“Kamiyama Blue Bear Office” renovation completed in 2010 | photos courtesy Kosuke Bando
It’s a common story in rural Japan: low birth rates, an aging population and younger generations’ tendency to relocate to metropolitan areas have left many parts of the country deserted. Beautiful but old homes begin to crumble without proper maintenance, creating a vicious cycle of abandonment.
Gueorgui Tcherednitchenko is a Russian-French photographer who has been living and working in Tokyo since 2011. He originally visited in 2010 and fell in love with the country. The following year, just months after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, he managed to get a job and made the move.
Ever since David Chu took the reins of Danish silverware and jewelry heritage brand Georg Jensen in 2013, he’s tried to re-position the company away from a lifestyle brand and more towards art and design. Part of his strategy in doing this was to actively collaborate with artists and architects. And Chu did not waste any time as the company has since worked with industrial designer Marc Newson, Spanish designer Patricia Urquila as well as the late architect Zaha Hadid. Now in its 111th year, George Jensen has, for the first time, collaborated with an Asian designer: the famed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
Kirin’s ad for Izayoi no tsuki (moon of the 16th night) beer
It’s well-known that Japanese culture values, and places much emphasis on, the four seasons. And it’s not uncommon for companies to incorporate seasonal themes into advertising. Japanese beer companies, in particular, are known for their proactive development of limited-time seasonal beers. But this super-creative ad by Kirin definitely caught our eye.
Tatami are a traditional Japanese flooring material made from tightly woven igusa (soft rush straw). To this day, even contemporary homes in Japan that are either carpeted or have wooden floors, will have a washitsu (Japanese room) that consists entirely of tatami mats. Tatami date back all the way to the Nara Period of the 700s and have always been reserved for flooring. But now, a Japanese company is trying to broaden the possibilities of tatami by creating a line of furniture upholstered in tatami.
“Don’t peer into the aquarium at night”
Aquariums are typically reserved for family-friendly outings. They’re places where you go to relax, unwind and decompress. In fact, there’s even such a thing as aquarium therapy, where contemplating fish swimming around in the water is meant to have a significant effect in reducing levels of stress and anxiety. But anyone headed to Tokyo’s Sunshine Aquarium this October should pay close attention to what time they enter.
Inside the 2-story Sasaki Yohinten in Gunma, Japan
Based out of Gunma, Japan, Sasaki Yohinten is a treasure trove of vintage textiles and objects. It’s run by a husband and wife duo who renovated a 100-year old warehouse and turned it into a shop for anything with a history or anything handmade. But one thing the couple have become especially well known for is their original line of clothing called Sasaki Jirushi.
Just when you thought the uncanny valley couldn’t get much uncannier, Saya’s parents released a new photo of our favorite not-so-typical Japanese schoolgirl.
Soup Stock Tokyo opened their first shop in 1999. Their target customer has always been single women and men who want to grab a quick bite before or in-between work, but also eat healthy. And the recipe has proven successful as the soup shop has since grown to just about 70 locations throughout Japan. Now the company is expanding its focus in a new – albeit confusingly-named – shop called also Soup Stock Tokyo.
(this article was updated in December 2018 to reflect the new name of the train station)
Less than 1 year after being selected to design Tokyo’s National Stadium for the 2020 Olympics, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has snagged another high-profile gig: designing the New Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo.
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