The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is finally coming up next year. Japan is filled with anticipation and hope, yet bringing about various controversies at the same time. It is drawing attention in both positive and negative aspects. However, behind all...
In recent years, the concept “sharing economy” has spread gradually spreading in Japan. It’s an idea where individuals and companies mutually share their idle resources, thereby circulating and building the economy efficiently, in a wasteless...
Japan welcomed the new era of Reiwa in May this year, with many Japanese visiting the shrines, participating in a mark of change in history. These Shinto shrines have been the oasis providing emotional support for the past millennium. And now, the...
There is a restaurant which engages in urban farming in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The number of restaurants that practice urban farming to reduce waste and accomplish zero food miles is increasing in North America and Europe. However, it is...
What if livestock become extinct? What if the waste we dump killed animals elsewhere? If forests disappear from the Earth, what then? If only human beings are left on Earth, will there be any food left to eat? How often do we think about the Earth...
The 87th Tokyo International Gift Show Spring 2019 was held for 4 days at Tokyo Bit Sight from February 12th-15th. It is the largest international trade show in Japan, exhibiting products such as personal gifts and housewares. “LIFE x DESIGN” is a...
In downtown Kamaishi City, in Japan’s northeastern Iwate Prefecture, I asked a taxi driver to take me to Nakamise Street. “Nakamise Street?” he says. “It’s just a shuttered shopping strip.” “The place used to bustle with life,” he added. It was just...
For centuries Japan has portrayed itself as a mono-racial nation of people with straight, jet black hair. However, a recent television commercial has sparked discussions not only about how wrong that idea is, but also about how detrimental it is to...
I arrived at an unmanned train station which had absolutely nothing. Well, to be accurate, it did have a brand-new waiting room (with a bench) and a toilet. This was in Rikuzen Takada City in the southeast region of Iwate Prefecture. The area has...
How to make a better society with art—Interview with conceptual artist Masaaki Hasegawa who connects people with unreadable letters Art is now drawing attention in regional revitalization and business scenes. In local cities, many art festivals such...