A Ha-Ha 2015 runway show included models in wheelchairs Japanese fashion has never really been a successfully influential vehicle for protest movements and political statements. There have been attempts, such as the design collective Ha-Ha, which again became the enfant terrible of Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo ...

While Yohei Fukuda was learning the art of shoemaking in London in the early 2000s he applied to work at John Lobb, one of the oldest and most prestigious footwear firms in the world. He was offered a position, but was asked if he ...

Osaka-born artist Tetsuya Nagata has found a unique way to breathe new life into two time-honored crafts of Japan — washi (Japanese paper) and wagashi (Japanese sweets). By pressing Nishinouchi washi into carved wooden molds that were originally used for shaping sugar, he creates delicate ...

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 ...

They may be newcomers to Tokyo, but behind the fashion names picking up traction this summer is a wealth of experience combined with honed artisanal skills. Affordable minimalism The beauty of origami folds, pleats and twists in clothing is usually something that could only be appreciated ...

There is a long list of reasons to visit Shibuya's latest addition to its cityscape — from the craft cocktails served in its roomy lounge to the outdoor terrace with large white cushions and its architect-designed convenience store. Not to forget the pop-up space, ...

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.

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.

Much has been made of the recent closure of the monthly print edition of Shoichi Aoki's seminal Fruits street-style magazine, with many ready to cry that it sounds the death knell for Harajuku fashion, rather than seeing it as a simple casualty of the ...

Hirohiko Sunami's hands emerge from his indigo vat covered in rivulets of fermenting natural dye. The light is dim in this Kojima workshop, but a few stray sunbeams reflect off the millions of bubbles at the vat's surface as Sunami pulls a piece of ...

London, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo. There is little at first sight that seems to unite these three cities, which are diverse in geography and climate as well as architecture, cuisine and atmosphere. Yet these metropolitan hubs will soon be connected by one unexpectedly common thread ...

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.