That’s not to say Japanese living room design is starkly minimalist, but the pieces used to decorate should have meaning or a function, according to Yoshida. “Do not just buy things to ...

Pantechnicon, UK, by Farrells. Pantechnicon, located in a 19th-century building in London's Belgravia neighbourhood, is home to both shops and restaurants that focus on Japanese and Nordic culture ...

The 300-year-old house, transported piecemeal from Japan and reassembled at the Huntington in California, is a window into the cosmopolitan customs of the Edo-era elite.

This synthesis of Japanese and Western design is also reflected in the work of fellow Under-30 exhibitor, Ryosuke Harashima, founder of the studio Root Design Office.

Find the latest Japanese design news from Fast company. See related business and technology articles, photos, slideshows and videos. Brands That Matter Final Deadline on Friday 5/30!

In Pictures: The Best in Japanese Design, 2011. For me the most captivating item was this amazing video titled “Xylophone” by NTT Docomo, the cellular phone provider.

Japanese design seeks to maximise what nature has to offer, she adds, with craftspeople turning natural resources with their imperfections into something coherent in their use.

Japanese design, and its craft principles of simplicity (shibu), imperfection (wabi-sabi) and harmony with the natural world (shinto), have had a global impact.

Dytham attributes the evolution of Japanese design to the national trauma of “the huge Tohoku earthquake of 2011”, which, he says, led designers to rethink their priorities: “It had an ...