Having dreamt of space travel since childhood, Koichi Wakata is a seasoned astronaut and a household name in Japan. Now he is preparing for his biggest trip yet.
With design playing a more integrated role in government and business strategy around the world, Monocle hunts down the establishments spear-heading new movements and others that are keeping traditional ones alive.
The windswept hillsides and volcanic slopes of Tenerife are once again flourishing, as growers master the harsh terrain and harness the potential of the igneous island’s age-old vines.
Japan has the fastest ageing population in the world, and businesses are quick to provide architect-designed care homes and grandchild robots for the elderly. Other nations need to take note of opportunities in this booming…
The Tateyama mountain range may yield jaw-dropping views of verdant valleys and mist-cloaked peaks but the ramblers ambling up its ridges aren’t bad-looking either. With the line between fashionable finery and outdoor…
Pottery, paper, furniture maker: it’s a varied mix at the For Stockists design show – which has gained a reputation as the place to spot Japan’s rising design talent.
The Japanese city of Kyoto is renowned for its ancient traditions. But a crop of young designers is making sure it’s also set to become one of the nation’s creative hubs of the future.
Miwako Date, who runs a major property developer, is one of the most powerful business players in Japan and the key mover in shaking up the luxury-hotel scene. So what’s she got planned for Tokyo?
Politics and cost have prevented Japan from putting a human up there but, they say, their cosmic focus is not the vain flag-planting of the space race, rather research and exploration. A strategy that has led to them dev…
Sixty per cent of Japanese homes have a TOTO Washlet loo that can wash your bottom and even blow-dry it. The makers claim that after using one three times, nothing else will do. Having experienced their warm seats and piped…
Not long ago, urban-planners seemed to have solutions for most of the problems of city living. But something no one predicted was that ease of life could make for less active, less healthy populations. Now a new kind of…
We profile the small architecture and design studios that we’d hire to create great spaces for us: with Tokyo’s Puddle nailing the hospitality sector, Laisné Roussel in Paris for residential buildings and If Architecture…
Months of good-natured, frequently late-night and occasionally jetlagged debate have resulted in this: our definitive (and a little subjective) guide to the world’s most liveable cities. Here’s how we came to our conclus…