japan
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Camera obscurer
In Chiba, photographer Shinichi Ito found the perfect canvas for his laid-back style. Near the sea, he has crafted a cosy refuge within the wood and concrete shell of an unusual property.
Rummage sale
Shinji Kitada’s trade show, Jumble, is an intimate affair – by expo standards – that favours small and medium-sized fashion labels but which has an impressively global roster to match its international ambitions.
Asia
Cambodia keeps politics in the family, South Korea get equal, and Japan gets green vending machines
Little wonder
Japan’s mini-car boom was rooted in affordability and low taxation. Then Honda tasked an F1 engineer with its new project, putting high-spec design at the heart of the kei jidosha.
In Shibuya, help is at Hands
It’s part hardware store, part department store but ultimately defies description. It is a tokyo institution that sells just about everything and is loved by everyone. Welcome to Tokyu Hands.
The hand made tale
In a globalised market flooded with faux-artisan branding, real craftsmen are endangered. But in Kyoto, where tradition rules, a new initiative is refreshing generations-old techniques to bring Japanese craft to a worldwide audience.
Food
Our favourite cookware, products and restaurants plus news from the food and drink industry.
Business
Diamond cutting in Israel, olive oil farming in Croatia and the business of making Japan cool.
Diplomacy
Germany's man in Belgrade, the new Greek embassy, and Japanese PM's diplomatic style.
Seasonal change
The biannual Pitti Uomo menswear show is a fashion calendar highlight, but Italy's waning influence has brands looking abroad. This has necessitated an unfamiliar focus on expansion, with Japan first in line.
