National / Media | Japan Pulse Jun 20, 2020
Lawson finds itself lampooned for rebranding design effort
by Patrick St. Michel
Most complaints have centered around the minimal information that is included on the packaging.
Business May 30, 2020
Not just another day at the office: Rethinking Japan’s business culture amid the COVID-19 pandemic
by Andrew McKirdy
The workplaces that employees nationwide are slowly returning to are unlikely to be the same as the ones they left when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.
Food & Drink May 26, 2020
For restaurant owners worrying how they can welcome back customers, a French designer has created a cylinder of transparent plastic for coronavirus protection
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Feb 17, 2020
Fresh ideas for old-school crafts
by Mio Yamada
As many of Japan's traditional crafts and industries hope to adapt to survive, more young designers are offering their creative help
People | 20 QUESTIONS Feb 15, 2020
Alvin Cheung: Coffee and keyboards — a perfect combo
by Claire Williamson and Mio Yamada
Alvin Cheung talks about the caffeine-charged world of entrepreneurism, design and "coffee terroir."
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Jan 20, 2020
by Mio Yamada
From horizontal vases to panty-clad glasses, Japan's handmade market can offer some extraordinary gift ideas for Valentine's Day.
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Dec 30, 2019
Waste not want not in Japanese design
by Mio Yamada
The limitations of recycling and repurposing materials frees the imagination for unusual, amusing and clever design in Japan.
Style & Design | 2019 in Review Dec 18, 2019
Future design in Japan: Recycle, upcycle and reinvent
by Mio Yamada
The focus on traditional artisanship is still strong, as is the global obsession with minimalism, but what about sustainability and ethical consumption?
People | 20 QUESTIONS Sep 21, 2019
Maurice Eric Zacher: Designs on Japan
by Mio Yamada
Japanologist and product designer Zacher on Japanese design, gadgets and university scholarships.
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Apr 28, 2019
by Mio Yamada
Now that the flurry of activity that surrounds the annual Salone del Mobile has died down, this month's On: Design takes a look at a few of the interiors fair's Japanese prizewinning ideas and new product debuts.
Style & Design Feb 12, 2019
Plastic fantastic: Examining the obsession over Japan's soft vinyl toys
by Dan Orlowitz
It's a cold afternoon in mid-January and, inside a factory operated by Maruyama Toys in a quiet residential area in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Cory Privitera is making sofubi (soft vinyl toys). In a cramped workspace surrounded by machinery and long sinks, the 33-year-old begins by ...
Art Dec 12, 2018
In 2018, art came via many anniversaries in Japan
by John L. Tran
This year saw a lot of anniversaries in Japan. It was 1868 when Crown Prince Mutsuhito became the Emperor Meiji, the official policy of national isolation ended and the country was set on a course to become a modern industrialized nation-state. This birthday seems ...