‘Genki’ drinks – nutrition and energy beverages – have flooded the Japanese market yet manufacturers are now targeting female consumers and soaking up foreign customers. Is saturation imminent?

In tough economic times, shops will need something special to keep customers. Monocle’s new star retailers are a supermarket with a concierge, a childrenswear store with staff chosen for their childcare skills, and a boo…

Mitsubishi built Tokyo’s first office block, in the Marunouchi district, 114 years ago, and the firm is behind the area’s current redevelopment into a major financial centre. Overleaf, we dissect a Marunouchi building site…

High taxes and rigid regulation have made it a tough sell for Japan’s artisan beer makers. But increasingly astute drinkers are starting to appreciate the superior quality product micro-breweries have to offer.

Omi beef from Shiga prefecture is little known outside Japan, but its butter-soft consistency and low fat content means that restaurateurs, meat producers and diners from New York to Australia are starting to take notice…