Kohei Take
Meet the new boss
Local governors often face different challenges to their national counterparts. Smaller budgets can mean fewer choices. But thinking differently can achieve big results, as our selection of inspiring local legislators proves.
Tower power
The new Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest freestanding tower, isn’t just about height. It’s a monument to the Japanese precision and care taken over its every detail.
Doggie style
The Japanese are going bonkers over their canines. But with the market for doggie products reaching saturation point, what’s next for the lucrative industry? Funerals and hotels apparently.
Shopping heaven
Tokyo’s Ginza district is already one of Japan’s top spots for department stores and upmarket shopping. Now it has two very different new additions.
Kentaro Kobayashi
Known for no-nonsense dishes and a show teaching men to cook, TV chef Kentaro Kobayashi discusses his accidental route into the culinary world over a meal at his favourite Italian restaurant.
Design/Architecture
A run-through of the best in the world of design and design editor Hugo Macdonald's column on Rome's hands off policy.
That’s charming
We present 10 of the world’s most charming places, from an airport to a restaurant. Plus, Stephen Bayley explains why charm is a quality that will always get you through.
Travel Top 50 2011/12
Monocle's annual Travel Top 50 introduces you to the world's best hoteliers, airlines, airport operators and chefs, based on hundreds of journeys made by our demanding team over the past 12 months.
Back to the grind
Around the world a new generation of coffee shops are becoming community players. We meet the baristas who make their ’hoods and get their urban picks.
It’s arrived
It’s not just 30 minutes closer to central Tokyo than Narita. The new international terminal at Haneda Airport is also a unique retail concept.
