You can now own a piece of the Den-en Toshi train line. Akasaki & Vanhuyse, a Japanese-French design studio, have created a limited-edition table lamp born from the upcycling of resin train straps from Japan’s Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line 8500 series, which was withdrawn from service in January 2023.
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all photos by Yohei Sasakura courtesy Masaru Takahashi Architectural Design Officer
The “Imakumano House” is named after its dwelling: the Imakumano district of Kyoto. It’s a residential area where civilization meets wild mountain slopes. The site offers immersive views of deep green ridgelines, punctuated by sacred spots like Fushimi Inari Shrine and misty mountain streams. It was designed by local architect Masaru Takahashi, who balanced the wishes of his clients—a couple who wished to fully integrate the transformative vistas into their everyday life—with the challenges and hazards that come with living so close to the wilderness.
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We are absolutely in love with this T.K.G. (tamago kake gohan) handkerchief from Chikazawa Lace. It’s part of their 2025 Autumn & Winter collection that’s slowly releasing right now. The handkerchief, which will become available in September, features a bowl and chopsticks delicately crafted with multicolored threads, topped with a richly flavorful egg. The fabric is yellow and white, just like the yellow egg and white rice, a masterful nod to our favorite breakfast.
The 2025 A/W collection is packed with other scrumptious designs too. Check out some of our favorites below:
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Discover new artists, take home some new art and do it all for a good cause. The CAT POWER 2025 exhibition is back at Galerie LE MONDE in Harajuku, Tokyo—marking the return of its annual cat‑themed charity show, now in its 10th edition.
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Imagine sitting on your toilet and getting a personalized health report sent straight to your phone. No clinic visit, no awkward conversations. Just data, insight, and… well, your poop. This isn’t science fiction anymore. Toilets in Japan have long been known for their innovation: heated seats, bidet functions, even calming sounds to mask noise. But starting this August, Japanese toilet giant Toto is rolling out the country’s first home-use toilet with an integrated stool scanner.
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Originally composed as the main theme for Takeshi Kitano’s 1999 film Kikujiro, Joe Hisaishi’s timeless piece “Summer” has long been cherished in Japan as the soundtrack of nostalgic summer memories. Now, this beloved masterpiece is reimagined as a short film.
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all images courtesy the artist | used with permission
Erica Ward is a California-born ink and watercolor artist who has called Tokyo her home for over 10 years. Inspired by Japanese designs and imagery, as well as the ever-changing landscape of Tokyo, Ward reinterprets everyday sights and objects in surreal ways within her artworks, asking the viewer to consider the mundane daily objects in their surroundings as things of beauty and symbols of culture. Spoon & Tamago spoke to the artist about her newest pop-up exhibition, currently on view at Daikanyama T-Site Tsutaya Books .
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Tokyo-based artist Haneno Suzuki has a way of turning something everyday as paper into something completely unexpected in her solo exhibition “Playful Lines“, currently on view at (Place) by Method in Shibuya. Running from July 4th to 19th, 2025, the show invites visitors to explore a surprising world where paper becomes architectural and organic at once. The gallery is located just a short walk from Shibuya or Omotesando station, open from noon to 7pm, and closed on July 6 and 13.
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Sou Fujimoto’s newest project, Earth, is a vacation home that nearly disappears into the landscape of Ishigaki Island. Built for NOT A HOTEL, the circular villa is topped with a green roof and designed to feel like part of the land itself. From above, it reads more like a natural clearing than a luxury home. Inside, it opens up to the sea with an airy living space and a sweeping infinity pool that seems to spill into the horizon. Four glass-walled bedrooms curve along the outer ring, while the lower level hides thoughtful details like an “underwater” sauna lit by the pool above, a gym, and a quiet courtyard with a kids’ pool and firepit.
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If you’re heading to the Osaka Expo, you need to stop by Kuroneko Yamato’s booth. Trust us. And while they do offer baggage storage and shipping, that’s not why you want to go. Running for the duration of the Expo (through October 13), the “Dreaming World of Kuroneko” has an installation over 100 stickers that the company uses to indicate the content of packages and corresponding levels of fragility and speed.
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