Japan Archives - Metropolis

Suppose Design Office Nishitokyo House tokyo

In Tokyo, a Formidable Concrete Shell Protects an Intimate Family Dwelling

Bridget Newsham,

Japanese firm Suppose Design Office was tasked with creating a communal, yet private, house for a family of five on a compact site.

Inside the Mind of Sou Fujimoto

Guy Horton,

Metropolis interviews the renowned Japanese architect, whose retrospective exhibition Futures of the Future is currently on view at Japan House Los Angeles.

This Design Lab in Kyoto Is Analyzing Food to Understand How Cities Change

Katie Okamoto,

“By looking at food, we can uncover the inner workings of the city which are otherwise difficult to see,” says Takuya Miyake of the Kyoto Institute of Technology.

Japan's Two New Moxy Hotels Aim for Laid-Back Hospitality

Mikki Brammer,

The Moxy brand, owned by Marriot, seeks to appeal to the “next-gen” traveler, doing away with traditional amenities in favor of a budget-friendly, design-focused experience.

The Secret Beauty, Terror, and Power of Japanese Gardens

Sophie Walker,

Garden designer Sophie Walker delves into the multifaceted nature of Japanese Gardens in her new book from Phaidon.

The Japanese Gardener Who Hunts Exotic Plants the World-Over

Jenna Matecki,

Seijun Nishihata helms the Sora Botanical Garden project, a company that offers horticultural consultation to architects, designers, governments, and private companies.

The Story of 20th-Century Japanese Culture, in One Book

Akiva Blander,

"The Japanese Photobook" obsessively documents the mediatic techniques that captured life in the island nation over the last 100 years.

Tezuka 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize

Tezuka Architects Win 2017 Moriyama RAIC International Prize

Zachary Edelson,

The firm won the $100,000 award for its Fuji Kindergarten, which is specially designed for autistic children, in Tokyo, Japan.

Barbican Exhibit on Japanese Houses a Veritable Architectural Playground

George Kafka,

A new exhibition at the Barbican Gallery highlights Japanese architects’ thrilling, seemingly impractical, sometimes topsy-turvy experiments with the house.

Tokyo House Tests Environmentally-Friendly Concrete Made From Volcanic Ash

Cathelijne Nuijsink,

For this unique home, Atelier Tekuto teamed up with experts to develop an environmentally-friendly concrete made—not from sand—but volcanic ash.

Design Is Like Making Soup, Says Naoto Fukasawa

Mikki Brammer,

The celebrated Japanese designer muses on the similarities between design and soup making, the enduring relevance of "Super Normal", and the power of observation.

Longtime Issey Miyake Collaborator Steps Into the Spotlight

Avinash Rajagopal,

Handcrafted textiles and technically innovative fabrics often seem worlds apart. This Japanese powerhouse has been opening up exciting possibilities for textile design by combining the two.