author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 18, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Mio Yamada

Meta

Twitter

@jt_mio

Mio Yamada
A freelance arts and lifestyle editor and writer, Mio Yamada focuses on design, crafts and architecture. When she’s not visiting galleries and trade fairs, you'll find her taking photos of everything and being distracted by shiny objects. She's also surprisingly British.
For Mio Yamada's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 31, 2017
New things for the new year
Now that the festive season of partying and extravagance is over, now's the time to take a breather with a return to some of the calmer things in life — tea, coffee and books.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 3, 2017
It's time to stop blocking color
Minimalist interiors have been a growing trend for many years now, primarily dominated by a monochromatic palette of white. But who says we need to abandon color to live a de-cluttered life?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Nov 5, 2017
Tokyo welcomes Designart
Last month saw the launch of Designart — the capital's new annual collection of exhibitions that bring together Japanese and overseas creators for collaborations on product design and objets d'art. Here are a few picks that showcase the inaugural event's embrace of color, versatility and humanitarianism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 8, 2017
Drawing on Japan's flowers of the flock
Masumi Yamanaka, curator of 'Flora Japonica,' an exhibition of 80 taxonomically correct illustrations of Japanese plants, talks about the dedication that drives botanical art.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 1, 2017
Playing on a good sense of humor
There are some things in life that are designed just for fun. And why not?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Sep 3, 2017
It's all about the convenience
Always in the fast lane? Here are some neat ideas for those who don't like to fuss around.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 6, 2017
Keeping design pure and simple
Why make life complicated, when the simplest of designs can be even more effective?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jul 2, 2017
'Most wanted' in Japanese design
The Interior Lifestyle Tokyo trade fair, an annual event held in June at Tokyo Big Sight, always showcases an impressive number of Japanese participants. This year, On Design picks its favorites from the fair's 'Wanted' special exhibition of designers looking for collaborators or overseas distributors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jun 4, 2017
Souvenirs for the summer holidays
As Japan heats up as a tourist destination, On Design looks into souvenir ideas that won't take up much space in the suitcase and are a little less cliched than the usual airport fare.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
May 28, 2017
When too many things 'spark joy,' it's a Wonderwall life
Masamichi Katayama, founder of interior design firm Wonderwall, describes the importance of accumulating and keeping objects and artworks in life — even if you have more than 500 of them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 30, 2017
Japan fares well at Salone del Mobile
Once again, Salone del Mobile Milano, the world's largest furniture and interiors trade fair, provides a platform for some of Japan's most innovative ideas on both practical and conceptual design.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 2, 2017
Design your own beginner's luck
Spring is here, a time of change and a new starts. Here are a few hobby ideas designed to make it that little bit easier for beginners.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 18, 2017
'Where They Create: Japan': Glimpsing the minds of creatives through their workspaces
When asked how his design process works, Teruhiro Yanagihara, creative director of the ceramics collaboration project 1616/Arita, says, "My brain is initially 'where I create.'"
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 4, 2017
Welcome to the design fold
This month celebrates the art of folding with a selection of products that can be transformed by just a few bends, creases and tucks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2017
Yasuyuki Namikawa: A master of cloisonne color and design
There are two ways that the skill of craftsmanship can be emphasized: by showing it off through masses of meticulous decorative details, or by stripping everything to the bare minimum and bringing into focus just a few perfectly executed qualities. Think of it as maximalism vs. minimalism — Gucci vs....
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 4, 2017
Put the pedal to the metal for Valentine's Day
If you haven't sorted out your loved one's special gift yet, On: Design this month has mined a few new ideas from Japan's metalworking industry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 31, 2016
Breakfast, served in style
Who says we can't play with our food? There's nothing wrong with serving a little bit of humor at the dining table.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 3, 2016
The British connection
While Brexit may have muddied the waters separating Japan and Britain, the design collaborations between the two island nations are still strong.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Nov 5, 2016
Tokyo Design Week: The professionals
Tokyo Design Week (TDW) seemed a little pared down this year, with a notable absence of a handicrafts creators' fair and only one awards exhibition. Nevertheless, it still offered the familiar lineup of products, interactive installations, architectural models, artworks and robots, as well as a new outdoor...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 29, 2016
Tokyo offers a wealth of innovative design, some of it for free
Tokyo Design Week has kicked in, with its first session ending on Oct. 31 and its second session running Nov. 2 to 7. But if the innovative products, architecture and robotics in Meiji Jingu Gaien are not enough to satiate your design curiosity, there are several free exhibitions in the city that are...
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Japan passes bill to introduce 'blue ticket' fines for cyclists
A new system under which bicycle riders pay fines for minor traffic violations to escape criminal punishment is expected to be introduced in Japan no later than 2026.
Japan changes law to allow joint custody after divorce
Legislation that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce is passed at the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
U.S. envoy to Japan makes landmark visit to front-line island near Taiwan
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with members of the Self-Defense Forces stationed on Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday.
Japan to review romanization system for first time in 70 years
An advisory panel to the education ministry will consider how the Japanese language should be transcribed into the Latin alphabet, including unifying different romanization styles currently in use.
Can AI-generated inventions be patented? A Tokyo court says no.
The Tokyo court's ruling comes amid ongoing debates on how to regulate generative AI and is part of a transnational class action lawsuit.
A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts
The colored patterns of Tsuguru "nuri," made in Aomori Prefecture, are achieved by applying multiple coatings of lacquer, which are later polished down to reveal layers of colors beneath.
Xi and Putin mark ‘new era’ amid efforts to counter U.S. ‘containment’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an event in Beijing on Thursday. During Putin's visit, the leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
Unraveling the Japanese prose of Yukio Mishima
Author Yukio Mishima accepts the Arts Festival Award in the drama category at the 20th Arts Festival Award Ceremony on Jan. 22, 1966.
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi
Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER