DESIGN × STORIES

The Jomon period began around 15,000 years ago and lasted for over ten thousand years. In recent years a host of Jomon-themed exhibitions have been held in Japan and elsewhere. A key feature of Jomon culture is that people lived in fixed settlements, coexisting with nature over millennia. They produced astonishingly beautiful objects, and mysterious, primitive designs. These have inspired many creators today, forming a well of creative energy. Our presenters Andy and Shaula visit these people at work, explore the world of Jomon designs and discover how they lasted for ten thousand years!

Our relationship with nature has been changed by our experiences during the pandemic. Many feel a strong desire to bring the natural world into their everyday lives. Interest has risen in designs that are more than shallow ornamentation, offering coexistence with nature, and conservation of our environment. Such designs shape our living spaces and architecture. Our presenters visit gardener and green director Saito Taichi on his plant farm where they experience his designs that bring people and nature closer together, and explore their potential!

Fukui Prefecture lies on the coast of the Sea of Japan, in the central area of Japan's main island. A wide array of projects are building communities, and promoting regional craftsmanship. We visit the foot of Zen mountain temple Eihei-ji Temple, and coastal scenic spot Wakasa to explore the unique creative work in both locations. Presenters Andy and Shaula are on the scene to learn how Fukui designs are bringing tradition into the future.

Fukui Prefecture lies on the coast of the Sea of Japan, in the central area of Japan's main island. 90% of Japan's eyeglasses are made here, along with Echizen lacquerware, which has a 1500-year history. It's also the home of Echizen washi paper, one of Japan's three major washi varieties. This is a hub for Japanese craftsmanship, and it's drawn a group of next-generation designers eager to respect tradition while adding value to new items. In Part 2, learn how tradition is leveraged to shape a creative region and join us on a design hunt in Fukui Prefecture!

Falling birth rates have left much of the world grappling with the problem of isolation. Community hubs play a vital role in the mental and physical health of local residents. They draw a wide array of people, encouraging casual visits, and allow people to get involved in and to build unique, vibrant communities. Explore spaces and projects designed around unique new connections, and discover the community designs bringing life and beauty to local areas.

This time we're visiting Amami Oshima, which lies midway between Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures. Recognized as a Natural World Heritage site in 2021, the island has one of Japan's richest natural landscapes. Most of the land is covered in subtropical forest, home to many endangered and endemic species, while coral reefs bring beauty to its waters. This extraordinary environment has shaped Amami Oshima's unique culture and traditions. From folk songs, music, kimono and dyes, Amami's designs reflect centuries of living alongside the island's forests, ocean, animals and plants. Join us on a design hunt for the gentle aesthetics that shaped Amami design.

Displaying historical artifacts and artworks, museums are temples of knowledge, respected as arbiters of culture and the arts. This image is reinforced by forbidding, majestic buildings. But in recent years, many museums and galleries are undergoing an evolution. They're leveraging design to become spaces that feel both fresh and intimate, bringing visitors much closer to their exhibits. Our presenters set out to learn more about this bold strategy. They visit a museum that's undergone a renovation to become a place for public relaxation, and another using the latest tech to change the relationship between viewer and object. Explore new ways to examine history and art, and discover the latest museum designs and what lies ahead!

This time we're visiting Kyoto Prefecture. It flourished as Japan's capital for a thousand years, evolving a unique culture, and shaping many delicate traditional industries. Kyoto is the foundation of Japanese culture today. But modern lifestyle changes have led to lower demand and fewer heirs for traditional crafts, which are also grappling with the effects of the pandemic, and some are in a precarious state. We meet creators who are taking an unusual approach to ensuring their chosen crafts survive. Our presenters visit the workshops in question, and explore the world of Kyoto design!

Increasing digitalization has led to fears about paper books, and a reappraisal of the value of picture books. Unlike reading for information, picture books use their physical attributes to surprise or delight – turning the page is always a true experience. A single picture book draws on image and graphic design, visual direction and design, as well as the product design of covers, bookbinding and printing. It's a treasure trove of different designs to explore. Our presenters visit picture book authors and designers at work, and explore the charm and potential of picture books from a design perspective.

The Japanese custom of snack time led to regular Japanese creating a unique culture around sweets. Since late 1800s, the mixture of western culture and Japanese sensibilities has led to an incredible variety of treats. Today, flavor, form and packaging all reflect deeply original designs, and many items are popular abroad. Dagashi stores that offer cheap sweets are much loved places for children to gather. Explore Japan's wonderful world of snack-time designs!

This Design Hunt takes us to Fukuoka prefecture in the north of the island of Kyushu. With urban hubs, a coastline and mountains, the local culture draws on the natural world and city sophistication. Long a key trade junction, it flourished through its connections to Asia, and was often the first place to accept new ideas and inventions from other countries. Join us on a design hunt for the many cutting-edge, original designs of Fukuoka.

This time we visit the "Material, or" exhibition at design institute 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in Roppongi, Tokyo. Humans have worked with countless raw materials and adapted them using designs. The exhibition reexamines that relationship, and explores how it feels to make something from scratch. Exhibition director and designer Yoshiizumi Satoshi shows us some of the ways we connect to materials, and opens up a new world of design!

This time we visit the "Material, or" exhibition at design institute 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in Roppongi, Tokyo. Humans have worked with countless raw materials and adapted them using designs. The exhibition reexamines that relationship, and explores how it feels to make something from scratch. We accompany exhibition director and designer Yoshiizumi Satoshi on visits to some of the featured artists, exploring how designs arise from nature's abundance, as well as a world of designs deeply rooted in their materials!

This time we visit Aichi Prefecture, a national hub with connections that stretch east and west across Japan. A focal point for culture and technology from other regions, Aichi has developed its own unique culture. Explore deeply original traditional foods, astonishingly precise mechanical dolls and a cocktail shaker born from the processing technology used to manufacture car parts. Join us on a design hunt in Aichi where exceptional traditional skills are paired with flexible creativity to shape wonderfully original designs.

As fewer children are born in Japan, educational approaches are starting to change. Traditional competitive and uniform policies are shifting to a focus on nurturing individual growth. Architects Tezuka Takaharu and Yui have designed many buildings focused on children's education. Their spatial designs focus on distance, responsibility, and compassion, and have received domestic and international attention. Presenter Andy visits the Tezukas' home to discuss their unique ideas about raising children, and to explore the potential in architecture that prioritizes children's emotional growth.

Since ancient times wood has been used to produce sound and music. Whether by striking, blowing or through resonance, each approach has evolved and grown over many centuries. The reason lies in how many of us feel a deep pleasure and comfort in the sounds produced by this natural material. So how are modern creators producing sound from wood? Examine their mechanisms and designs in an episode dedicated to sound designs in wood, and explore our relationship with them both.

Books from all eras provide us with knowledge, inspiring emotional reactions that bring color to our lives. Yet as the internet grows, bookstores and shelves are vanishing from our streets and homes. Modern creators are bringing new ideas to bookshops and libraries. From a library run by local residents, to a store that provides in-depth background to a single volume, and even a library that revolves around the local landscape. Discover the myriad new designs that shape spaces around books. Explore the many facets of our relationship with books.