A Designer’s Guide to Japan
Tokyo → Kyoto → Naoshima → Osaka.
Good Morning! WE’RE BACK FROM JAPAN! Yes, we decided to skip the Salone in Milan this year, and do our annual inspiration trip in Tokyo, Kyoto, Naoshima and Osaka. Not sure if we’re just being ad targeted but it sure seems like Japan IS the place to be this month though.
Dior launched a destination show with a spectacular nighttime presentation in Kyoto, Japan under the cherry blossoms.
The Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan has opened featuring a large, circular wooden structure called "The Grand Ring" designed by Japanese studio Sou Fujimoto Architects, which uses traditional joinery techniques to create a network of interconnected wooden beams, essentially encircling the entire Expo site.
L’Officiel, a french magazine, opens first hospitality experience with a coffee outpost in Tokyo.
A Designer’s Guide to Japan
Cherry blossoms apparently last a just a few days once bloomed..We went the first 2 weeks of April — we got very lucky! We fell in love with Japan as so many do.. It’s really hard not to. The attention to detail and amount of care that goes into anything and everything really captivated us. We saw this anywhere from hospitality experiences to food, to ceramics.
This guide is for designers, design lovers, artists, and anyone else who takes pictures of rocks and trees wherever they go. Here’s our very edited Japan edit.
Stay
Trunk House, Tokyo
This is a boutique design experience. This single-key property is tucked down a narrow lane in Kagurazaka and feels like you’ve been handed keys to a local’s house. Every surface, scent, and soundtrack is considered. We still talk about the lighting.
Ace Hotel, Kyoto
Kengo Kuma-designed with interiors by Commune Design, it’s in the most perfect central location attached to the subway to Kyoto Station. Rooms were spacious and beautiful and just really nice to come back to every night to relax.
Mitsui Garden Hotel, Kyoto
Understated luxury with spa access. Stunning views, and incredible spa and tea experience.
Eat & Drink
Tokyo
Isshin Daikanyama: The line was worth it. Took our shoes off, and had the coziest japanese meal. Petty much a local’s only izakaya with no English menu and right across the street from the Kyu Asakura House.
Minoya: Very small, 2 reservations at a time, vegetarian kaiseki courses. SO CUTE and a special personal experience the chef is so happy to share with you.
PST Pizza: Why was this Neapolitan pizza in Roppongi better than Italy and New York (don’t shoot us until you’ve tried)
Tsukiji Market (with guide): A little touristy, but we are so happy we went. We tried wasabi sesame seeds, special cuts of tuna, lots of pickled veggies, which are our fav, and of course, mochi with a very expensive strawberry. Go with a guide, it’s fun and you’ll learn a lot more about what you’re trying, what’s touristy, and what the locals and chefs are grabbing.
Grandfathers + These: Great record listening and cocktail bars.
Ebisu Yokocho: Our local friend brought us here since we asked where all the young fun people go to hang out. We sat at communal tables with sake and beers and 2 strangers joined us turning out to be the funniest people we’ve ever met! If you know us, you know we make friends wherever we go..our cheeks still hurt.
Cafe Facon has a trendy Parisian vibe, and was a nice break for a matcha and sweet treat
Kyoto
Gooudo 五燠堂（ごおうどう）: Easily our favorite meal in Japan. Farm-to-table done perfectly, with fish and meat cooked on a wood-fired grill. Simple, local, flawless.
Ogawa Japanese Herb Restaurant: The best way to start a birthday! This beautiful space prepared a coursed traditional Japanese breakfast with shabu-shabu, healthy, interesting bites and our favorite part was the tea pairings. Loved this before heading to the thermal spa.
Koubunsha: Accidentally found this coffee shop inside a traditional wooden house overlooking a stunning curated garden.
Monk: IYKYO..run to this place, make a reservation well in advance.
Germer: Insane bakery for bread and croissants.
Farmoon: Wish we got to try this one.
Osaka
Aka to Shiro: Michelin Guide omakase that had us on our toes for my Birthday dinner! We tried some things we’ve never tried and ate every bite. A little outside our comfort zone even as experimental eaters but everything was delicious.
Where to Shop
Tokyo
Pejite: The most stunning ceramic and glassware store — we wanted everything. Loved seeing local materials being used that we’ve never seen anywhere else for the store design too.
Number Sugar caramels: Handmade caramels wrapped like little love notes.
Utsuwa Marukaku: Found some beautiful ceramics here
Kaya Asakusa: Found vintage Kimonos for a really great price from all different time periods.
Ifuji: Wooden boxes that feel like heirlooms the second you touch them
Lemaire: Love the clothes, but this store is beautiful
Amahare: More ceramics, you cant ever have enough.
Kyoto
京陶器菊溪: The sweetest man who we used google translate with made everything in this shop. Looking back, we should have bought wayyyyy more ceramics from him because it was our favorite shop by far! He wrapped everything like presents, as a gift to ourselves when we got home.
Chawanzaka Street (Pottery Lane): Walk up and down this street with tons of ceramics, new and vintage to search through.
POJ: Cool and beautiful ceramics shop. A little pricy
Old Textile Konjaku Nishimura: Vintage fabrics and kimonos you’ll want to frame, wear or hang on your wall..very interesting spot and super knowledgable shop owner.
Kotouen and Kiyomizu-yaki pottery Takeuchi Toyuu-Toen for more great ceramics..
Kiso Artech Ginkakuji Showroom: Very cool home goods showroom
Where to Go
Tokyo
Kyu Asakura House: Our favorite activity in Tokyo was easily this house museum. What is that red rock? This vanity makes us sick were so envious, and these hand painted door screens are something Elitis would make.
Nezu Museum: Another worth it museum with beautiful gardens and architecture where you can see pre-modern Japanese art.
2121 Design Sight Museum: Beautiful museum architecture designed by Tadao Ando.
Ueno Park: Was super crowded but lively seeing everyone picnic under the cherry blossoms. Had a Central Park vibe.
CN Health & Beauty Salon: When you’re done walking Ueno..OMG this was an insane surprise massage that know anatomy so well.
Daikanyama neighborhood was a quieter, trendy area away from the overwhelming Shibuya area which we liked very much. Great shops, cafes and design.
Kyoto
Tea Ceremony: The matcha tea ceremony here is very special, almost meditative to watch. A beautiful ceremony before we enjoyed our own matcha and these japanese sweets called yuzu kanten that look like a crystal jewlbox. We had to hunt these down later.
Katsura Imperial Villa: MUST SEE. So inspired by the experience here..designed so every turn has a different view and only reveals itself once they wanted you to see it. Moon-viewing decks and boar inspired hardware and details. Its crazy how it feels on trend and was built in the mid-17th century. Book ahead..and don’t make the mistake of booking a Japanese tour like we did.
Kawai Kanjiro’s House: ALSO MUST SEE. Perfectly preserved, his studio and home featured a climbing kiln, all of his ceramics, original furniture and plantings. This was an absolute highlight for design inspiration on so many levels.
Kojajii Temple & Bamboo Grove: Slightly less crowded of a temple and definitely more breathing room in this bamboo grove.
Okochi Sanso Garden: A famed silent film actor designed this garden over 30 years, and was a pleasant surprise with how peaceful and pretty it was.
Gio-ji Temple: We’re officially pro-moss. Why does grass even exist..moss groundcover from here on out.
Adashino Nenbutsuji: Serene hilltop Buddhist temple covered in thousands of carved stone memorial statues.
Naoshima
Getting here was a journey, but we took a day trip for 2.5 hours from Kyoto. Very worth it. Really enjoyed just walking around the shou sugi ban houses, and peeking into the courtyard gardens of locals.
Chichu Art Museum: Tadao Ando’s best. Easily our favorite museum we’ve been in maybe ever?! Powerful statement. A mostly underground museum where natural light ONLY animated Monet’s Water Lilies and the architecture feels just as sacred. A Turrell work in here too, but Minamidera was just insane.
The Benesse House: A museum-hotel hybrid filled with contemporary works overlooking the Seto Inland Sea and also designed by Tadao Ando. Saw many greats like Twombly, Basquiat, and Rauschenberg.
Art House Project- Minamidera: James Turrell’s, Backside of the Moon, inside of a Tadao Ando structure, was a big highlight. You’re led into total darkness, told to sit, and left to wait. Slowly, a faint rectangle of light appears — hazy, distant, almost unreal. Moving toward it feels like stepping into nothingness. It's eerie, meditative, and quietly one of the most powerful moments of the trip.
What We Brought Home
Number Sugar caramels - WHO CAN BRING US MORE?!
Yuzu kanten sweets from the tea ceremony and found them at Eirakuya Main Store
Wasabi sesame seeds, pickled sweet radishes and tempura seaweed chips from the Tsukiji Outer Market
A 200-year-old teapot, Ceramic incense diffuser, and a contemporary teapot from this little shop,京陶器菊溪 where everything was made or sourced by the shop ownwer. It’s near the Arashiyama bamboo grove and other temples we mentioned.
So much tea and matcha from Ogawa Japanese Herb Restaurant and Ippodo
Vintage kimonos from Kaya Asakusa, a very affordable, cute shop we stumbled on in Tokyo's Asakusa neighborhood. This area had a ton of vintage pottery, kitchenware, and kimono stores.
Hakuhodo handmade Japanese makeup brushes
Our suitcases barely closed. No regrets.
Map
Comment ‘JAPAN MAP’ and we’ll send a link to our starred Google Map with all our favorite places and so many more we didn’t list here!
Japan Map! x
Japan Map! So fun reading this. Planning a post grad trip in February 2026 w my sister 🩷