KAO, a homecare consumer products company, is working with the local community and companies in Kamakura. They are proposing a new system for a recycling-oriented society. Their project, “RecyCreation,” aims to spearhead the way for a better future...
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...
Discarding furniture in the house is something we often come across, but what about discarding furniture in the office? Businesses are bound discard their office furniture at a some point, like when they want to move to a larger office. But so often...
Child poverty is a prevalent issue in the world. According to a survey conducted by the welfare ministry in 2017, 1 in 7 Japanese children live in poor households in Japan. As an effort to fight child poverty in Japan, Anyo Temple in Nara...
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...
Located just a short distance from Yokohama station is KOOWORK, a co-working space that also doubles as sauna. It is the first of its kind in Japan. Workers and businesses are able to release the tensions that come with their jobs, remain...
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...
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Lawson and CaSy Co., Ltd., a new system in order to store personal keys in a safe and secure location has launched in Japan. Keycafe is a key exchange service that allows users to easily share keys with...
It is always heartening to see customers making a conscious choice for ethical and/or organic products. We know that we are making an impact when small decisions like these are made globally. Japan is seeing changing trends that are environmentally...