Looking good and staying dry are not mutually exclusive.

Love hotels, yakuza gangsters, hostess bars - the neon-lit district of Kabukicho has long revelled in its status as the colourful underbelly of Tokyo.

While Monocle's all for pedal power for a better environment and poolside calves, we also have room in our parking bay for a peppy little Honda Zoomer in army olive or safety-sign orange.

Wake-ari - literally "as is" - is the new catchphrase for thrifty Japanese shoppers.

Formerly a light bulb manufacturer, Shotoku began making hand-blown glassware in the 1950s.

"I love making paper," says Yoichi Fujimori, speaking from his firm's booth at Maison et Objet in Paris.