Category: City Life

  • The TDW 2012 Design

    It’s always interesting to find out who is responsible for graphics that you’ve seen out and about, and so I liked finding out from this Canvas post that the graphic identity for Tokyo Designers Week 2012 (pictured, with more here, and that I very much remember seeing) was produced by Airside Nippon.

  • United Arrows

    I still haven’t gotten around to reading it, but here’s a feature from GQ on the fashion chain United Arrows, about it’s place in Japan and what comes next. I’ve always quite liked what’s on offer there, but it tends to cost more than I’m willing to spend on fashion (I tend to be more…

  • Pointing

    I’ve always enjoyed seeing this an action, as for me it was a sign of taking pride and care in what you’re doing, but I’m pleasantly surprised that it in fact represents more.

  • Meikyoku Kissaten

    I definitely knew about Lion in Shibuya, but this Japan Times piece introduced me to a few other meikyoku kissaten (“musical masterpiece cafes,” or classical music cafes), like Renaissance in Koenji and Violon in Asagaya. Would love to check out these places.

  • The Japanese House

    There’s a show on at the Barbican right now entitled “The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945.” What especially grabbed my attention when I saw mention of it — it’s featured in this Monocle radio show — is that it apparently includes a full-scale recreation of Ryue Nishizawa‘s Moriyama House (pictured), which just so…

  • Tokyo Interiors

    My buddy Luis Mendo has a brand new collection of lovely prints on display at the Isetan department store in Shinjuku, part of an electric display project called Electric Objects. You’ll find all the details on Luis’s site.

  • Mt. Takao

    One of the things my wife and I both miss from our life in Tokyo was the proximity to Mt. Takao (and Okutama), which we would regularly visit for a hike — even with pooch sometimes. The latest post on the State of Tokyo site is a beautiful photo essay on a recent hiking trip to Takao,…

  • Vegeo Vegeco

    I absolutely love the simple design of the new Vegeo Vegeco shop — and no wonder, since it was designed by Masamichi Katayama. The company behind it started by selling produce from the Kyushu region online, and now on top of this physical store (in Tokyo’s Nezu neighborhood), they also offer an app called Vegery…

  • JoJo’s Bizarre Drinking Adventure in Osaka

    I know next to nothing about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure — despite it celebrating a 30th anniversary this year, I’ve never been particularly interested in checking out the series, although I have a few friends who seem to enjoy it quite a bit. One of these friends is Daniel Feit, who has written a really fun piece…