The long eaves of Japanese buildings are designed to shut out direct sunlight, allowing only a gentle glow to fill the rooms within. Interior light fittings wreathed in washi paper create beguiling gradations of light and shade. These subtle tones are known as inei, and this beauty has long been a key tool in Japanese aesthetics. Our studio guest is lighting designer Hirohito Totsune, the man responsible for the illumination of the iconic TOKYO SKYTREE. He reveals a world of Japanese design that plays with a sensitivity to light and shadow.

The field of design is focused not only on the visual beauty of color and form, but also on the possibilities offered by texture. There are many words in the Japanese language to express the feel, grain, or character of surfaces and substances. Recently, digital technology has helped to further develop this ancient sensibility, as it puts a new world of textural designs under the spotlight. Studio guest Kinya Tagawa is part of a new genre of design engineering. Explore how evolving technology has reintroduced the theme of touch to contemporary design.

As Japanese society makes the transition from growth to maturity, people's desire for material objects is beginning to change. "Compact" has become a key word for those living with fewer, smaller possessions. To enable comfortable living in a country with limited habitable land, compact designs have been produced in Japan for centuries. From stackable boxes and bowls, to sliding screens that change the size of a room, such designs have become part of a traditional aesthetic that finds beauty in simplicity. Explore the thinking behind Japan's compact design with the help of our studio guest, architect Koichi Suzuno.