d47 design travel store and Tomio Koyama Gallery at Hikarie
 
Shibuya
d47 design travel store (Hikarie 8F 2-21-1 Shibuya) - Muji is now an international brand that many non-Japanese are familiar with, but in Japan, d & department Project is the fastest-growing household and lifestyle brand in recent years. Established in 2000 by the [...]

My final two Tokyo entries are on shopping, so I hope this will delight a few readers. I have written another entry under the same title 2 years ago, so this is an update/addition to the previous blog entry (click here to read). This entry will focus on Eastern and Central Tokyo:
 
Kuramae
On [...]

Graphic design is a visual communication tool, and it is more complex than most people realise. As a graphic design student at uni, I was profoundly influenced by Japanese graphic design. Now that my main focus is on product designs, I still can't help noticing and forming judgements on graphics seen in [...]

Trend is an intriguing topic. Why is it that some trends remain local (within a town/city/country) while others spread and become global? There are of course numerous factors behind the spread of a particular trend, but the one that excites me most in recent years is the booming coffee or cafe culture [...]

Yokosuka museum of art
 
Due to unforeseen circumstances, my original itinerary in Japan was altered at the last minute, and I had to go alone without my travel companion and cancelled all the pre-booked accommodations.
Fortunately, I managed to rebook my entire trip one day before my departure; and a few days [...]

 Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan
 
Japan is a country that deeply respects its traditions and heritage. Architectural conservations efforts by the authority could be seen at the Edo Tokyo open air architectural museum (read my previous entry). Yet is it too little, too late? In fact, due to rapid growth and urbanisation of Tokyo [...]

 
No matter how many times I have visited Tokyo, there would always be interesting sights or attractions that I have yet to visit. And on this trip, I visited the Edo-Tokyo open air architectural museum in the western suburbs of Tokyo for the first time. Situated close to the Ghibli Museum [...]