Art, architecture and travel in Japan
Let Wallpaper* guide you through the worlds of art, design and architecture in Japan - and discover where to go and what to see when you travel to Japan.
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A new photo book explores the symbolic beauty of the Japanese garden
‘Modern Japanese Gardens’ from Thames & Hudson traces the 20th-century evolution of these serene spaces, where every element has a purpose
By Anna Solomon Published
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The world’s best new hotels to love without reservation
Explore the best new openings in the world, from Park Hyatt’s soaring debut in Kuala Lumpur to W Hotel’s charming coastal retreat in Sardinia
By Nicola Leigh Stewart Last updated
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The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July houses
From geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
By Anna Solomon Published
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Get the picture? A new exhibition explores the beautiful simplicity of Japanese pictograms
The simple, minimalist forms of a pictogram are uniquely Japanese, as new exhibition 'Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs' illustrates
By Hannah Silver Published
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Stay at Patina Osaka for a dose of ‘transformative luxury’ in western Japan
From nature-inspired interiors to sound-tracked cocktails and an unusually green setting, Patina Osaka is a contemporary urban escape that sets itself apart
By Danielle Demetriou Published
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Louis Vuitton’s duo of Osaka exhibitions celebrate the house’s deep-rooted relationship with Japan
Unfolding in Osaka this summer, ‘Visionary Journeys’ is a transporting trip into the house’s history, while ‘Yayoi Kusama – Infinity’ promises an immersion into the works of the Japanese artist, who is a longstanding Louis Vuitton collaborator
By Jack Moss Published
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Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home country
As he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
By Danielle Demetriou Published
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Goldwin 0’s first-ever performance wear is body-mapped to keep you cool
The ‘Performance Capsule’ from Goldwin 0 – an experimental offshoot of Japanese technical wear label Goldwin – draws inspiration from trail running for its meticulously tested sportswear, which uses experimental ventilation techniques to help you work out in the heat
By Jack Moss Published
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Mayumi Miyawaki’s Fukumura Cottage puts this lesser-known Japanese modernist in the spotlight
Discover the little-known modernist architect through this private home in Japan’s Tochigi prefecture countryside
By Adam Štěch Published
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A Karuizawa house is a soothing, work-from-home retreat in Japan
Takeshi Hirobe Architects play with scale and space, creating a tranquil residence in which to live and work
By Tianna Williams Published
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Take this surprising Japanese beauty tour at the Shiseido Corporate Museum
For the first stop of our Summer in Tokyo beauty series, we delve into Shiseido's compelling archives – full of products, posters and ephemera – a 90-minute Shinkansen hop from the city
By Lara Johnson-Wheeler Published
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The Japanese watch brands you need to know now
Naoya Hida & Co, Kikuchi Nakagawa and Kurono Tokyo are just some of the Japanese watch brands to keep an eye on
By Thor Svaboe Last updated
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Naoshima New Museum of Art is a home for Asian art, and a lasting legacy, in Seto Inland Sea
The Naoshima New Museum of Art opens, marking a seminal addition to the Japanese island's renowned Benesse Art Site Naoshima; we explore Tadao Ando's design
By Ellie Stathaki Published
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2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize winner announced as Kunimasa Aoki
The Japanese sculptor describes his work as ‘50 per cent tradition and 50 per cent innovation’
By Francesca Perry Published
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Tune into the rhythm of Tokyo’s most ambitious record shop
Vinyl Delivery Service in east Tokyo’s Skwat Kameari Art Centre is spinning a new narrative for the traditional record store model
By Gabrielle Doman Published
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Wallpaper* checks in at Waldorf Astoria Osaka
‘It’s rare to work on a brand new hotel of this scale in Japan in today’s landscape,’ says designer Andre Fu about Osaka’s newest luxury hotel. Wallpaper* paid it an early visit
By Charlotte Gunn Published
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Behind a contemporary veil, this Kyoto house has tradition at its core
Designed by Apollo Architects & Associates, a Kyoto house in Uji City is split into a series of courtyards, adding a sense of wellbeing to its residential environment
By Tianna Williams Published
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Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa on harmony, nature and their RIBA gong
The SANAA duo are celebrating their RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025 in London today, and talked to us about self-reflection, the year ahead, and the need to create harmony in our environment
By Ellie Stathaki Published
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New book 'I-IN' brings together Japanese heritage and minimalist architecture at its finest
Japanese architecture studio I-IN flaunts its expert command of 21st-century minimalism in a new book by Frame Publishers
By Ellie Stathaki Published
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Inside Kyotographie, Japan’s world-renowned photography festival
Kyotographie 2025 embraces the theme ‘Humanity’ in Kyoto – Amah-Rose Abram reports with the highlights, from major and emerging photographers
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
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Inside the world of Tapio Wirkkala, the designer who created masterpieces in remotest Lapland
The Finnish artist set up shop in an Arctic outpost without electricity or running water; the work that he created there is now on display at a retrospective in Japan
By Anna Solomon Published
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Naoto Fukasawa sparks children’s imaginations with play sculptures
The Japanese designer creates an intuitive series of bold play sculptures, designed to spark children’s desire to play without thinking
By Danielle Demetriou Published
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Giant rings! Timber futurism! It’s the Osaka Expo 2025
The Osaka Expo 2025 opens its microcosm of experimental architecture, futuristic innovations and optimistic spirit; welcome to our pick of the global event’s design trends and highlights
By Danielle Demetriou Published
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2025 Expo Osaka: Ireland is having a moment in Japan
At 2025 Expo Osaka, a new sculpture for the Irish pavilion brings together two nations for a harmonious dialogue between place and time, material and form
By Danielle Demetriou Published
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Tour the brutalist Ginza Sony Park, Tokyo's newest urban hub
Ginza Sony Park opens in all its brutalist glory, the tech giant’s new building that is designed to embrace the public, offering exhibitions and freely accessible space
By Jens H Jensen Published
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A new book captures the kitschy allure of Japanese ‘love hotels’
For his latest project, French photographer François Prost documents the whimsical façades that characterise these erotic roadside venues.
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
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A first look at Expo 2025 Osaka's experimental architecture
Expo 2025 Osaka prepares to throw open its doors in April; we preview the world festival, its developments and highlights
By Danielle Demetriou Published