A Wild Sheep Chase in Koenji
We’re nearing the end of Golden Week (黄金週間) in Japan – a cluster of national holidays which effectively give most people the week off work. Last weekend…
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Church of Concrete and Steel
Much of Japan’s modern architecture is functional and sterile but last week while riding around my local neighbourhood of Sekiguchi in Bunkyō (文京区), Tokyo I came…
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Buying a Bicycle in Japan
Despite being the mega city to end all mega cities Tokyo is surprisingly accessible by bicycle and is the primary mode of transport for many people. This is mainly due to the high…
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Disappearing Guangzhou – Part 2
As luck would have it, on the second day of my new years trip to Guangzhou I came across another fascinating old district not far from Shamian Island. Walking north-east from the…
Kenya Hara’s House Vision
Kenya Hara, Graphic Designer and Art Director of Muji, recently organised an exhibition in Tokyo titled “House Vision” that looked at the future of house design…
How To Move Abroad
Recreating Ghost in Hong Kong
9 hours Designer Capsule Hotel
Future Living Inspired by Past Extremes
Kowloon Walled City: 20 Years Later
The South China Morning Post recently marked the 20th anniversary of the demolition of Kowloon Walled City with a wonderful article about its history and stories from some…
Minimal Business Cards
I recently designed some new business cards for Randomwire and instead of the normal multi-field affair I wanted to make it as simple as possible. Since…
Disappearing Guangzhou – Part 1
Over the past few years I’ve visited Guangzhou (广州) countless times for both work and travel, but besides the excellent cuisine, never found it particularly inspiring – it’s…
Learning To Walk Again
As if being reborn and able see the world through the eyes of a child again, the first few months living in a new country is…
Earthquakes in Japan
I have to admit that first few small earthquakes I’ve felt in Tokyo have been equal measure unnerving and exciting. Before moving here I didn’t realise that…
Tokyo Sakura – Part 2
With the weather in Tokyo fluctuating wildly between heat and rain the last couple of weeks, most of the sakura is now over but here’s a…
Tokyo Hanami – Part 1
From the end of March to early May, sakura (さくら cherry blossom) bloom all over Japan, and I was lucky enough to arrive in Tokyo at…
Today’s Levitation
Back in 2011 I wrote about Natsumi Hayashi, the Japanese girl who takes seemingly impossible photos of herself floating in various places around Tokyo, and then posted…