japan
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Master of the robes
A decade ago, teenage boys in Tokyo rarely wore kimonos. Now, attitudes to national identity are changing, and Genbei Yamaguchi’s new collection for United Arrows is targeting this shift.
Up for sail
Japan’s recreational boat market has been in the doldrums due to an antipathy to ostentation. But now the ‘nation of rice farmers’ is finally finding its sea legs at its annual boating fair.
Inventory no. 12
A Japanese inn special: the Masuichi Kyakuden Brewery hotel in Obuse, plus our great spring gift guide.
Asia
The empty schools of Japan, bridging Hong Kong and searching for a new Seoul in Yongsan.
Prime mover
Mitsubishi built Tokyo’s first office block in Marunouchi 114 years ago and is now behind the area’s redevelopment into a major financial centre. Overleaf, we dissect a building site.
Going for old
Though the Japanese love vintage, second-hand furniture auctions are new. Now, three entrepreneurs are bringing design classics to market in the country’s first modern and contemporary furniture auction.
Dead simple
Tokyo-based design guru Kenya Hara advises companies, including Muji, on their aesthetic direction. He also runs his own design institute and collaborates with designers. Here, he describes his last meal.
Inventory no. 11
Coloured pencils and shochu from Japan, perfume by La Labo, Labour and Wait's enamelware and a Norwegian post box.
Africa/Middle East
West Africa wants its money back from France, the UAE's "Poetry Idol" and Japan's aid to Africa.
