Cutting through the white-capped waves of the Seto Inland Sea is a one-of-kind “floating library”. This is Hon no Mori-go (ほんのもり号) created to give children living on remote islands the opportunity to discover books and nurture their creativity.
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Last year, JR East announced that their beloved mascot, the Suica penguin, will retire after 25 years of serving as the iconic face of IC cards. Today, the company has unveiled three candidates to succeed the beloved Suica Penguin, which will officially retire at the end of March 2027. The three designs—created by young Japanese creators—offer a decidedly different take on what Suica might look like in its next chapter. And JR East is putting the final decision up to a public vote.
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They say autumn is the season for art. In Japan, fall symbolizes freshness and new endeavors. The season’s clearer skies and brighter moons gives renewed enthusiasm to encounter artistic inspiration. And the entire city of Tokyo is not only here for it, but sponsoring it. From museums extending their hours and all-night art exhibitions to outdoor art festivals, Fall of 2026 is going to be one of the best chances to let art take your hand and guide you around Tokyo.
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Urban photographer Ken Ohyama is passionate about cities and the various structures that form them. The Japanese photographer has a knack for taking oft-overlooked elements of urban environments like highways and housing projects, and highlighting their beauty by forcing us to look at them in ways we never have.
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Every summer, the city of Gyoda in Saitama Prefecture turns rice paddies into giant canvases, planting colorful rice varieties to form massive works of art. Known as tanbo art, these living murals stretch across nearly three hectares and can only be fully appreciated from above. Gyoda’s rice paddy art holds the Guinness World Record for the largest of its kind, and each year it draws visitors eager to see what design will emerge from the fields.
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FamilyMart’s in-house apparel label Convenience Wear is stepping into the world of sumo with a new limited-edition collaboration celebrating legendary yokozuna Chiyonofuji.
Developed in collaboration with fashion designer Hiromasa Ochiai, Convenience Wear is known for its philosophy of “Good Materials, Good Craftsmanship, Good Design.” For this collection, that approach meets the dynamism and tradition of sumo, Japan’s national sport.
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Once every two years, Brussels turns its Grand-Place into a living work of art. This year, artist Hiro Sugiyama transformed the cobblestones into a vibrant floral display as the Belgian capital celebrates the 24th edition of its Flower Carpet featuring one of Japan’s most-iconic images.
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Is it a park? A building? A pathway? A Landscape? It’s one of our most-anticipated architecture project of 2026, and it just opened yesterday (August 7) in Fukuoka, just steps away from Hakata Station. Meiji Park is a new 3,572-square-meter urban park designed by Sou Fujimoto. Architecture and landscape are woven together vertically, creating a continuous environment of terraces, elevated paths, plazas, and greenery.
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Japanese architect Kiyo Takeda belongs to a new generation of designers challenging the long-held notion that architecture should impose order on nature. Instead, his work embraces unpredictability, creating buildings that evolve over time as plants, weather, and the surrounding ecosystem become active collaborators.
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For more than a century, Kokuyo has been quietly refining the humble tools of the desk. Beyond a pursuit of quality and utilitarianism, the Osaka-based maker of stationery tools has always tried to “pique the curiosity of those who hold it.” Their newest “Transparent Mechanism” collection doesn’t introduce new functions so much as reveal the engineering that has been there all along.
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Kawaii Buildings, as Seen Through the Lens of Urban Photographer Ken Ohyama
Candidates Announced for Suica Penguin’s Successor. A Public Vote Will Decide the Outcome
Japanese Aquarium Drops 2026 Version of Flowchart Illustrating Their Penguin Relationships. This Year There’s an English Version.
Japan’s Kei-tora ‘Mini Truck’ Gardening Contest
Mountain Villa in Yamanashi Integrates Landscape and Living Room
