JŌMON: Noe Kuremoto’s crafts celebrate the joy and hardships of motherhood
Rooted in JŌMON Japanese rituals, Kuremoto’s cracked and imperfect vessels hold what no words quite can: the full, unfiltered complexity of becoming a mother.
Chatai: A convivial Japanese design tea space in Dubai
With the Chatai pavilion, Nikken Sekkei and Sobokuya bring Japanese tea rituals and culture to Dubai within a handcrafted architecture, blending tradition and community.
Muwa Niseko: Blending Mountain Views with Contemporary Japanese Architecture
The Muwa Niseko condominium-hotel by Nikken Sekkei combines designer apartments with breathtaking views of the northern Japanese Alps, pitched roofs, a spa, hot springs, and a lush central courtyard that evolves with the seasons.
Pictograms: How Japanese Design Shaped a Universal Visual Language
At Japan House London, a new exhibition celebrates the global impact of pictograms, those clever little icons we see everywhere, from street signs to smartphone screens, with a special focus on Japanese design.
‘small MUJI’ exhibition: Tatsuya Tanaka transforms MUJI products into tiny worlds
Socket boards become skyscrapers, biscuits become furniture, and Times Square is made of rubber stamps. The ‘small MUJI’ exhibition is about serendipitous ingenuity.
Sixteen national pavilions at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale
We selected sixteen national pavilions at the Venice Biennale 2025 that explore how architects can react to climate change with natural, artificial, and collective intelligence.
Shigeru Ban explores materials for the Blue Ocean Dome Pavilion
The Blue Ocean Dome Pavilion in Osaka consists of three distinct bubbles created with cutting-edge materials and techniques.
Japan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka Embodies the ‘Cycle of Life’
The pavilion embraces the Cycle of Life concept of continuous transformation and reuse. Envisioned as a living organism, it is shaped as a monumental ring formed from layers of timber planks.
Expo 2025 Osaka is centred around a giant timber Ring structure
Inspired by ancient temple building techniques, the ‘Ring’ at Expo 2025 Osaka will be the world’s largest timber structure, “connecting with the world through the sea and sky,” explains Sou Fujimoto.
Naoshima New Museum of Art by Tadao Ando
Set to open this spring, the Naoshima New Museum of Art blends seamlessly with its environment through a spacious sloped roof, sunlit galleries, and a café contemplating the sea.
Hoshino Architects’ nest-like Tokyo tower tunes with its surrounding urban nature
Conceived as an architectural nest, the Hoshino Architects’ skyscraper features a striking ‘woven’ facade and curvaceous interiors.
Toyota City Museum by Shigeru Ban is an ode to sustainable timber architecture
Shigeru Ban’s Toyota City Museum is made from locally sourced cedar wood. The new cultural venue is Japan’s first architecture to achieve the Net Zero Energy Building Ready certification.
Museum Reinhard Ernst by Fumihiko Maki
“Museum building is community building.” This is the concept behind the new Museum Reinhard Ernst, the last masterpiece by the late Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki.
Elica’s StraordinAria installation by We+ invites you to walk through clouds
Kitchen accessories manufacturer Elica and Japanese studio We+ evoke air and warmth with the ‘StraordinAria’ installation nestled in a stunning Baroque courtyard in Milan.
Eleven community-building projects by Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto
A terraced university campus for interdisciplinary exchange, homes open to neighbours, a museum open to both visitors and locals and a see-through fire station strengthening the bond between firefighters and residents… Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto won the 2024 Pritzker Prize for his bold, community-driven approach.
Riken Yamamoto wins the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize
Architecture as a tool to foster a sense of community, collective life and mutual aid. This is what the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient, Riken Yamamoto, has been doing for the last five decades.
Pritzker Prize winning architect Arata Isozaki dies aged 91
Arata Isozaki, one of the most influential post-war architects, is renowned for connecting East and West, global and local, raising questions that transcend eras and borders.
Japanese calligraphy inspires Sabina Blasiotti’s furniture design collection
SABI creates a furniture family informed by the ink-black swift strokes of Japanese calligraphy. “Each piece possesses its own expressional character,” the studio founder Sabina Blasiotti told Archipanic.
Biennale Arte 2022: 10 national pavilions with great architecture and design
Biennale Arte 2022: surreal environments inspired by William S. Burroughs, Parisian bistros and black women-powered settings. We selected 10 must-see national pavilions in Venice.
Homo Faber 2022 celebrates high craftsmanship from Europe and Japan
Until May 1, Homo Faber 2022 takes over the Island of San Giorgio with 15 exhibitions pushing the boundaries of craftsmanship while focusing on the importance of international and cross-generational collaboration.
Iconic Nagakin Capsule Tower in Tokyo set to be demolished on April 12
Despite local and international efforts to save it from the wrecking ball, the Nagakin Capsule Tower will be replaced by a brand-new building. But some of the cuboid capsules composing it might be saved from demolition, restored and hosted in museums.
Maison & Objet 2022: 7 Japanese rising talents shine in Paris
Dancing paper, PVC hand blowing, mathematical clay vessels and inflatable leather… 7 Japanese rising talents experiment with materials exploring new aesthetics at Maison & Objet 2022.
Cross-laminated timber fins wrap Kengo Kuma’s CLT Park Harumi pavilion in Tokyo
Kengo Kuma’s CLT Park Harumi recreational venue is dressed with a skin of wooden leaves filtering light like trees in a forest.
The best of Tokyo Olympics’ architecture, empty but great!
Kengo Kuma, Kenzo Tange and Fumihiko Maki but also Tange Associates, Kume Sekkei and more… Tokyo Olympics’ architecture is cross-generational and great, even if we can’t be there!
The best design and architecture of 2020 Tokyo Olympics is on Pinterest!
We have created a Pinterest board rounding up what we liked the most at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Check it out!
LET’S GO, BBC Tokyo Olympics Trail magically reimagines the vibrant host city
LET’S GO, BBC Tokyo Olympics trail by Nexus Studios and Factory Fifteen pays homage to the Japanese capital blending pop culture with sport.
Nendo unveils the Hyouri lanterns collection at the Life in Vogue virtual exhibition
Made from bamboo, washi paper and translucent silk, the Hyouri collection pays tribute to traditional Kyoto lanterns and comprises designs that “seem to swallow parts of themselves.”
Shigeru Ban designs transparent public toilets in Shibuya, Tokyo
The transparent public toilets by the Pritzker Prize winner are part of a larger project inviting to literally see through and leave behind the usual cliches of parks loos.
Studio Velocity designs a curved roof office building in Japan
There is a delicate balance of gravity and tension in the ‘Sannouno’ office building by Studio Velocity in Japan. The architecture features a white convivial curved roof and a randomly-disposed forest of wooden columns.
Fuorisalone 2020: 4 digital formats announced in the wake of Salone del Mobile 2020 cancelation due to COVID-19
Fuorisalone 2020: in April and from 15 to 21 June the Milan Design Week diffused festival extend its influence digitally with ‘Fuorisalone TV’ and ‘Fuorisalone Meets’ virtual platforms as well as special e-fairs dedicated to Chinese and Japanese design.