Cultural connection: Mono Japan celebrates Eastern craft in Amsterdam
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Last week, we discovered how special the design marriage between The Netherlands and Japan truly is. Taking place at Amsterdam's eclectic Lloyd Hotel – a location that is as Dutch and design as you can get – was the inaugural Mono Japan fair.
'I have never seen so many Japanese people together in one place in Amsterdam before,' one attendee exclaimed. A world away from lifeless exhibition halls, the fair was totally unique; we found true Japanese craft peeking its way out of bathtubs, propped up on beds and settled on sinks.
The Lloyd was a backdrop with true personality. Owner Suzanne Oxenaar would prefer not to call it a design hotel, having refurbished many of the pieces that existed in its previous life as an immigrant hotel. These included the up-cycled white wooden chairs in their restaurant; vintage works that have been given leather seats, or had their spines removed. Despite this, the hotel still houses striking products by a plethora of designers – including Studio Job, Scholten & Baijings and Joep van Lieshout – dotted around the narrow halls and boldly diverse rooms.
The fair showed many practices never displayed outside of Kyoto, Nagasaki or Tokyo before. Thus, the excitement about their craft was understandably heightened, though slightly lost in translation. The disciplines on show spanned design and fashion, to food and music, with interactive events such as kite making, knife sharpening and tea tasting taking place over all six floors of the Lloyd.
'Interest in Japanese handicraft in the Netherlands is remarkable' explains Japanese-born, Amsterdam-based Emiko Chujo, the fair's organiser. 'It stands in sharp contrast to the design scene here where progress, innovation, rationality and modern techniques such as 3D printing set the tone.’
An array of sculptural pieces stood out. Takarajima Senkou, who works from a plant dying factory, used natural Indian indigo to dye hanging stones for her ornamental mobile. Mixed with plated copper shapes, the organic stones are hollow for candles to be placed inside, changing the stone's hues while it moves. Over in the fifth floor loft space, Ryo Okamoto’s sculptures featured intriguing material uses. Inspired by the Japanese Edo period and Hawaiian lava, his fiery malachite form Believer was bathed in a celestial light.
Elsewhere, Tokyo-based Masayuki Kurokawa's refined cast iron tea pots stood strong next to shimmering gold plates inspired by Japanese painter Ogata Kōrin. Meanwhile, showing for the first time outside of Tokyo, sound system designers Taguchi Craftec Co presented ‘Little Bell’, speakers that create subtle sounds via a layered effect in the wood.
Brands with existing international attention also had a presence. Time & Style set their immaculate porcelain tableware and rustic furniture across two rooms; while the Netherlands-based Based on Roots showcased their playful florescent lunch boxes and charming coffee grinders by Takumi Shimamura.
'All of the participants of the fair will stay a full week in the hotel,’ Oxenaar explains. ‘That’s how you really get to know each other and learn each other's culture.’ It was certainly an enveloping experience; to be quite honest, we didn’t want to leave.
Takarajima Senkou's set up of products from her plant dying factory
Senkou used natural Indian indigo to dye hanging stones in this ornamental mobile. Mixed with plated copper shapes, the organic stones are hollow so that candles can be placed inside, changing the stone's hues while it moves
Believer, by Okamoto Ryo, is made of malachite and takes inspiration from Hawaiian lava flames and Japan's final traditional Edo period
Misc Store designed a clinical set up for their graphic stationary and paper goods
Crafted cast iron kettles by Tokyo-based Masayuki Kurokawa
Kurokawa's plates were inspired by Japanese painter Ogata Kōrin
Brands with existing international attention also had a presence – Time & Style set up a living space in one of the Lloyd Hotel's drawing rooms
Artisanal coffee grinders by Takumi Shimamura, from the Netherlands-based retailer Based on Roots
Playful lunch boxes by Takumi Shimamura, from Based on Roots
In a special manufacturing process called 'BIZEN-yaki(ware),' designer Ichiro Mori creates his clay pottery using natural glazes and specific kiln temperatures
Showing for the first time outside of Tokyo, sound system designer Taguchi Craftec Co presented their ‘Little Bell’ speakers, that create subtle sounds via a layered effect in the wood
A host of elegant pieces by blacksmith Banshu Hamono, who hosted knife sharpening workshops during the fair
Known for their sculpted lacquer works, Bluevox! presented their 'Shizuku' bowls
Also on show by Bluevox! was a minimalist stool by Gaku Takasu
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Mono Japan’s website (opens in new tab)
-
Glenmorangie unveils a whisky inspired by rugged Scottish forests
Glenmorangie’s A Tale of the Forest uses an ancient Highland method for drying barley to create a distinctive taste
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Odile Mir: exploring the creative life of a self-taught polymath
Nonagenarian French artist Odile Mir is back for an encore, thanks to her granddaughter’s role in reissuing her modernist designs
By Amy Serafin • Published
-
Samuel Ross on the architectural influences and optimistic ethos behind his Acqua di Parma collaboration
Samuel Ross discusses the inspiration behind his redesign of Acqua di Parma’s iconic Colonia fragrance
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Kyoto's Maana Kiyomizu boutique hotel is the epitome of modern craftsmanship
Maana Homes’ latest boutique hotel with a twist opens in Kyoto, including suites, a café, and a shop specialising in modern Japanese craftsmanship
By Danielle Demetriou • Last updated
-
Kai Yufuin by Kengo Kuma revisits Japanese farmhouse architecture
Hoshino Resorts has launched Kai Yufuin, a hot spring ryokan hotel by Kengo Kuma on the island of Kyushu in the Ōita Prefecture
By Feride Yalav-Heckeroth • Last updated
-
Teruhiro Yanagihara creates terroir-inspired interiors for new restaurant Sower in Japan
Sower, the new Japanese restaurant on Lake Biwa, features a minimalist design and a material palette inspired by its surroundings
By Danielle Demetriou • Last updated
-
Kengo Kuma’s Ace Hotel Kyoto opens in a converted telephone office
Discover the design details of Asia's first Ace Hotel, as realised by architect Kengo Kuma and Commune Design
By Danielle Demetriou • Last updated
-
K5 — Tokyo, Japan
By Danielle Demetriou • Last updated
-
The Trip: explore the ancient and modern worlds of Nara, Japan
Weekly at Wallpaper*, ‘The Trip' takes you on a detailed tour of an under-explored town, city or territory, direct from your living room. This week, we journey to the revered Japanese capital, Nara, which has been experiencing a cultural renaissance, led by a savvy herd of young creatives
By Jens Jensen • Last updated
-
Maja Hotel — Kyoto, Japan
By Danielle Demetriou • Last updated
-
Sowaka — Kyoto, Japan
By Daven Wu • Last updated