main venue at the Tokyo Midtown Hall
Architect Ryuji Nakamura designed the interior of DesignTide’s main venue at the Tokyo Midtown Hall
(Image credit: Architect Ryuji Nakamura)

Despite the grey, threatening typhoon skies (which forced one of the main sites to close for a day), Tokyo's largest design event went ahead with the bright, positive disposition we've come to expect from this fair. Composed of two organizations, Tokyo Designers Week and DesignTide Tokyo, each with their own main sites, they also incorporate over 100 satellite shows where artists, designers and architects display their work in shops, galleries and cafés across this vast, buzzing city.

Designer Gwenael Nicolas of Japanese design studio Curiosity gave Tokyo Designers Week's main event, Tent, the theme of 'Environment' and asked designers to tackle the subject both in a broad sense with issues such as global warming but also in a more personal way looking at how it concerns our own mind and body. Besides individual designers experimenting with recycling, the events showed advanced research technologies led by large Japanese companies, and tried to convince train-loving Tokyoites to get on bicycles.

As in previous years, the Container exhibition (where designers are given a shipping cargo container each in which to create an interactive display using elements like light, imagery, sound and aroma) continued to mesmerize the crowds, as did the Student show, which was themed: 'Red List: Endagnered Species'.

Over at DesignTide Tokyo's main site at the Tokyo Midtown Hall, the interior had been designed by architect Ryuji Nakamura, while the theme was 'Bare Room'.

'Bare Room' at Tokyo Midtown Hall

Titled 'Bare Room', the design emphasises the enormity of this column-free venue

(Image credit: Architect Ryuji Nakamura)

7m-high structures

The 7m-high structures invite visitors to look up to the ceiling, reminding them how huge the hall that they are in really is

(Image credit: Architect Ryuji Nakamura)

massive handmade chair cut from steel bars

Kouichi Okamoto of Kyouei Design showcases his new massive handmade chair cut from steel bars

(Image credit: Kouichi Okamoto)

entire design and production process to be done by one person

In creating his chair, Okamoto wanted to show it was still possible for an entire design and production process to be done by one person

(Image credit: Kouichi Okamoto)

'Floating Pattern Carpet'

Yuko & Noriko Nakayama's 'Floating Pattern Carpet' in collaboration with Antron Carpet design

(Image credit: Yuko & Noriko Nakayama)

what happens when a pattern is separated from a carpet and then placed on the wall

The two sisters wanted to explore what happens when a pattern is separated from a carpet and then placed on the wall, triggering a new way of seeing the space

(Image credit: Yuko & Noriko Nakayama)

'A Room in the Glass Globe'

Architect Hideyuki Nakayama's display 'A Room in the Glass Globe' consists of two glass doorknobs stuck onto a white door

(Image credit: Architect Hideyuki Nakayama)

the doorknob reveals a room within it

Reminiscent of a trapped world in a snow dome, the doorknob reveals a room within it upon closer inspection

(Image credit: Architect Hideyuki Nakayama)

signature pattern of circles and straight lines onto Arita ware

Textile designer Hiroko Takahashi applied her signature pattern of circles and straight lines onto Arita ware 

(Image credit: Designer Hiroko Takahashi)

Takahashi made this mass-produced product look as if it had been handmade

By slightly changing the position of the pattern on each plate, Takahashi made this mass-produced product look as if it had been handmade

(Image credit: Designer Hiroko Takahashi)

'On Purpose' art installation

Hiroko Takahashi's art installation 'On Purpose' in her new gallery

(Image credit: Designer Hiroko Takahashi)

Work from the kimono-making students

Work from the kimono-making students of Kawashima Textile school in Kyoto

(Image credit: Kawashima Textile)

100 original and vintage piggy banks

Tokyo-based Nendo designed one of the 100 original and vintage piggy banks on show in Shinjuku's Isetan department store. 'Piggy Bank Collection' looks to brings back that nostalgic enjoyable feeling of putting coins in a piggy bank

(Image credit: Nendo)

industrial waste in an unexpected and beautiful way

Design collaborative Nakadai bring out the hidden potential of industrial waste in an unexpected and beautiful way

(Image credit: Nakadai)

'Material Data Bank', such as LAN cable waste turned into sheets

This pavilion is made from a variety of materials from the Nakadai's 'Material Data Bank', such as LAN cable waste turned into sheets

(Image credit: Nakadai)

LAN cable waste stuck between membranes

Textile designer Yoko Ando of Nuno contributed to the pavilion's ceiling with LAN cable waste stuck between membranes

(Image credit: Designer Yoko Ando)

'Origami Magic Ball'

Makoto Orisaki worked on a large sheet of cardboard for 15 hours to make the 'Origami Magic Ball'

(Image credit: Makoto Orisaki)

'Origami Magic Ball'

The 'Origami Magic Ball' up close, which undulates and billows out depending on how it is pressed

(Image credit: Makoto Orisaki)

The 'Jalapagos' exhibition

Work from the The 'Jalapagos' exhibition, a presentation by Japanese contemporary artists within the main venue of Tokyo Designers Week

(Image credit: Japanese contemporary artists)

the magnetic 'gravity pearls'

Designer Nosigner collaborated with Japanese artisans from Izumi and produced the magnetic 'gravity pearls'

(Image credit: Designer Nosigner)

white water pearls

The white water pearls cluster like bubbles, and can also be used as jewellery

(Image credit: Press)

'Montblanc Seen From Ham'

Embroidery artist Yumiko Arimoto's piece, titled 'Montblanc Seen From Ham'

(Image credit: Yumiko Arimoto)

landscape of Mont Blanc if seen from a different visual perspective 

The piece, which at first view appears to be an embroidered piece of ham, allows the user to spot the landscape of Mont Blanc if seen from a different visual perspective 

(Image credit: Yumiko Arimoto)

innovative 'or-ita' cutter

An exhibition at Hotel Claska, where six Japanese designers show what can be done with the innovative 'or-ita' cutter

(Image credit: Japanese designers)

Close up of the the 'or-ita' cutter

Close up of the the 'or-ita' cutter, which allows the user to easily make creases on cheap corrugated cardboard and fold it as desired

(Image credit: Press)

nine architectural model-making postcards

Naoki Terada made a series of nine architectural model-making postcards with a comical twist

(Image credit: Press)

theme is orchestra

The latest series' theme is that of an orchestra

(Image credit: Press)

'Mirror of Eclipse'

Nosigner and his 'Mirror of Eclipse'

(Image credit: Nosigner)

ohn Warwicker of Tomato's artwork

The mirror is part of a display on John Warwicker of Tomato's artwork in the Taro Horiuchi shop

(Image credit: Nosigner)