Right across the street from 1213 Walnut—and we mean right across the street—is Rikumo, a shop full of fine home and lifestyle goods made in Japan.

Rikumo opened in its current Midtown Village concept store in January 2016. Before that, the store was located at 13th and Callowhill, but the frequent lack of foot traffic made the eventual move to Center City a no-brainer.

“We have fallen more in line with the boutiques that are on 13th Street,” says store manager Miles Yeung. “It was also by chance—serendipitous—that the space was available.”

The inside of Rikumo (Photo courtesy of Morihata International Ltd. Co.)

Rikumo is a part of a larger wholesale company called Morihata, which was founded in 2005 by Yuka and Kaz Morihata in order to “bring the rich design heritage of Japan to retail outlets across America and Europe.”

They’ve certainly succeeded, too: According to Yeung, Morihata has supplied wholesale goods to major lifestyle brands such as Anthropologie, Goop and Restoration Hardware.

Yuka and Kaz Morihata (Photo courtesy of Morihata International Ltd. Co.)

The Morihatas, who are both from Tokyo, Japan, met in the United States as students at the Rhode Island School of Design. Yuka, who has a background in interior design, studied jewelry, while Kaz studied architecture. After some time spent back in Japan, Yuka returned to the United States and began importing Japanese goods, beginning with towels, which remain Rikumo’s signature item.

Back in Midtown Village, though, Rikumo is more than just a store: It’s a creative community space that offers monthly events to challenge the traditional retail experience. In the past, Rikumo has offered workshops in Shibori indigo dyeing, lectures as a part of Design Philly and even matcha tastings.

“We offer our own line of matcha, which is part of our own private label,” Yeung explains. “We really want people to come in, interact, learn about culture, learn about the product and just get people more involved.”

Cookware at Rikumo

Now, for the most important question: What three items from Rikumo are absolute apartment must-haves for new 1213 Walnut residents?

“I would suggest towels, ceramics and some cookware items,” says Yeung. “We have amazing cookware items. Things that are designed to be passed on generation to generation—you know, something that you can hold onto and cherish.”

Rikumo towels: A necessity

That connection that guests develop with products from Rikumo is central to the vision Yuka and Kaz Morihata maintain for the store: to shed new light on Japanese values and design within western culture.

“A lot of the products that we have are from famous Japanese designers or people who take old values and old ideas and put a modern spin on them, so it’s kind of a bridging of worlds,” Yeung says.

“We want people to come in and be able to connect with Japanese culture in a way that’s accessible.”

1213 Walnut meets 1216 Walnut

For new residents at 1213 Walnut, Rikumo is the perfect destination to stock up on home goods or to take a relaxing break from the otherwise bustling Midtown Village streets. Plus, all tenants will receive a 10% off coupon from Rikumo, along with design consultation and advice, to help outfit their gorgeous new apartments.

Book a tour of the building today, and then stop by the store to say hello!