Rakuju North America, Inc. was incorporated in Utah on October 19, 2026, and is based in Salt Lake City. Rakuju North America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rakuju Shoji Co., Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan). In November 2026, the company was also registered in Québec, Canada (NEQ 1182739285), under its French name, Rakuju Amérique du Nord.
Kyoto · Salt Lake City · Montréal
Kyoto
Aug 2026 — Rakuju Shoji accepted into JETRO Kyoto’s startup program.
Oct 2026 — Rakuju Shoji Co., Ltd. established in Kyoto, Japan.
Salt Lake City
Oct 2026 — Rakuju North America, Inc. incorporated in Utah.
Oct 2026 — Salt Lake City office established; U.S. banking and payment channels in place.
Nov 2026 — KYOTO STANDARD, our own store, opens; first collection published.
Montréal
Nov 2026 — Rakuju North America registered in Québec, Canada, under our French name Rakuju Amérique du Nord (NEQ 1182739285).
Shijie Qu — Founder
Shijie Qu has spent two decades building businesses across Asia and North America, spanning cross-border payments, financial infrastructure and international trade. He established Rakuju in Kyoto and Salt Lake City on a simple conviction: Japan’s finest small producers deserve a serious, permanent home in North America — and a trading house earns that role through selection, compliance and staying power, not catalogues.
“We choose few things, and stand behind each one.”