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 Mio Yamada

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Mio Yamada
A freelance arts and lifestyle editor and writer, Mio Yamada focuses on design, crafts and architecture. When she’s not visiting galleries and trade fairs, you'll find her taking photos of everything and being distracted by shiny objects. She's also surprisingly British.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 1, 2018
Looking for spring inspiration?
Nendo offers creative advice, Perrocaliente updates the past and Nousaku invokes flower power
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 25, 2018
Issey Miyake finds its Kyoto home
With its tiered roof, latticed exterior and exposed beams, the new Issey Miyake Kyoto flagship is more than just a store; it's a celebration of one of Kyoto's best-known traditional structures — the machiya.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 4, 2018
Classic ways to relax in style
Crafts that help perfect a calming break from it all
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 11, 2018
Bright ideas that light up the web
From sculptural memo pads and kanji-inspired interiors to artisan collaborations and cat furniture — the internet loves Japanese design.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 31, 2017
A few ways to go the whole dog in 2018
Cats may have surpassed dogs as pets in Japan for the first time in more than 20 years, but that hasn't stopped the nation preparing for the year of the dog with canine events and all manner of engimono lucky charms to see you through the year. Here are a few picks for those who want to indulge in a...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 31, 2017
New things for the new year
Now that the festive season of partying and extravagance is over, now's the time to take a breather with a return to some of the calmer things in life — tea, coffee and books.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 3, 2017
It's time to stop blocking color
Minimalist interiors have been a growing trend for many years now, primarily dominated by a monochromatic palette of white. But who says we need to abandon color to live a de-cluttered life?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Nov 5, 2017
Tokyo welcomes Designart
Last month saw the launch of Designart — the capital's new annual collection of exhibitions that bring together Japanese and overseas creators for collaborations on product design and objets d'art. Here are a few picks that showcase the inaugural event's embrace of color, versatility and humanitarianism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 8, 2017
Drawing on Japan's flowers of the flock
Masumi Yamanaka, curator of 'Flora Japonica,' an exhibition of 80 taxonomically correct illustrations of Japanese plants, talks about the dedication that drives botanical art.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 1, 2017
Playing on a good sense of humor
There are some things in life that are designed just for fun. And why not?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Sep 3, 2017
It's all about the convenience
Always in the fast lane? Here are some neat ideas for those who don't like to fuss around.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 6, 2017
Keeping design pure and simple
Why make life complicated, when the simplest of designs can be even more effective?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jul 2, 2017
'Most wanted' in Japanese design
The Interior Lifestyle Tokyo trade fair, an annual event held in June at Tokyo Big Sight, always showcases an impressive number of Japanese participants. This year, On Design picks its favorites from the fair's 'Wanted' special exhibition of designers looking for collaborators or overseas distributors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jun 4, 2017
Souvenirs for the summer holidays
As Japan heats up as a tourist destination, On Design looks into souvenir ideas that won't take up much space in the suitcase and are a little less cliched than the usual airport fare.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
May 28, 2017
When too many things 'spark joy,' it's a Wonderwall life
Masamichi Katayama, founder of interior design firm Wonderwall, describes the importance of accumulating and keeping objects and artworks in life — even if you have more than 500 of them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 30, 2017
Japan fares well at Salone del Mobile
Once again, Salone del Mobile Milano, the world's largest furniture and interiors trade fair, provides a platform for some of Japan's most innovative ideas on both practical and conceptual design.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Apr 2, 2017
Design your own beginner's luck
Spring is here, a time of change and a new starts. Here are a few hobby ideas designed to make it that little bit easier for beginners.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 18, 2017
'Where They Create: Japan': Glimpsing the minds of creatives through their workspaces
When asked how his design process works, Teruhiro Yanagihara, creative director of the ceramics collaboration project 1616/Arita, says, "My brain is initially 'where I create.'"
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 4, 2017
Welcome to the design fold
This month celebrates the art of folding with a selection of products that can be transformed by just a few bends, creases and tucks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2017
Yasuyuki Namikawa: A master of cloisonne color and design
There are two ways that the skill of craftsmanship can be emphasized: by showing it off through masses of meticulous decorative details, or by stripping everything to the bare minimum and bringing into focus just a few perfectly executed qualities. Think of it as maximalism vs. minimalism — Gucci vs....

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