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Kohei Take

Entrepreneurialism

Top 25 entrepreneurs to watch

Want to start a new business? Be inspired by 25 of the world's brightest entrepreneurs. These leaders, from publishing to design, show the way for others who want to enrich the world.

  • The Entrepreneurs #5
  • 50 min read
Interior of Adolfo Domínguez fashion store with wooden sculptural installations and displayed clothing on racks.
Entrepreneurialism

From the ground up

Your business need not be a sudden brainwave. We speak to four company leaders about how on-the-ground experience is invaluable to future ventures, whether it’s tracking cheetahs or learning to love old buildings.

  • The Entrepreneurs #5
  • 15 min read
Woman sitting in a modern chair in a sunlit courtyard between renovated buildings with wooden facade.
Architecture

King of the mild frontier

Kozo Futagi saw a gap in the Japanese market for log cabins as affordable second homes. He's had to roll in a different direction – when people move in, they stay put.

  • The Entrepreneurs #5
  • 7 min read
Wooden log cabin with extended deck surrounded by lush green trees and manicured lawn at Bess Magma Tokyo showroom.
Retail

Feeling browsy

Looking for inspiration to live better? Here are some shops that impress us with their interiors, product picks and specialist know-how.

  • Issue #147
  • 6 min read
Colorful traditional Japanese folding fans with wooden handles displayed on white shelving with decorative boxes above.
Transport

Side effects

Once a utilitarian Soviet vehicle, Ural Motorcycles are back in vogue. Junichi Toyofuku is taken for a spin.

  • Issue #147
  • 4 min read
Man with helmet and goggles sitting in motorcycle sidecar recording with microphone
Business

Straight to the point

Japan's fashion retailer United Arrows faces its biggest challenge yet as new president Yoshinori Matsuzaki navigates pandemic losses while balancing digital growth with cherished bricks-and-mortar traditions.

  • Issue #146
  • 9 min read
Wooden display wall shelving unit featuring organized retail merchandise including hanging clothing in earth tones on the left, stacked outdoor gear and camping equipment, firewood bundles, bottled products, coolers, thermos containers, and packaged goods in blue and orange boxes on lower shelves.
Diplomacy

Attaché cases

Whether tasked with Brand Ethiopia awareness in Brazil or South Korean commerce in the UK, there are unsung drivers of diplomacy. We meet them.

  • Issue #146
  • 9 min read
Reetta Purontakanen standing outside the Embassy of Finland in Japan wearing a green and white patterned dress
Hospitality

Premium pit stops

Most service stations are a means to an end: a quick stop-off beside a motorway to refuel and stretch your legs. But can they be more? We park at cultured conveniences revving things up.

  • Issue #145
  • 13 min read
A green Mashiko Kitchen food van parked outside the modern wooden architecture of Mashiko Roadside Station in Japan.
Hospitality

Inner beauty

In sleepy Maebashi, businessman Hitoshi Tanaka transforms a defunct ryokan into an architectural destination, with Sou Fujimoto leading a six-year renovation of the historic Shiroiya Hotel.

  • Issue #144
  • 7 min read
Inner beauty

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