini-ball line (great for colourwork and amigurumi); Daruma Home is the craft-accessory line (yarn twister); Loops is a bouclé. |
| Japanese crochet: bag, hat, vest, doily, motif, maple leaf, plushies? | The Applemints and Nihon Vogue crochet books cover all of these in charts; the maple-leaf and kaleidoscope motif books are Applemints; for bags search Eco Andaria patterns. |
FAQ
What is the most famous Japanese yarn brand?
Noro, by a distance, outside Japan. Inside Japan it is Hamanaka: its Amerry, Bonny and Exceed Wool are what the pattern books call for and what every craft shop stocks.
Is Japanese yarn cheaper in Japan?
Yes. Noro sells in Japan for roughly half its US or UK price; Clover and Tulip tools for a third to a half less. Domestic brands such as Hamanaka and Daruma are not sold abroad at all, or only through resellers at a premium.
Which Japanese crochet hook is best, Tulip Etimo or Clover Amour?
Both are tapered, cushioned hooks; the choice is handle shape. Etimo is longer and slimmer with a polished tip, Amour (Amure in Japan) has the fatter grip. Buy a single hook of each first — a few hundred yen — before a set.
What size is a Japanese 8号 needle? A 5/0 hook?
8号 is 4.5 mm (US 7). A 5/0 hook is 3.0 mm (US D-3). The full tables are above.
Can I read a Japanese knitting pattern without Japanese?
Mostly. The charts use standard JIS symbols with the yarn, needle size and gauge in the header; you need the symbol key and the weight and size tables on this page. Written instructions in the margins are the only part that needs translation.
What does amigurumi mean?
Ami (knitted or crocheted) plus nuigurumi (stuffed toy): a crocheted stuffed toy. The word, the technique and the licensed character kits (Chiikawa, Sumikko Gurashi, Sanrio) are Japanese.
Related reading
- Japanese stationery brands · Japanese woodworking hand tools · Japanese silk from Japan · Japanese ceramics and tableware
- Japanese knife brands · Japanese camera brands · Japanese tea brands · Japanese makeup brands — the other brand guides in this series
- Import tax and customs when buying from Japan · Shipping times and tracking from Japan
Last updated: 20 September 2026. Listing prices read from live Japanese listings on 20 September 2026; company locations and founding dates from the makers’ own pages.
References
- Eisaku Noro & Co. — official site (Ichinomiya, Aichi). eisakunoro.com
- Hamanaka — official site (Kyoto). hamanaka.co.jp
- Yokota & Co. (DARUMA) — official site (Kyoto). daruma-ito.co.jp
- Clover Mfg. Co. — official site (Osaka). clover.co.jp
- Tulip Co. — official site (Hiroshima). tulip-japan.co.jp
- Olympus Thread Mfg. Co. — official site (Nagoya). olympus-thread.com
- Nihon Vogue — official site (Tokyo). tezukuritown.com