All About Japan

Test Your Luck with Matsuya’s New Lucky Bags

Matsuya Ginza department store plans to offer games and other promotions with its New Year lucky bags to draw online shoppers into its brick-and-mortar store.

No Need for Fire with Self-igniting Incense

Incense and matches, combined as one. This ingenious yet intuitive design comes from a 90-year old Japanese match manufacturer, who never stopped innovating.

Make Your Own Chopsticks from 'Hamidashimono'

For more than 100 years, a town in Nara Prefecture has been using leftover, high-quality cypress wood from the home construction process to create disposable chopsticks. And now, you can make your own at home.

New Osaka Louis Vuitton Resembles Sailing Ship

On February 1, 2020, Louis Vuitton opened its new Osaka Midosuji store. Although not necessarily a flagship, it certainly resembles a sailing ship!

Shohei Otomo's Hyper Realistic Pen Drawings

The artist Shohei creates dauntingly dense and bold ballpoint pen drawings. He also happens to be the son of Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of Akira.

Paper Relief Images Capture the Glory of Tokyo

"Farewell My Tokyo," by designer Megumi Takami, sets out to preserve the essence of Tokyo's architecture and landmarks, cut from paper in captivating detail.

Photography Shows Life in Japan 100 Years Ago

Thanks to Eliza Scidmore, we can see images of everyday life in Japan, with some photographs over 100 years old.

Toyota's Future City Near Mount Fuji

One of Japan's leading automotive manufacturers, Toyota, is planning to bring their vision of the future to life at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Official 2020 Summer Olympics Posters Unveiled

As 2020 kicks off, the real countdown to Tokyo’s Summer Olympics begin and the organizing committee isn’t wasting any time. The series of official Olympics and Paralympics posters have been released, designed by renowned artists from Japan and abroad.

Preserving History with Newspaper Sculptures

Japanese visual artist Atsushi Adachi creates miniature replicas of objects from the past using old newspaper clippings and articles sourced from the same period, including replicas like this battleship and other historical moments.

Create Ukiyo-e Art at a Woodblock Party

If you're a fan of traditional Japanese art, you can create your own version of famous ukiyo-e paintings at Mokuhankan's woodblock print party experiences.

Pop-up Shop Interior Made of Ziploc Containers

It was back in 2018 when Beams first announced a series of haute couture items with bag and storage maker Ziploc, but the brand is doubling down on the intriguing collaboration.

New Japanese Passports Feature Famous Artworks

In February, Japan began issuing new passports featuring the well-known works of ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai.

Building the Future: Tokyo's Robot Exhibition

Cutting-edge machines are on display at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo.

3-D Model of Famous Ukiyo-e Print Making Waves

"The Great Wave off Kanagawa" has been admired by people all over the world for centuries, now it’s being viewed in an entirely new light, thanks to a Japanese artist who recently recreated the image in 3-D form.

9,000 Bath Bombs at LUSH Harajuku!

If you're a fan of LUSH's magical bath bombs, you can't miss out on LUSH LABS. 9,000 bath bombs on a bath bomb conveyor belt—if you're a true Lushie, you better not miss it.

See Through Your Mistakes with Clear Erasers

The rubber eraser is roughly 250 years old. But for all its old age, the partner to any pencil has always had one major flaw. You can’t see what you’re erasing. Until today.

Tsukiji Market Memories Through Photogrammetry

The Tsukiji Fish Market relocated to Toyosu in 2018 and officially closed their doors forever. Using thousands of archival photographs, however, designers have created an immersive artwork that explores the former largest fish market in the world.

DESTROY ALL THE THINGS at the Reeast Room

It's stressful being a civilized, polite human being. Sometimes you just want to let yourself go wild. That's why the Reeast Room was created—to release the beast and destroy all the things.

Marvel at Remarkable Single-Stroke Paintings

Daigoro Yonekura is a Japanese artist who creates abstract paintings that resemble billowing plumes of smoke or ink. At once both mysterious and beautiful, they pull the viewer in, offering familiar shapes and forms, leaving us with a particular question.

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