Are you sleeping in a used school bag or closet?

Aug 19 11:23

Elementary school buddy, randoseru.

It will finish its role after graduation, but there are probably many people who cannot throw it away even though it has no use.

In Yamanashi Prefecture, there is a craftsman who breathes life into a randoseru that has been sleeping at home.

(Kofu Broadcasting Station Reporter Kaisei Shimizu)

Waiting for one year Yamanashi's featured craftsmen

Wallets and business card holders with red and white stitching.

All made from randoseru.

It was made by Aya Ueda from Ichikawamisato Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, a leather craftsman whose main business is making custom-made leather products.

Three years ago, I started remaking randoseru, which had finished its role, after a friend asked me to give a remade version of the randoseru that my grandmother bought for my daughter who was coming of age.

The reputation spread and orders came from inside and outside the prefecture.

It is said that there is currently a one-year wait.

Mr. Ueda:

“People who can’t throw it away, or who can’t bear to throw it away, bring it.

The new request is a simultaneous remake of the three brothers

This year, a big request came in.

It is a remake of the three brothers' randoseru.

Akiko Saito, who made the request, said that she would like to give a commemorative gift to her eldest son, Shota, who will be 20 years old next year when he will be living away from home after entering university. I ordered from

Akiko Saito

"I sympathized with the fact that you can remake a school bag full of memories and return it to your own hands."

Shouta's randoseru is said to be a special gift that his grandmother and grandfather, who passed away 11 years ago, bought for him as an entrance gift.

Ms. Akiko Saito:

“She was very kind to me, and every day for six years she would see me off at the corner of the traffic lights and pick me up every morning. I think

Leave scratches and dirt on purpose

Mr. Ueda entrusted with his thoughts.

She ended up making purses and coin cases for her family of six using the three randoseru.

It is said that it is difficult to make a randoseru that has been used for six years, which is different from making a new material.

Ryota, the second son who loved to play outside, had his randoseru crushed and deformed.

The surface was also peeling off, so I decided to make Ryota's wallet out of the two brothers' randoseru.

In the remake process, the material cut from the randoseru is combined with another piece of leather and sewn together with thread.

Scratches and stains are intentionally left as the individuality of each person.

In addition, we used randoseru lining on the inside of the wallet to retain the randoseru-likeness.

Mr. Ueda:

“I heard that when I received the order, I picked the scar.The scar has a story of 6 years, so I will use it without avoiding it.”

About 2 weeks from the start of production.

A souvenir is complete.

"Randoseru" that has begun to tick away time again

On this day, Mr. Ueda prepared a surprise for the Saito family who came to pick it up.

I made a key case from Mr. Ryota's randoseru, who gave up his wallet because it was in tatters.

Ryota Saito:

"I'm hurt so much that I can immediately recognize that it's mine, and I wonder if it's a memory."

Mother Akiko:

"I can feel the warmth of manual work, and I'm impressed that you changed the shape with various memories and made it into something you always wear. I want you to use it every day like a randoseru."

school bag in storage

According to a survey conducted by Nagoya City's "Good Service", which buys unnecessary items, more than 75% of parents with children in the sixth grade, in fact more than 3 out of 4 people, have used school bags after graduation. Regarding the handling of , it means that "it has not been decided yet" and "I will keep it".

More than 10 years after graduating from elementary school, I was concerned about the whereabouts of the randoseru and when I asked her parents, they answered that it was in storage.

This randoseru was bought by my parents after researching various things with the hope that they would continue to use it for 6 years.

Through this interview, I'm starting to think that it would be nice to have my randoseru processed as well.

Kofu Broadcasting Station Reporter

Kaisei Shimizu Joined the station

in 2020

The best memory of the randoseru was spilling ink inside and turning it black