Restoration & Documentation Lab™
Understand, present, preserve
Clarity, Care and Gentle Improvement
The Documentation Lab™ helps you know your pieces well and show them at their best. From light cleaning and steaming to detailed condition reports, we prepare objects for travel, for display or for a new home.
The Lab’s work
Services Available
- Condition reports with HD photography
- Light surface cleaning, where safe and appropriate
- Kimono steaming and basic textile preparation
- Cel flattening and presentation support
- Minor repairs and stabilization
- Pre-shipment inspection that records current condition
Our principle
Respect for Age and Character
We favor gentle approaches that honor the age, patina and original character of each piece. The aim is never to erase history, but to protect it and present it clearly.
Where a piece needs more than a light touch, we tell you so plainly and suggest what is sensible before any work begins.
Connected services
How the Lab Fits Your Request
- On arrivalPieces acquired through the Private Request Vault™ or found by the Hunting Salon™ can be examined and documented as soon as they reach us in Japan.
- Before travelA pre-shipment report records condition before the Museum-Grade Logistics Suite™ crates and ships the object.
- For your recordsClear photographs and notes support insurance, display and the long life of a collection.
Begin
Request a Lab Assessment
Tell us what you would like us to assess, and we will suggest the most suitable combination of reporting, cleaning or minor restoration. If you would rather write here, the form below reaches the same team.
The Japonista Curation and Concierge Team
Tokyo, Japan
In confidence
Write to the Concierge
A question about a piece, an order or a request for something special: tell us here, and a member of our team in Tokyo will reply personally.
A note before you begin
- Japonista does not purchase pieces from private owners, and does not acquire pieces offered from outside Japan. Messages offering pieces for sale are not answered.
- Appraisals and valuations are a paid service. A basic estimate is $150, settled at the moment you send your request, through the private appraisal intake.