It’s not just pot luck that has made Vermicular a household name in Japan: the handmade cookware company has taken its products to the next level. It even has a shop, restaurant and café complex to showcase its premium pans…
Makoto Tanijiri’s work is brimming with fresh ideas. At just 35 years old, he is one of Japan’s most promising visionary architects. This inspired home, built in the sprawling suburbs of Nagoya, shows why.
From organically growing their first ventures to exploring new horizons, crafty entrepreneurs know it’s the small touches that make their businesses stand out – whether they are making spectacles in London or tableware in…
Wanted: a new slogan for a large Japanese city that lacks charm as a tourist destination. That’s the plea the Nagoya Municipal Government has sent out to residents after its studies showed that the central Japanese city may…
In Japan’s department-store sector an overhaul of the big-box retailer is under way. In March the country’s biggest department-store operator Isetan Mitsukoshi plans to open Isetan Haus, a new mid-sized shop in Nagoya…
With crowds of photographers in attendance, live TV coverage and real-time streaming on the internet, there was no chance of missing the maiden test flight of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) yesterday. The first Japanese…
Japan is not a country to shy away from grand infrastructure projects, regardless of gloomy talk about rising costs and shrinking demographics. Central Japan Railway Company (known in Japan as JR Tōkai) held a groundbrea…
Why English-style village shops are popping up in rural China and how the hutongs of Beijing may be given a reprieve. Plus, the latest figures on who is living the longest.
In this age of online shopping, why is bricks-and-mortar retail still popular and relevant? We assess the challenges specific to three cities – Sydney and gentrification, Madrid and Spain’s power brands, and Osaka with its…
Kajima, one of Japan’s largest engineering firms, built the country’s first concrete dam and nuclear reactor. Now it’s at the forefront again, this time in the field of urban biodiversity. We meet the man who sees the…
The world is dividing into two halves: those who will not abandon the nine-to-five routine, and those (think Asian nations) willing to make sure they are open for business at all hours. We may not like it – but will East…
Once a nondescript office area with little in the way of shops or restaurants, Marunouchi in Tokyo is undergoing the latest stages of a 20-year transformation into a vibrant retail and financial centre. The next phase will…
A company that started out making bikes for professional cyclists decided to expand into a wider market. The result is customisable models for people who care about design as much as they enjoy a two-wheeled jaunt through…
