Tag - so-design

 
 

SO DESIGN

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 13, 2023
Hiroshima Appeals poster set to continue traditions of daring design and anti-nuclear art
Norio Nakamura's entry is the latest in an iconic series of posters that has contributed some of the greatest and most impactful images in Japanese graphic design.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 16, 2023
Marimekko designer Fujiwo Ishimoto returns to his roots in Ehime
When I arrive at the flagship store of Mustakivi in Dogo, Ehime Prefecture, I’m greeted silently by 82-year-old Ehime-born designer Fujiwo Ishimoto. He unlocks the back door to his adjoining atelier and motions for me to come in. We pass through the kiln room and enter a studio filled with ceramic pieces in various stages of completion.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
May 20, 2023
Japan’s head start on designer bicycle helmets
Despite protective headgear being compulsory for children since 2008, there are surprisingly few bicycle helmet producers in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
May 6, 2023
AI will revolutionize Japanese fashion — just not right now
ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence engines are coming for everyone and everything, but the whims of the fashion world might be an unlikely bulwark.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 16, 2023
Japan springs into action for Salone del Mobile Milan 2023
The world’s largest annual furniture and design trade fair is back in full force, and Japanese designers are well represented.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 15, 2023
Artisans update timeless craft of intricate ‘puzzle cabinets’
Although the craft of making karakuri-dansu is slowly disappearing, a craftsman and his son are keep the tradition torch lit with story-filled pieces for collectors and enthusiasts.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 18, 2023
Celebrate spring with fresh furniture ideas from Japan
Recycled cabinets, artful sculptures and multipurpose workstations to spruce up your home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 10, 2023
Things come full circle — like a bagel — for 'Everything Everywhere' designer Shirley Kurata
The woman behind many of the looks that film villain Jobu Tupaki wears had to get creative with a smaller budget than her fellow Oscar nominees.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 18, 2023
Japan’s award-winning travel goods make any trip a breeze
Don't even think about leaving home without these mindfully produced travel essentials.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 21, 2023
Japanese designers begin the year with responsible and eco-friendly products
This month: a breathing pillow, a hard hat made from scallops and chairs from master architect, Kengo Kuma.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 17, 2022
Socially responsible Japanese design continued to evolve in 2022
From festivals based in rural factories to exhibitions in Milan's most elegant event halls, Japan was well represented across all areas of design this year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Nov 19, 2022
Japan's industrial manufacturers forge artisanal brands
Japanese heavy manufacturing has always had a reputation for precision, but this new crops of products make the case for artistic finesse as well.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 22, 2022
Peter Liedberg: ‘It’s rare for businesses in Japan to even know about sign painting’
A Swedish graphic designer and sign painter finds that if you have a genuine interest in what you're doing, then it's less painful trying to become better at it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 21, 2022
Designart Tokyo 2022 envisions a more sustainable future
Through Oct. 30, Tokyo abounds with functional and fantastical designs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Oct 8, 2022
Mending fashion’s threadbare relationship with sustainability
Another season gone and another round of promises from designers the world over to become more eco-friendly dashed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 1, 2022
When big brands tap traditional Japanese crafts, all parties prosper
In their ever-evolving search for the latest, greatest trend, top designers seek the expertise, and stimulate the preservation, of traditional crafts.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 25, 2022
Ray Masaki: ‘Being earnest and not overdoing things — that’s what resonates’
Ray Masaki moved from America to Japan to gain a better understanding of his heritage. Today, he continues to navigate his cultural identity both in his design work and his own life.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 14, 2022
Yusuke Nagatani: ‘The future of manufacturing is Japanese companies like ours teaching and sharing their know-how abroad’
Yusuke Nagatani sees a bright future for the world of Japanese manufacturing, but he admits that if he hadn't searched for his current path on his own he might have never found it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2022
'Trace: Sound Design Works 1986​-​1989': Yutaka Hirose's soundscapes with a purpose
Each track featured on Yutaka Hirose's 'environmental music' album was commissioned by various public and private spaces and has been considered beyond simply being art for art's sake.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
May 22, 2022
A fabricated future: Awards highlight pioneers of material design
Fantastic, futuristic materials may one day become the building blocks of a sustainable present.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on