Keita Yasukawa
A toast to good design
The founder of innovative appliance company Balmuda shares his love of quick naps and a little tipple.
Art of the ages
From cedar bentwood to eyewear, Japan’s dedicated craft capitals are an enlightening model of traditional manufacturing. We explore towns keeping ancient skills alive in the modern age.
This jip is up
Dancing can lead to prostitution, according to a 1948 Japanese law. Police raids on unlicensed nightclubs have turned once-vibrant dance floors into dead zones, gutting Osaka’s late-night scene.
Changing times
With globalisation, economic instability and the tech boom constantly shifting business, MBA programmes must adapt. Monocle talks to three schools about how they are staying relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Treats in store
One-stop shopping in the Japanese capital gets a luxurious makeover as the owners of the prestigious Midtown spruce up their offer.
Bruno Contgiani
A terrible accident led Bruno Contigiani to found the Art of Slow Living movement. He practises what he preaches with a leisurely ‘last’ lunch at Elio Locanda Italiana in Tokyo.
Spaghetti junction
A slice of Calabrian sunshine in Tokyo. For Elio Orsara, the opening of Elio Locanda Italiana was the culmination of a dream: to recreate his southern Italian family kitchen in the Japanese capital.
