I’m just now finishing up two weeks of design observation in Japan. My one sentence summary:
omfg.
I’ve always liked Japanese design, but I don’t think I could understand why until a few years of design school and a couple of weeks in Tokyo. Design is a part of everyday life here, in a way the west doesn’t get just yet. For one example, do a search for “tenegui” and check out the complex history of a simple piece of cloth.
Over the next few weeks I’ll try and summarize what I’ve learned/discovered during two weeks in Japan.