Fiona Wilson - Contributors | Monocle

Contributors / Fiona Wilson

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Cillit Bangsy

Clean and Art is helping to keep Tokyo’s streets free from graffiti. Monocle joins the team restoring order to the urban landscape.

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Bigger picture

The Jun Group is behind some of Japan’s most inspiring labels. We meet the president of the company selling more than just clothes.

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Mix and match

Bookshop chain Tsutaya is adding some design nous to the country’s co-working offering – and an alternative to its rigid office culture.

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Double vision

Sydney Modern will be the city’s largest cultural opening since the its iconic opera house. We meet the duo behind the design.

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Hidden treasures

On a quiet residential street in Japan’s historic capital stands a living monument to the city’s coveted craft traditions.

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Designed for life

One of Japan’s most revered creatives explains why it’s important to ‘elevate the ordinary’ by celebrating the beauty of everyday items.

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Tent revival

Outdoors firm Snow Peak is enticing reluctant campers into nature – with a Kengo Kuma-designed spa.

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25 things to make you happy

Summer is all about taking a break and doing the things that enhance your quality of life. And we’ve devised a modest checklist of ideas to set you on the right course – to make life just a bit nicer. So grab your swimmers…

Global

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Small wonder

Roka, an intimate ryokan, is now welcoming art lovers on the island of Naoshima. It offers exquisite interiors, fine food and soothing open-air baths in each of its 11 rooms.

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Up to the plate

A new homeware shop, Lost and Found, offers the chance to get to know Nikko, a heritage bone-china porcelain brand, and to discover a discerning edit of elevated essentials.

Global

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King of the mild frontier

Kozo Futagi thought he’d spotted a gap in the Japanese market: log cabins as affordable second homes. But he’s had to roll in a different direction – when people move in, they stay put.

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Inner beauty

A ryokan in the small city of Maebashi with 300 years of history has been brought up to date in stunning fashion. Now the Shiroiya is attracting premier design and hospitality talent to a quiet corner of Japan.

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On top of their games

As Tokyo gets set to host the Olympics and Paralympics after 2020’s false start, a multitude of behind-the-scenes players have long been exercising their minds to ensure a gold-standard Games. We meet some of the unsung…

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Splash of colour

Are your city’s public toilets a busted flush? Then take a stool as we tour Tokyo’s latest deposits: outdoor conveniences that set a new bog standard.

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Power tools

Japan is a nation that does many things rather well. Here we profile a few problem-solving products to tackle some of life’s trickier challenges – oh, and a banana holder.

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38. Making the case

It’s time to pack your bags (in a good way) and Japan’s Masumi Hono has just the design to get you moving.

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45. Super soaker

You might not be looking to clean up in the Japanese bathhouse game yourself but what the revival of Tokyo’s ‘sento’ shows is that some old ideas are worth considering anew. This fresh generation of baths is proving rele…

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Sense of calm

There’s something soothing about this city on the Japanese island of Kyushu. So much so that you forget there’s a grumbling volcano nearby – or wait, is that your stomach? Fear not: there are oodles of noodles.

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45. Armchair travel

Who better to guide us through our downtime than Kunichi Nomura, the host of weekly Tokyo radio programme ‘Travelling Without Moving’?

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Size matters

But bigger isn’t always better. In Japan, youngsters keen on life in central Tokyo are content in tiny apartments. Our correspondent squeezes in.

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Modern history

Facing demolition, the Dai-ichi Bank building had seen better days. But at the 11th hour, and with a nod to its illustrious past, the site has been rejuvenated as K5 hotel.

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Best of both worlds

The Halekulani hotel is a dream destination for its Japanese guests, with just one drawback: it’s in Honolulu. So the owners decided to reproduce its many charms in a paradisal landscape closer to home.

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Tipping the scales

Kiyoshi Kimura splashes out to buy the first tuna of the year but the larger-than-life methods of Japan’s King of Tuna rely on getting the small details right.

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