Kohkoku

I recently picked up the latest issue of KOHKOKU magazine (February 2004), which is a bilingual special issue taking a look at what Japan needs to do to better its tourism industry. Now this may sound lame, but it’s actually quite interesting the way they approach the theme, offering suggestions for expanded wacky tourist attractions (take a tour of a typical salaryman day, i.e. stopping at a Pachinko joint, get some ramen), new branding, etc. One fun part of the magazine sees them asking designers to create some tourist ads, with one of them proclaiming: “You will enjoy Japan. If you look like Beckham, it’s even better. Come on.” What first attracted me to the issue was the striking cover, which is the design you see here, but what looks like black in the image is actually gold embossing. Very nice. Definitely something to pick up for ideas on where to bring friends and family that visit you in Japan (or for those coming to Japan as a tourist). It’s also a beautifully designed magazine, with very nice page layouts.