About Us

Japeto's journey began in 2016, when James and father Peter were inspired by the ingenious
designs of traditional Japanese garden tools during a trip to Tokyo. We later learned that for
many professional gardeners, Japanese gardening tools have been a perennial favourite for
those ‘in-the-know.’

Traditional Japanese designs are a more versatile choice — with wooden handles, they’re
lighter, made from carbon steel, and they’re sharper too. We saw an opportunity to create
a brand that equips gardeners of all abilities with a better class of garden tool. These tools
are celebrated for their quality and versatility, and they promise something different, and we
think, something extra special, from the standard offering available in most garden centres.

In 2017 James’ sister Poppy came on board, in what is now very much a family affair.

We don’t sell exclusively Japanese tools. Our range is handpicked with the British gardener in
mind, and we’re adding to it with products from around the world – but always with a focus on
making it easy for our customers to find beautiful and inspiring items that excite them about
being in their gardens.

The inspiration we felt on that original trip to Japan is still with us, and we continue to look to
add products that fit with the Japeto philosophy of inspiration and intuition, wherever we can
find them.

So help us spread the word: gardening is good for you.
Whatever the space or the possibility, Japeto makes long days in the garden light work.

Japeto - what is in a name?

As Japeto has grown, and there has been more interest in the brand, we are often asked about our name.
In fact, the name was created many years before the company started trading.
James Stedman wanted to create a name that incorporated the christian names of both he and his father
Peter, hence 'Ja' and 'Pe'. The name also drew inspiration from the character Gepetto from Pinocchio and
hence the 'to' was added at the end. Japeto Ltd was incorporated in 2011 and was a dormant company until
2017 when it officially started trading.

It was therefore nothing more than good luck that a name which also incorporated part of the word 'Japanese'
and part of the word 'tools' could be used as the name of a company set up to sell Japanese garden tools.

Looking for golfing gifts?

In October 2024 James Stedman launched associate company Golf Badger Ltd.

www.golfbadger.co.uk supplies unusual hand selected golf products with personalised engraving on most items