We dedicate an entire issue to a place we, and you, just can’t get enough of: Japan. It all began with a secret weapon of ours, creative lead Nam Tran, who lived in Japan for nine years. Every time Nam heads back with his wife Anri and daughter Kano to visit family, he returns armed with snacks, a refreshed wardrobe, and most importantly, a hard drive full of stories. Thanks to Nam, our YouTube episodes on Japanese homes have become some of the most beloved on the channel. So for this issue, we went all in. Inside these pages you’ll find stories that span the past, present and future of Japanese design culture. We profile the late Samiro Yunoki, the last living link to Japan’s mingei folk art movement, and take you inside a vividly painted Tokyo apartment complex with a radical premise: to reverse the idea of death. Sir Paul Smith shares his decades-long relationship with Japan and his love of contrasts—“big and small, rough and smooth, kitsch and beautiful.” And we go deep on the wild world of Japanese magazines with James Shackell, who also demystifies what makes something ‘Made in Japan’. Also in this issue: the bleeding edge of Japan’s urban art scene, a cheat sheet to Japanese interior style, our favourite examples of smile-inducing Japanese architecture, and a Tokyo travel guide with perfect-day itineraries from locals we trust. We even asked Tokyo-based illustrator Grace Lee to bring our cover to life—so much so, we turned it into a pull-out poster. Whether you’re planning a trip or dreaming from afar, this is our love letter to Japanese design—serious and playful, timeless and ever-evolving.
