Japanese gift-wrapping: Lesson 3

It’s here – Monocle’s bumper winter issue. Carrying you through from December to January, it’s packed with treats, from a wander through Mumbai’s urban enclave of Colaba to a report on Catalonia’s festival of human towers. Sit down with Loro Piana’s CEO, Damien Bertrand, in his Milanese office, meet the leaders driving Andalusia’s thriving aviation sector and head for the Rockies for a break in the modernist Snowbird resort. Plus: The Monocle Concierge, our new section with long reads, smart ideas, hotel hideaways and more. Enjoy!

The ritual of hammam has played an important role in the region for millennia. Visiting Turkish baths for the first time can be intimidating, so let Monocle be your guide. Join us as we glide from the hot room to the cold room via a foam massage, and plunge into this living part of Turkish history.

Want to know what makes us – and our readers – tick? This short film about our publications, broadcasts, events, community and retail ventures will fill you in. Since 2007, Monocle has grown from a print magazine offering fresh, optimistic perspectives into a globally influential media company that sets the agenda in everything from diplomacy to design, onscreen and on air. Today, we have HQs in Zürich and London, as well as bureaux and correspondents in cities from Paris to Tokyo. With a trusted and still-expanding presence in digital news, books, bricks-and-mortar retail, brand collaborations, podcasts and more, we’re the place that people (and businesses) come to for smart solutions and an engaged, common-sense read on the world.

French newspaper kiosks might have evolved but they still play a key role in the life of Paris. And there’s one that has become a star in its own right – Le Kiosque de Paris, in front of Le Bon Marché. It’s run by the brothers Médéric and Nicolas Bogo, who are following in the footsteps of their great-grandparents, grandparents and parents. And it’s not just the line-up of titles that pulls in so many regulars – and passers-by – but also the siblings' rich knowledge about the titles that they sell and the time they take to talk to their customers.