Koh’s Tokyo Dialogue

What We Mean by “Japanese Design” When people think of “Japanese design,” many images come to mind. Ukiyo-e prints, daruma dolls, maneki-neko, traditional patterns, or the kind of minimalism often associated with Zen. Most of these styles took shape between the medieval and early modern periods, developing into what we now recognize as a distinct Japanese aesthetic. But Japan also has designs that are far older. Some date back to a time before written records even existed—among the oldest forms of design in the country. A small, curved bead. A round shape with a hole, and a tail-like projection. It can look like a comma, or a crescent moon. This is the magatama. Most Japanese people recognize the shape instantly, even if they don’t know the name. It appears in school textbooks and museums, but also as jewelry or decorative motifs—so familiar that it’s hard to remember where you first saw it. A Shape Older Than Written History Magatama from around the 3rd century (Tokyo National Mu...

Yuyake Dandan, September 2025.   A Shitamachi Street Between Daily Life and Tourism Yanaka Ginza is one of Tokyo’s best-known shitamachi shopping streets(a traditional downtown neighborhood shaped by everyday life).Sloping roads, old temples tucked between houses, cats wandering unhurriedly through narrow alleys.  Along the street, prepared food shops and small confectioners sit side by side with stores selling traditional household goods, Asian crafts, and secondhand antiques.  The Yanaka Antique Market at a local temple, showing how the area’s activity extends beyond the shopping street. Locals doing their daily shopping naturally mix with tourists. In recent years, the area has attracted growing attention as a place where visitors can experience a sense of “old Tokyo.” Guidebooks and social media have helped turn Yanaka Ginza into a familiar stop for travelers from abroad. The Gentle Appeal of the “Sunset Steps” Just before the gate marking the entrance to the sho...

In a previous article about Odaiba, I wrote about walking across the Rainbow Bridge. Odaiba: Tokyo’s Self-Conscious Playground, Worth a Second Look Once you reach the other side of that long walk, you arrive at today’s destination: Shibaura . After walking across the Rainbow Bridge, this is the view from Shibaura — Odaiba on the far shore, with the Fuji TV building standing out. Warehouses line the streets. There are few pedestrians, and the atmosphere feels a little lonely. And yet, this is very much central Tokyo. Shibaura is part of Minato Ward —one of the city’s most prestigious areas. Roppongi and Aoyama are not far away at all. Still, the scenery here feels strangely disconnected from the glittering, polished image many people associate with Tokyo. Shibaura: Almost Something, But Not Quite That doesn’t mean Shibaura is run-down. Far from it. Office buildings fill the area, and several well-known companies have their headquarters here. Land prices continue to rise, high-ri...

January 8, at Torigoe Shrine in Taito Ward , Tokyo. From early morning, people arrive one after another, carrying New Year decorations such as straw ropes and pine ornaments. In the cold winter air, there is a quiet sense of anticipation. In front of a large pile of New Year decorations prepared in the shrine grounds, Shinto priests recite prayers and strike flints to light the fire. The flames quickly rise, crackling loudly, and now and then the sharp “dondon” sound of bamboo bursting can be heard. Against the clear winter sky, the scene is striking. Around the blazing fire, children walk in a circle, chanting “Tondoya, Tondo” while tapping the ground with green bamboo poles. In an instant, the shrine comes alive with sound and movement. This is Tondo-yaki , a New Year fire ritual that still survives in downtown Tokyo. Tondo-yaki at Torigoe Shrine Torigoe Shrine is said to have been founded in the Heian period . During the Edo period , it became especially known as a place w...

On January 7, a long line formed at Otori Shrine in Asakusa. People waited patiently in the cold, drawn not by a festival performance or a spectacle, but by the promise of a New Year’s tradition. What was being offered was simple: fresh mochi, made from rice pounded earlier that day, and nanakusa-gayu—rice porridge cooked with seven spring herbs traditionally eaten on this date. The porridge itself is nothing more than plain rice gently simmered, mixed with finely chopped greens and lightly seasoned with salt. Gathering Luck in Tokyo: A Night at Asakusa Tori no Ichi Ootori  Shrine By January 7, the excitement of the New Year has begun to settle, and daily life slowly resumes. Eating nanakusa-gayu on this day is a long-established custom, practiced not only at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, but also at community events with no religious setting, and at ordinary family tables. Across Japan, the dish appears in many forms, from places of worship to secular gatherings and everyda...