One of the must-see attractions in Kojima, often called the home of Japanese-made jeans, is Kojima Jeans Street. This popular tourist destination is lined with distinctive shops, including local jeans makers, select shops, and coffee stands.
In 2023, the denim-themed tourist lounge “Denim Lodge” opened on Kojima Jeans Street. Then, in 2025, the facility also launched “Denim Lodge Nest,” the first accommodation on Kojima Jeans Street. It has become a new hub for exchange, where staff from Kojima recommend ways to enjoy Kojima Jeans Street from a local perspective.
The facility is operated by Garakutas Limited Partnership.
The Kojima-based company produces and brands projects in a variety of fields under the motto “We propose ways to have fun.” Young employees who are passionate about community development are thriving at Garakutas.
Meet Kuromyo Tatsuki.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in August 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Garakutas Limited Partnership
Garakutas Limited Partnership was established in 2001 as an IT and design planning and production company.
The word “junk” in the company name refers to things that are, so to speak, “meaningless.” The company breathes life into them to create new “pieces of junk” that someone will cherish. The name “Garakutas” was chosen to express this wish.
Garakutas draws on its ability to combine IT and design to produce projects tailored to clients’ goals, including improving system efficiency across industries and supporting new business ventures.
Its main business areas are as follows:
- IT and Design
IT support for businesses and services; comprehensive direction from planning and design production through to system development - Apparel
Planning, design, manufacturing, and sales of apparel products - Food Laboratory
Food development and OEM services; product commercialization support; digitization of operations in food manufacturing - Renovation and Real Estate
Real estate introductions; renovation planning; relocation advice for businesses and individuals
Guided by the belief that “our field of work belongs nowhere,” the company works across a wide range of fields and receives inquiries and requests from various industries.
Garakutas is also appealing for its diverse range of in-house content. It applies the know-how gained from the following content to its clients’ projects as well.
- Minshoku
A lifestyle magazine and platform that enriches everyday life through food - 8 by Setoiro
A soup bar themed around the Setouchi region, serving dishes made with local ingredients - T-Shirt C.O.J.P.
A high-quality custom T-shirt printing service by experienced print masters - Denim Lodge & Denim Lodge Nest
A denim-themed tourist lounge and the only accommodation on Kojima Jeans Street
Among these, we’ll introduce Denim Lodge, which is primarily run by young employee Kuromyo.
Denim Lodge, the tourist lounge on Kojima Jeans Street
“Denim Lodge” is a tourist lounge for visitors to Kojima Jeans Street (a rest area with time-based fees) that opened in 2023.
It is said to be the world’s first tourist lounge themed around denim, and the interior is decorated with accessories made from denim fabric. Brochures from local jeans makers are also available, creating a space that apparel lovers will find irresistible.
Some visitors to Denim Lodge reportedly take a break and start strategizing about which jeans to buy.
In March 2025, “Denim Lodge Nest,” the first accommodation on Kojima Jeans Street, also opened at the facility. As the only guesthouse where you can stay on Kojima Jeans Street, it welcomes visitors from overseas as well.
This one-of-a-kind community space offers more than just shopping—you can discover new ways to enjoy Kojima Jeans Street.
Kuromyo Tatsuki, responsible for everything from operating Denim Lodge to creative work
Denim Lodge is managed by Kuromyo Tatsuki. Born in 2000, he is from Saitama and grew up in Kurashiki and Kojima. He is the youngest employee at Garakutas.
About Kuromyo’s work
Kuromyo’s main responsibilities are twofold.
First, he manages Denim Lodge.
In addition to assisting visitors and handling administrative tasks such as managing supplies and creating staff schedules, Kuromyo also plans promotional initiatives, including branding and marketing to attract visitors.
Kuromyo has been involved with Denim Lodge since its launch and even came up with the name “Denim Lodge.” On Kojima Jeans Street, where many makers are based, he is working to share the appeal of the area from a perspective distinct from apparel.
His second responsibility is creating websites.
Kuromyo had been interested in making things, such as CG, since before joining the company, and had studied on his own. He began working seriously in design after joining Garakutas.
As of 2025, his third year at the company, Kuromyo has created eight websites. He also designed the booking website for “Denim Lodge Nest.”
He said that at first there was a lot he had to figure out as he went, but “Design is interesting because you can make up for things with knowledge and skill, and explain many things logically.”
How he found Garakutas
Kuromyo previously worked in an industrial field in Tokyo.
In 2023, he returned to Kojima, where he had lived for many years, and while looking for a new job there, an acquaintance introduced him to Garakutas.
At the time, he was exploring creative work such as CG and design as a hobby.
He was also drawn to an environment where he could take on challenges in a wide range of fields without being limited by job type or industry, and decided to join Garakutas.
For the first few months, he worked part-time during a probationary period, then joined as a full-time employee. His first assignment on the day he became an employee was, remarkably, to present Denim Lodge at a review meeting for a grant application.
When asked, “Weren’t you nervous about such a big assignment on your first day?” he smiled and replied, “I’d been involved in the Denim Lodge project since my probationary period, so I was able to finish it successfully without panicking.”
What does Kuromyo see as Garakutas’ appeal?
Kuromyo believes Garakutas’ appeal lies in an environment where young employees can take on challenges without worrying about hierarchy.
Because it is a small, highly capable company, employees find it easy to talk to one another, and young staff are often given opportunities to exercise their initiative.
For example, the company’s soup bar “8 by setoiro (Eight by Setoiro)” serves homemade bagels. The bagels, too, were devised by a young employee in their twenties.
According to Kuromyo, employees are not only encouraged to take on challenges, but also receive proper follow-up. Garakutas has many employees with strengths and expertise in particular fields, and it is reassuring to be able to get support from them.
He says that expanding into businesses beyond the company’s usual fields of work, another of Garakutas’s strengths, “helps employees develop a wider range of proposal skills.”
Being able to make proposals from a variety of perspectives across industry boundaries is appealing not only to those receiving the service, but also to employees.
Kuromyo joined Garakutas and is now in his third year with the company in 2025. We spoke with him about the joys of working at one of Kojima’s leading tourist destinations and the appeal of the Kojima and Ajino areas.
Garakutas & Co. Information
| Organization Name | Garakutas & Co. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Total planning and production based on IT and design planning and production Food manufacturing and OEM services/apparel manufacturing and sales, etc. |
| Representative | Nakano Mikio |
| Year Established | 2001 |
| Address | 4034-4 Ajino, Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 070-6649-0930 |
| Website | Garakutas & Co. Official Website |
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