The coming year will be full of challenges but the squalls and tempests can be navigated, safe ports found. And Monocle will provide the compass.

Our annual overview of present and future pioneers in commerce, infrastructure and civil society includes news of the European nation getting sleeper trains back on track, the ride-hailing platform that’s expanding across Southeast Asia, the man charged with refurnishing Notre-Dame cathedral and many more international innovators besides

Fiona Wilson reporting from Okinawa prefecture: With territorial disputes in the East China Sea intensifying, the Japan Coast Guard has had to rapidly evolve to contend with new threats. We drop anchor at Ishigaki Island, where its crew police these vital waters.

Subjects tackled by our essayists this issue: how the rise of AI might not have detrimental effects on human workers; why silicon chips might trigger a war in Asia; how Saudi Arabia needs to spare a thought for foreign start-ups; and the contradictions of self-help.

As cargo freighters begin exploring the possibility of traversing the oceans with the help of hi-tech sails, smaller vintage fleets are showing them the way.

Vietnam’s rapidly growing economy is becoming increasingly appealing to foreign investors, who are tempted by the dynamism of the country’s emerging middle class. Here, we explore the city at the heart of this transformation.

Size isn’t everything – but the scale of a city can determine your trajectory in both business and life. Our fifth Small Cities Index puts the spotlight on 25 places around the world that offer the best of metropolitan living in a more compact package, allowing your quality of life to flourish.

Heavy industry – and its departure – has shaped a small but ancient Greek city. Becoming European Capital of Culture has given its artistic offering a welcome boost – and shows the way ahead for other post-industrial outposts.

Cancel culture and collective hand-wringing has made the art world a rather serious place to work. Luckily the curator of Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin is offering a novel way to see things – with a little levity, music and some fun.

From banging beachside electronica in Barcelona to erotic trysts in the world of tennis and vital modernist depictions of New York, 2024 promises to be another vintage year for culture worldwide. Here we sift through the most innovative offerings of the coming months and bring you the strictly unmissable.

An architecture school in the City of Bridges aims to arm the next generation of urbanists and designers with hands-on skills needed to combat climate change. We meet those who are spearheading their education.

A communications agency has taken on a branding overhaul for the Swiss army. The result is a new identity that promotes pride and competence, and is rooted in the country’s design traditions.

Exacting beauty standards and savvy consumers have driven South Korean brands to innovate when it comes to clean ingredients and smart branding. Here’s how K-beauty is out to dominate at home and abroad.

In an industry synonymous with fast, throwaway products, the rise (again) of workwear has come as a surprise to some. But there’s no denying that long-lasting clothing with simple, functional design is taking the world by storm.

By trusting his instincts and crafting timeless, origami-inspired garments on his own terms, Satoshi Kuwata’s Setchu is redefining the role of the modern fashion brand – and scooping the industry’s most prestigious awards in the process.

Having tried to chase trends, storied fashion houses are now looking to their past to succeed in the future.

Disruptive fashion start-up Vollebak utilises highly durable, technologically advanced materials to make clothes that will dress many generations to come. And the brand’s low-waste, future-proof mission is winning it some stellar champions and investors.

On the west side of Greece’s biggest island, classic Cretan hospitality and cuisine is being revived and reinvented by a new wave of young and passionate producers, chefs and hosts. We prepared our palates and set off to sample their wares.

Every exciting opening, outstanding achievement and promising proposal always seems to go better with a good bottle of wine. So here are a few of the most appetising new bottles from some of the world’s most enterprising wineries, be they cellars of noble vintage or the biodynamic vineyards of bold young vintners. Now join us in a toast to 2024 – a year of opportunity.

Nature tamed is offered up in national parks, zoos and even shopping centres. But can humans learn to let go and allow it to take control again? One photographer has spent six years looking at this troubled captive world.