Monocle Films
Syria, from the ground up
Just months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Syria is rebuilding – both its institutions and its battered cities. For Monocle’s April issue, our Istanbul correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith joins a flight from Istanbul…

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Kanda neighbourhood guide
This historic corner of northeast Tokyo was once described as a place for “universities, bookshops and intellectuals”. Academic institutions are still there – along with the Holy Resurrection Cathedral – but Kanda is also…

Yanaka neighbourhood guide
Yanaka moves at a different pace from much of Tokyo. As the city has changed around it, Yanaka has retained its old-fashioned atmosphere. Vacant wooden buildings have been brought back to life as new…

Nihonbashi neighbourhood guide
Nihonbashi has deep roots in finance. In the Edo period this was the commercial centre of the city, with bustling canals, streets and markets. Recently, the neighbourhood has been attracting attention once again as…

A night in bustling Tokyo
Tokyo manages to avoid the chaos of other big cities. How? Rules and etiquette are important here – some old, some new. They are not always obvious, so let us show you how to…

A day in quaint Tokyo
From chopstick wrangling to cash handling, you’d be wise to brush up on some of the key customs and good manners before travelling to Japan. And in today’s changing landscape there are some new…

A refined feast in the heart of London
Bringing guests into the kitchen is an ideal way to involve them. Bertie de Rougemont – founder of London’s chicest catering company, Cellar Society – certainly knows a thing or two about hosting. When…

A light touch in the Spanish Pyrenees
Setting the mood for an evening of drinks and dinner is best achieved through the careful lighting of one’s surroundings. Javier Marset – co-owner of Catalan lighting company, Marset – favours the low glow…

A flair for gathering friends in Paris
The first step in hosting is putting together a guest list: a delicate operation that requires diplomacy and some social engineering. Daphné Hézard, founder and editor in chief of Regain magazine – a French…

The Monocle Book of Japan
Jump aboard the Monocle Shinkansen and join our team as we go on a hunt for untold stories. Our new book delivers a unique insight into the people, places and products that define Japan,…

The international icon: Kengo Kuma
The beauty of Japanese design has won fans around the world but it takes great panache to translate it to large-scale projects. We sit down with architect Kengo Kuma in his Tokyo office to…
