Using Carbon Fibers for Earthquake Reistance
Unveiled on November 13, 2015, Kengo Kuma's three-story "fa-bo" has been billed as the world’s first use of carbon fibers as earthquake-resistant material.
400-Year-Old Bathhouse Gets a Facelift
Faced with a dwindling clientele, Gunma's Maruhon Inn asked KuboTsushima Architects to redesign its bathhouse. The result is welcoming space that invites guests to relax and rejuvenate.
6 Designer Public Restrooms
While the public restroom has largely been shunned as an architectural subject in the Western world, in Japan it stands as its own archetype.
Learn Japanese Vocabulary with Chocolate!
Chocolates that teach Japanese onomatopoeia words unveiled at the 2015 Paris Design Show.
Origami-Style Lamp
Neither scissors nor glue are needed for this DIY project that can brighten up any room.
TP So Delicious You'll Want to Eat It
Toilet paper that gives fruit roll-ups a whole new meaning.
Decorate Your Lair with Sith Lords
Furniture manufacturer IDC Otsuka has unveiled its Star Wars/Premium Home Collection—a set any Jedi Master would love to get their hands on!
Live in a Tokyo Rubik's Cube
Takuro Yamamoto Architects have designed a brilliant little home that makes maximum use of Tokyo's cramped land space.
Live Simply
Thinking of relying on the bare necessities when it comes to putting a roof over your head? Well, Muji has got you covered.
Minimalist Sushi Shop is All About the Counter
Opened in June 2015, the small and intimate space at Tokyo's Yoshii is defined by a long, continuous reclaimed wooden counter that offers a truly minimal dining experience.
A Modern Twist for Lacquer
Once used for salad bowls and decorative plates, lacquerware has found a new shape to wrap its sleek exterior around—iPhones.
Laser-Cut Seaweed Makes Beautiful Sushi
Wrap your sushi rolls in beautifully patterned, laser-cut nori!
Timber Slats Catch the Light on Awaji Island
The IZUE architecture firm, powered by three talented architects, decided to construct the perfect island getaway on the Seto Inland Sea.
6 Foreigners Making Waves in the Countryside
Japanese Countryside Deeper Japan
Most of the subjects of this story didn't see themselves where they are now—but all of them found something incredible in the Japanese countryside, leading each to develop a unique and indelible bond to the local community.
Incredible Bamboo Grove Office in Nagoya
Mamiya Shinichi Design Studio’s new office space in Nagoya City is an elegant homage to the postmodern aesthetic.
120-Year-Old Storehouse Reborn as Living Space
Aptly named the Rebirth House, this century-old storehouse survived the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake to be reborn as a stunning living space.
What Time? Kanji Time!
Strut the streets of Tokyo with this high-fashion kanji watch.
Public Toilet Looks Like a Mountain of Dessert
Artist Minako Nishiyama conceived of the project as part of the 2015 Oita Toilennale, perhaps the world’s first art festival dedicated to toilets.
Finalists Announced for New 2020 Tokyo Stadium
Two competing groups have offered proposals coming in at just under ¥150 billion, which is about half of what the original Zaha Hadid stadium was going to cost.
Community Maintains Traditional Thatched Roofs
Once a flourishing post town, Ouchi-juku is home to many traditional thatched-roof residences, and residents adhere to an annual tradition of harvesting pampas grass every November to preserve their classical and eco-friendly roofs.
