design-life see 1
DESCRIPTION
D&L special issue SEE ! issue 01 20 SPOTS 04 Meiji 100% chocolate cafe 07 Natural Lawson 08 Matsunosuke N.Y. 13 Sunshine studio 15 OmoteSando Hills 22 AMADANA 23 Kihachi 24 UT 30 Midtown / 21_21 33 Otoko Mae Tofu 34 Koh-men 35 Belberry 37 Time & Style 39 Tokyo Midtown Design Hub 42 ±0 47 A-Mei-Yo-Ko 49 The Nomadic Museum 56 Yoshida Kaban (Porter) 58 Tofu Cafe 62 D&Department 20. D&L special issue SEE ! issue 01 10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyoTRANSCRIPT
20.
十.
10 SCENES
20 SPOTS
04 Meiji 100% chocolate cafe 07 Natural Lawson 08 Matsunosuke N.Y. 13 Sunshine studio
15 OmoteSando Hills 22 AMADANA 23 Kihachi 24 UT 30 Midtown / 21_21 33 Otoko Mae Tofu
34 Koh-men 35 Belberry 37 Time & Style 39 Tokyo Midtown Design Hub 42 ±0 47 A-Mei-Yo-Ko
49 The Nomadic Museum 56 Yoshida Kaban (Porter) 58 Tofu Cafe 62 D&Department
10 Uniqueness 18 Tradition x Modern 26 Delicate food culture 29 Clean streets 36 Bicycles
40 Convenient vendor machines 44 Unique color system 51 Dramatic dressing 53 ZAKA 60 Tokyo Night life
10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
D&L special issue SEE ! issue 01
01.
一.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
Meiji 100% chocolate cafe
100% chocolate cafe is run by
old Japanese chocolate brand,
Meiji. The environment was de-
signed by Masamichi Katayama
while all the graphics were by
Groovisions. They have a total 56
different flavors of chocolate that
are coded by colors and numbers.
It is a stylish chocolate bar you
don't want to miss.
www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/choco-cafe
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
02.
二.
Natural Lawson
Natural Lawson is a brand new
idea from the Japan originated
convenient store, Lawson. This
is a eco-friendly convenient
store selling all kinds of organic
products: healthy, pesticide-
free food and drinks, recyclable
stationery, organic bath and
cleaning products from suppliers
such as Matsuyama. Even their
packaging material is all
eco-friendly!
www.natural-lawson.co.jp
03.
三.
8
Matsunosuke N.Y.
Daikanyama is a nice neigh-
borhood in Tokyo. It is a quiet
living area with a lot of special
small shops, galleries, and nice
restaurants. Matsunosuke N.Y.
is one of them. It is famous of
its award-wining apple pie. After
shopping around in the area,
Matsunosuke is a great place to
have a cup of afternoon tea.
www.matsunosukepie.com
10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
01.
一.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
Uniqueness
Japanese doesn't like to copy
someone's idea. Every store
has its own characteristic. Non
of them are the same or similar.
They have their own distinctive
facade, unique interior, their own
CD albums, and even their own
developed products. You will have
surprises anytime, anywhere,
no matter it's a famous brand
flagship or a anonymous petit
shop in a narrow alley.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
04.
四.
Sunshine studio
Sunshine studio is just opened
this June. Run by design unit -
Design works project, it is a cafe
set up for designers to meet, eat
and exhibit. Located at the busy
area of Harajuku, the space is
bright and comfortable. Also, they
have great chiffon cake!
www.sunshinestudio.jp
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
05.
五.
OmoteSando Hills
OmoteSando Hills is a must-
go. Designed by the world-
renowned master - Tadao
Ando, OmoteSando Hills itself
is a great artwork. This large
complex gathers a lot of great
brands and restaurants with the
renewed residential section on
the uppermost levels. In order
not to interfere with the original
landscape and view, there are
only 6 levels, and 3 of them are
below ground.
www.omotesandohills.com
02.
二.
Tradition x Modern
Traditional culture is well kept in
Japan. Not only they preserve
it, but they respect the heritage
from forefathers. There are a lot of
examples when you walk around
Tokyo, such as traditional wa-ga-
shi(Japanese sweets) with modern
packaging; traditional companies
with modern facades; people
wearing kimono walking in the
Tokyo Midtown. In Tokyo, we can
see the tradition well blend into
the modern society.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
06.
六.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
AMADANA
AMADANA is a brand founded by
the company Realfleet Co.,ltd.
There are 3 main members,
Masaki Tabei, Hiroshi Kumamoto,
and Shuwa Tei. The tenet of
AMADANA is to show people the
best technology with the spirit and
beauty of craft of Japan. You will
find their products are somehow
combined tradition and modern.
A great shop to stop by.
en.amadana.com
07.
七.
Kihachi
It’s a special “soft cream” store.
Soft cream is kind of sundae.
The taste is so rich that you feel
like you are eating iced cream. It
has been chosen as No.1 dessert
in Tokyo! I highly recommend
“sesame soft cream”. Please try it
when you drop by.
www.kihachi.co.jp
08.
八.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
UT
The famous Japanese T-shirts
brand, Uniqlo, has just opened up
a special T-shirt shop in Harajuku,
Tokyo. It is called UT(Uniqlo T-
shirt) Store Harajuku. It is de-
signed by the famous designer,
Kashiwa Sato. The concept of the
store is "the future T-shirts con-
venient store." All the t-shirts in
the store are stored in cans which
are placed on the shelves, just like
the convenient store. All you can
see is the samples on the hangers
and you can choose the T-shirt
you want, and find it according to
the number. How fun is that!
ut.uniqlo.com
03.
三.
Delicate food culture
Japanese dish is always too
beautiful to eat. It emphasizes
the balance of color, the seasonal
ingredients, and fresh taste. You
are satisfied with the sight and
then your taste bud. Japanese
sweet is another pleasant ama-
zement. Not to mention how pre-
tty the appearance is, the taste
is always light but full of rich body.
I had best caramel banana cheese
cake in Tokyo at Afternoon Tea.
I have to say, it has changed my
sweet life and open my dessert
vision.
www.afternoon-tea.net
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
04.
四.
Clean streets
Clean is the first impression for
everybody who visits Tokyo or
anywhere in Japan. There are
always dustmen cleaning the
streets although the streets are
already clean enough for us. You
won't see people spit around nor
throw cigarette buts at random.
It perfectly reflects the restrained
attitude of Japanese life.
09.
九.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
Midtown / 21_21
Tokyo Midtown is a new land
mark at Roppongi, Tokyo. It
includes residential, commercial,
offices, hotel and leisure space.
The 5-floor retail Galleria with
73,000 square meters of stores,
restaurants and shops includes
the first Terence Conran restau-
rants in Japan. There is also a
large public park with a lot of con-
temporary works and a design
gallery/workshop, 21_21 design
sight created by Issey Miyake
and Tadao Ando.
www.tokyo-midtown.com
www.2121designsight.jp
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
10.
十.
Otoko Mae Tofu
It is difficult to ignore it when
you see "Otogo Mae Tofu" in the
supermarket. "Otogo Mae" means
macho! Can you imagining macho
tofu?? Their tofu packages are
all very special, and the name
of each product has special
meaning. Like, they have "Fight
first! Soup tofu boy!" or "Soymilk
rock'n'roll!" Is that funny? They
even have 5 characters for the
brand: Osamu, Ojoe, Tamotsu,
Don, and Johnny. Their website is
fun too! Take a look next time you
visit Tokyo!
otokomae.jp
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
Koh-men
Ramen is not only food but also
culture in Japan. There are three
kind of ramen broths, including
tongachu, soy, and salt. Besides,
there are Chinese style and miso
favor. Komen is a Chinese style
ramen shop, and it’s famous of
roasted pork.
kohmen.com
12.
二.
Belberry
Belberry is famous of its
extra jams, which still made
in traditional way. This store
is situated in the B1 of Tokyo
Midtown. This is also their first
store in Japan. They came up
a surprising dessert idea of a
combination of jam, crispy cruller,
and homemade ice cream. When
you taste it, three layers of
different temperature and texture
elements blend together. No
wonder it’s always a long line.
www.lcdd.jp/belberry
十
11.
一.十
05.
五.
Bicycles
Japanese likes to ride bicycles.
House wives ride bicycles to
super market or pick up kids.
Communicators ride bicycles to
station. Students ride bicycles to
save expensive transportation fee.
Riding bicycles gradually becomes
a city sport here.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
13.
三.
Time & Style
Time and Style is a good
example of mixing tradition and
modern style. The store interior
is contemporary by using black
and white color as main theme.
When you look closer, you will
find the detail of each product
has Japanese traditional delicate
technique, such as hand-made
dinner ware.
www.timeandstyle.com
十
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
14.
四.
Tokyo Midtown Design Hub
Tokyo Midtown Design Hub which
located at the Midtown Tower in-
cludes 4 different institutions,
Japan Industrial Design Promotion
Organization, The Japan Graphic
Designers Association Inc., Kyu-
shu University Faculty of Design
Tokyo Lounge, and International
Design Liaison Center. The object
of the Hub is to strive through the
medium of “design,” and bring
greater energy to Japan in the
21st century. They have a lot of
design events, exhibitions, from
time to time.
www.tokyo-midtown.com/en/design/hub
十
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
06.
六.
Convenient vendor machines
Japan is famous of high tech-
nology. It seems anything can
be done by machine. So no
surprisingly, they have a lot of
vendor machines on the streets.
Mostly, they sell drinks and
cigarettes, but they also have
T-shirts, instant burgers, even
downloading MP3 files to their
MP3 players. What catch our
eyes is the 100 yen drinks vendor
machine. There is a company in
Japan selling 100 yen drinks by
purchasing them which close to
expiration date from several com-
panies. We think it's a brilliant
idea for reducing the waste.
15.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
五.十
±0
Plusminus Zero is a brand found-
ed by world famous designer,
Naoto Fukasawa. Their products
are all very simple; neither plus
nor minus. The shape is very
normal yet fascinating. They also
have a small cafe shop across
their small courtyard. It is a
small design shop but a great
impression.
www.plusminuszero.jp
07.
七.
Unique color system
Japanese has their own special
color system. While most of the
world uses PANTONE, they have
their own DIC color system. It
seems they have their own taste
of colour scheme. We can see all
kind of examples on the street:
the banners, clothes, buildings,
flyers, and so on. The unique
sense of colour differentiates
them from the rest of the world.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
16.
六.
A-Mei-Yo-Ko
Looking for bargain? You should
go to A-Mei-Yo-Ko. There are
lots of discount stores and fresh
seafood shops. Salespersons
say welcome loudly with special
voice tune. The street is a sense
of bustle and full of excitement.
It is located in front of JR UENO
Station, and nearby Ueno Zoo.
www.ameyoko.net
十
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
17.
七.
The Nomadic Museum
The Nomadic Museum is a
temporary structure composed of
156 shipping containers, specially
built for the "Ashes and Snow"
photography exhibit of Gregory
Colbert. It was first built on Pier
54 in NYC to hold the exhibit
in 2005, then was dismantled,
moved to, and reassembled in
Santa Monica, CA in early 2006.
It was designed by Japanese
architect Shigeru Ban. Right now
it is at Odaiba, Tokyo where it will
remain until the end of June. The
next stop is still unknown.
www.ashesandsnow.org/en/exhibition/
nomadic-museum.php
十
08.
八.
Dramatic dressing
Japanese knows how to dress
up and each of them is very
stylish. From hair to clothes and
accessories, each step can be
very detailed. Young generation
likes to mix and match to show
their personalities. They just
want to be themselves and don't
mind others judgement. When
you travel in Japan, you will be
impressed on their dressing skill
and find a good reason to buy
new clothing.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
09.
九.
ZAKA
Zaka is a Japanese word, which
means general merchandises.
General speaking, it includes
utensils, tableware, home
accessory, and furniture.
Some areas in Tokyo become
a shopping district because of
zaka stores, such as Jiyugaoka,
Diaganyama, or Shimokitazawa.
These areas used to be nice
living environment, and now they
become the models presenting
the lifestyle of zaka. Zaka has
merged Japanese traditions and
European style and created its
own modern, simple, ease, and
somehow kept the heritage.
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
18.
八.
Yoshida Kaban (Porter)
Yoshida Kaban (a.k.a. Porter)
is one of the most famous bag
brands in Japan. Their bag is
made by durable fabric or leather.
The design is simple but timeless.
Many companies do crossover
with Porter, including beams and
monocle magazine. Once you
have one bag from them, you will
become its fan.
www.yoshidakaban.com
十
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
19.
九.
Tofu Cafe
Japanese loves to use soy milk
instead of milk. Soy milk is
harmony with black coffee, and
also a health ingredient with
dish. In Tokyo, there are lots of
restaurant adopt soy milk into
creative dishes. “To-Fu Café
Fujino” is one of them using soy
milk to create yummy dessert,
such like tofu ice cream, tofu
cheese cake, and green tea soy
milk au lait. This cafe is originated
from a old tofu store at Kyoto. It’s
very healthy, and super yummy.
www.kyotofu.co.jp/shop/cafe_6/index.html
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10 SCENES X 20 SPOTS | D&L Special issus 01 SEE! tokyo
10.
十.
Tokyo Night life
Japanese loves to drink, no
matter men or women. It’s a habit
to get a drink after a hard working
day. Beer bar, sake bar, sushi bar,
and fusion restaurants are full of
the streets or hided in the small
alleys. Station is still very crowded
even midnight. I can’t help to
think about how they can wake
up and go to office on time the
next day. One of our friends told
me that they always make it on
time because it’s Japanese spirit
to “Work hard, play hard.”
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20.
十.
D&Department
Drawing and Manual is a design
company opened in Tokyo in
1977. They started D&Department
Project to influence Japanese
consumers to be able to have
good sense and interested in
“Good design”. They delivered
a message “Good design can
be recycled” by re-cycling other
brand shopping bag. They sell
tableware, utensil, furniture, CD,
stationery, and greens. First floor
is a nice café. I must tell you
the curry rice with fried egg is
amazing.
www.d-department.jp
www.drawingandmanual.com
二
1
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PH design consultant / Brand Images, Corporate Identity System, Shop Development Consultant,
Visual Communications, Editorial, Packaging / [email protected]
Design & Life online minizine / www.designandlife.com / Presented to you by PH design consultant