Japan's disabled artisans fight for spotlight

In a trendy Tokyo neighborhood, customers browse the wares at Majerca.

For an article that's giving this shop publicity, they sure do write in a very abstract way. Poor journalism. Why not include the info in the article that it's in Kichijoji?

What is the name of the shop and address I can visit?

That sound all warm and fuzzy the stuff to get the empathy oozing. I have volunteered for such program and found out how these program work. First they obtain the product from the workshop and mark it up by 200%. Like they paid $5 for the product sell it for $15. When the production falls short in production you never see the outlet shelves effected because they search the internet for similar product mass produced by non disable factory and full up the empty shelve space claim made by a disable person and marked up by 500%. The business model rely heavily on empathy and store are open up in areas where empathy is no cost to those living in the area. In other words wealthy areas. Don’t get suck in by these empathy driven businesses. If you really want to help google disable workshops and go direct to these workshop and meet the people making the products and you sure that no middle man is taken a huge cut. Empathy is so overate. EG a customer goes away from these type of business feeling good that they just helping needy citizens. In fact you are allowing the business to rip off the maker and 2/3 of the product profit into the pocket of low life business person.

Googled contact info: 一般社団法人マジェルカ 〒180-0004 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町3-3-11 中田ビル1F. Tel: 0422-27-1623

Thank you @Speed 10:35am (and all those ‘positive’ readers above inquiring and wanting to patronize the venue:

They've certainly come a long way from making the blind wander though the snow and biting winds of Aomori, going to from village to village to play the shamisen for drunks, earning a pittance.

When I bought this kind of craft in the past, it was really cheap and coming from NPOs.

I would suppose that if these workers already get some welfare, they can not receive a decent wage, but rather a minimum additional help.