This 9-story Rakuragu hotel rises from an ultra-narrow site in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. If it’s nightlife you’re in search of, this hotel may not be right for you but if you’re looking for understated stylishness and rare outdoor space, this is a gem of a hotel. With just 14 rooms, its design prioritizes outdoor space through the arrangement of balconies that face different directions, capitalizing on the gaps between the neighboring buildings.
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Illustrator and embroidery artist Tomoko Kubo has embarked on an epic linguistic journey of embroidering all 46 characters in the hiragana lettering system. Each piece is carefully designed so that within each character are individually embroidered images that depict foods, animals and activities that begin with that character. Not only are they visually beautiful but are also fun ways for beginners of the Japanese language to identify and learn words!
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The Osaka Expo 2025 kicks off on April 13th. And while we’re excited about some pretty niche things like Hello Kitty algae and attendant uniforms, one of Japan’s signature pavilions, Earth Mart, is shaping up to be delightfully delicious. Located within the expo’s Green World zone, Earth Mart will make you rethink and reevaluate the current state of food by exploring new ways of eating through interactive exhibitions and installations. One iconic installation is a chandelier made from 28,000 eggs, a figure that represents the average number of eggs every Japanese person consumes in their lifetime.
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Kei Endo is an accomplished architect and draughtswoman who got her start by merging her hobbies of travelling and art: she began sharing her detailed, architectural survey drawings of the hotel rooms she stayed at. This wonderful side-hustle eventually blossomed into a career. And Endo’s repertoire expanded from hotel rooms to hotel amenities, meals, desserts and all the small delights around her. Now, for the first time, she’s staging an exhibition of old a new works.
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Hailing from rural Aomori in northern Japan, Sumire Morino grew up skiing and snowboarding. She is currently in art school studying traditional Japanese crafts. And so when Morino turned twenty, 2 years ago, she celebrated coming-of-age-day the only way she knew how: hitting the slopes in a traditional furisode kimono.
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all images by Otama-shimai | used with permission
The Japanese artist who goes by the name Otama-shimai creates Nihonga-style images almost exclusively of hamsters. Nihonga is a Japanese style of painting coined in the mid-1800s to differentiate it from its Western counterpart. Typically made from organic pigments and depicting animals or landscapes, nihonga can be difficult to place, time-period wise. But every now and then the artist will playfully incorporate a contemporary item from everyday life like high-heels or store bought yarn, removing any ambiguity.
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Japanese family crests, or kamon, are visual symbols that have represented family lineage and identity sometimes for centuries. While they are often associated with tradition and cultural heritage, their meanings, usage, and significance can vary widely. Some kamon hold profound historical or personal meaning for families, while others may have been chosen for aesthetic reasons or simply inherited without deeper thought. These variations make kamon, a practice deeply intertwined with family narratives, yet subject to varying levels of personal or historical significance. Designer and illustrator So Terada has brought a playful twist to family crests, by reimagining kamon with food-inspired designs.
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World War II ended in 1945. That same year, at the age of 40 and with a husband and 3 children, Ayako Miyawaki would begin an artistic career so full of vitality and creative freedom that she would go on to produce hundreds of works made from rags and other textiles stitched together.
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Get ready to show your love for Hiroshima. Specifically, their Electric Railway. An integral part of the city’s history and modern-day transportation, Hiroshima boasts the longest and most utilized streetcar network in Japan, operated by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Company and affectionately known as Hiroden. And you’ll soon be able to carry the Hiroden with you wherever you go, thanks to a new collection that includes t-shirts, socks, tote bags and an amazing pair of earrings.
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all photographs by Koji Fujii(TOREAL) courtesy EA Research and Design Office
Located in tranquil Joetsu City, Echigo Yakuso is a health food company that has been researching medicinal herbs and fermented foods for over 40 years. During their production process of products, which include teas, vinegars, kimchi and supplements, the company realized that tons of alcohol was being produced as a bi-product of the process. Instead of letting it go to waste, the company decided to put their knowledge of local herbs to use to create a distilled alcohol they called The Herbalist Yaso Spirits.
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Artist Hiro Sugiyama Recreates Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’ With 750,000 Dahlias
Sou Fujimoto’s Meiji Park Brings a Three-Dimensional Landscape to Hakata Station
Japanese Aquarium Drops 2026 Version of Flowchart Illustrating Their Penguin Relationships. This Year There’s an English Version.
He-Gassen: Revisiting Japan’s Edo Period Fart Scrolls
Gut Instinct | The Secret Science Behind Japanese Food Pairings
