I just wanted to let everyone know that I added some links (on the bottom right) to recommended reading, mostly of books that I’ve featured on my site at one point or another. Right now my top pick is Designing Design, by Kenya Hara. I’m reading it right now and it’s amazing! As you may know, Hara is the art director for minimalist Japanese brand MUJI, and is primarily responsible for their gorgeous less-is-more aesthetic. Designing Design was recently published in English and is now available, conveniently, through amazon!

Atelier Bow-Wow, who I featured in my contemporary Japanese Architects write-up, is having their first solo show in the States! Awesome.
“Small Case Study House” is currently on display at the Gallery at Redcat in LA. The concept of the show is to rethink environmentally sustainable low cost housing. The nyt blog the moment takes a closer look and points out the parallels between their prototypes and traditional Japanese teahouses.

images courtesy of Steven A. Gunther

New Yorkers sit tight! We’ll get our fair share of Atelier Bow-Wowness when they take on the spatial design of KRAZY, another exhibit on Japanese Anime & Manga, going up in March at the Japan Society.