That ethos is certainly evident in a new limited-edition backpack produced by Murase Kabanko, a Japanese bag manufacturer ...

In Murase Kabanko's meticulously crafted bag, the company has created an ode to historic samurai armor with scrap leather.

Japanese schoolchildren wear backpacks known as Randoseru. Though sturdily made, after the first 6 years they're no longer used. Nishikawa Masako takes such disused Randoseru brought in by clients ...

This means back-to-school shopping is in full swing and incoming first-graders are lining up at stores around the country to get their first backpacks. Japanese elementary school children in Japan ...