Hello, We’re nap inc.
We take pride in craftsmanship
and never skimp on time and effort.
Profile
Makoto KawaiCEO / Designer
Born in 1972.
As a child, he would drill holes in metal with a drill press in his grandfather's small workshop. The smell of burning iron and oil made him feel like an adult. Before he knew it, he was an auto repair technician. He then got a job at a secondhand clothing wholesaler. In the mid-90s, he went to America to buy secondhand clothes, where he met a leather craftsman, which led to his current job. He started THE SUPERIOR LABOR in the 2007 Spring/Summer season. His experience in auto repair has had a major influence on TSL's manufacturing process and approach.
We take pride in craftsmanship and never skimp on time and effort.
Company milestones
- 1999
- Founded nap, a pet supply store selling dog goods and premium dog food.
- 2005
- Incorporated as nap Limited Company
- 2006
- Started prototyping for their own brand THE SUPERIOR LABOR
- 2007
- THE SUPERIOR LABOR will debut in the spring and summer collection
- 2008
- THE SUPERIOR LABOR's first overseas transaction begins
Sewing department launched in Kurashiki
- 2012
- Café & Things Hachigahana, which uses local ingredients, will open on the premises.
This area, with its many small buildings, is now known as nap village.
Winner of the Good Design Award for the complex commercial facility
- 2013
- Cafe & things Hachigahana using local ingredients opens
Winner of the Good Design Award for the complex commercial facility
- 2018
- &things Hachigahana is remodeled into TSL Store & Lab, becoming a directly managed store of THE SUPERIOR LABOR.
- 2020
- Coronavirus sweeps the world, closing TSL Store & Lab
- 2022
- Opened a directly managed store, TSL Kurashiki, in Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter.
- 2023
- Guesthouse Kinenan is built in nap village.
- 2024
- Opened the TSL STORE&LAB, a workshop and store, in Kurashiki
Company Profile
- Company Name:
- nap Ltd.
- Headquarters:
- 2395-5 Ueda Higashi, Kibichuo-cho, Kaga-gun, Okayama Prefecture (Head office)
- Representative:
- Makoto Kawai
- Established:
- 2005 (founded in 1999)
- Business Activities:
- Production, wholesale, retail and store design of private brand products
- Number of Artisans & Staff:
14 full-time employees Part-time/casual workers: 7 people 3 officers (nap village 15 people TSL Kurashiki + TSL STORE & LAB 9 people)
As of February 2025
T.S.L Kurashiki
THE SUPERIOR LABOR's directly managed store located in Kurashiki City's Bikan Historical Quarter.
The first floor of the store, which was renovated from a detached building belonging to Hayashi Genjuro Shoten, sells THE SUPERIOR LABOR, while the second floor sells travel-themed stationery and miscellaneous goods, with a focus on the Traveler's Notebook.
- 710-0055
Okayama Prefecture, Kurashiki City, Achi 2-23-10 Hayashi Genjuro Shoten Tenant Building C
- Tel
- OPEN
10:00-18:00
- CLOSE
Mondays and Tuesdays (Tuesdays and Wednesdays if Monday is a public holiday)
tsl.kurashiki@nap-dog.com
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GUEST HOUSE
INEMURIAN
Inemurian is a Japanese-Western style guesthouse with a modern dining room and Japanese-style guest rooms. The hearth (okudosan) and American-made wood-burning stove, both relocated from an old Japanese house, provide a warm welcome to curious guests from all over the world.
TSL STORE & LAB
A workshop and store where you can experience THE SUPERIOR LABOR's roots and crafts.
Head south down the main street in front of Kurashiki Station, turn right at the traffic light at the corner of Kurashiki City Central Library, and about 50 meters ahead you'll see this sign and a Rabbit scooter. This place is half workshop, half store, and there is no door separating the workshop from the store, so you can often see freshly baked products lined up, just like a local bakery.
- 710-0046
2-12-25 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
- Tel
- OPEN
10:00-18:00
- CLOSE
Mondays and Tuesdays (Tuesdays and Wednesdays if Monday is a public holiday)
tsl.kurashiki@nap-dog.com
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The history of our place “nap village”
From the former Enjo Elementary School Kamoyama Branch to nap village
I moved here from the city in February 2012.
One of my fondest memories is moving in the snow.
napvillage is the site of a mountain branch school that was established in May 1947, just after the end of the war.
The school building we are currently working in was newly built in August 1949.
Following this, in March 1952, the playground was renovated, and the school finally began to look like a real school.
There are still old cherry trees and maple trees around the small playground, and they still show the changing seasons just as they did back then.
It has been 44 years since the company first started out in the chaos of the post-war period, building a shack made of logs tied together with rope and topped with a thatched or branch roof.
The mountain branch school, which had produced over 170 students, ceased its role as a pioneer village in April 1991.
Time passed, and in February 2012, we vacated our workshop in Okayama City and our sewing factory in Kurashiki City and moved here.
The wooden, single-story school building was left as it was when it was built, and shops, factories, and residences were scattered around the site, creating a "small village" atmosphere.
This was the beginning of “napvillage”.
Mobile phone companies don't work, winters are long and cold,
That was the beginning, but the colder the winter, the stronger the warmth of spring felt.
Enjoy the summer to the fullest.
Although there are many inconveniences, each season has its own job to do.
I like it because it has more variety than the flat life in the city.
And I strongly believe that coming here was the right decision.
Mobile phone signals are still weak.
The former Enjo Elementary School Kamoyama Branch, built in 1949.
In 2012, it won the Good Design Award as a complex commercial facility where people can create, sell, and live.
Around
About the area around nap village.
Mount Hongu
Near napvillage is a place called "Yama no Kami Toge." Three shrines, "Yamajingu," which used to stand here, "Kaijinja," and "Ryuosha," are enshrined at the summit of Mount Hongu. Yamajingu has a deep connection with Kake Shrine, and the mountain holds special meaning for the local people.
Yoshida Farm
Yoshida Farm's cheese-making process, which begins with raising cattle, is unique to this region. The cheese, whose flavor changes with the seasons, really gives you the feeling that you are "eating" the bounty of Japan's four seasons and the land.
Kaki Shrine
Founded during the Yoro era (717-723), this is the local shrine for the napvillage area. Surrounded by cedar forests, the shrine has an atmosphere that makes you feel the presence of the mountain god. This is the place to visit for the first time in the New Year.
Philosophy
The road continues forever
Previously worked as an auto repair technician (mainly painting),
He went to the United States and gained experience buying second-hand clothes, making leather crafts, and selling pet supplies.
Looking back now, I feel like none of them are separate but are connected to one another.
Now I have my own brand and live in the mountains. Of course, this is still ongoing,
Put in plenty of experience so far.
The experience I have gained is melted and mixed,
I want to create products that make customers say "Hmmmm."
And from now on, I don't know where I'm heading
I'm looking forward to the sequel.