WHERE THEY CREATE Creative Studios Shot by Paul Barbera
J A P A N ć—Ľ ćœŹ Paul Barbera and Kanae Hasegawa explore the workspaces of Anrealage, Christopher Nemeth, Discovered, Engineered Garments, Kaibutsu, Kengo Kuma, Kenya Hara, Kohei Nawa, Kyotaro, Makoto Azuma, Mariko Mori, Nendo, Noritaka Tatehana, Nuno, Party, Rhino Inc., Rikako Nagashima, Satoru Aoyama, Schemata Architects, Shinji Ohmaki, Simplicity, Sou Fujimoto, Tadao Ando, Takahashi Hiroko, Takahiro Iwasaki, Takashi Kumagai, Teruhiro Yanagihara, Tokujin Yoshioka, Torafu, Toyo Ito, White Mountaineering and Wonderwall.
WHERE THEY CREATE JAPAN
Creative Studios Shot by Paul Barbera
Frame Publishers, Amsterdam
FOREWORDS 4
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tyler brĂťlĂŠ
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nicola formichetti hidetoshi nakata mineaki saito roger pulvers
mariko mori kengo kuma anrealage wonderwall shinji ohmaki 96
PREFACE 14
paul barbera STUDIOS
tokujin yoshioka 106
takahiro iwasaki 114
nendo 122
kenya hara
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rikako nagashima kohei nawa schemata architects
nuno kaibutsu noritaka tatehana
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makoto azuma white mountaineering tadao ando takahashi hiroko
takashi kumagai christopher nemeth party torafu
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simplicity 242
engineered garments 250
rhino inc. 258
kyotaro
CREDITS
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toyo ito
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CONTENTS
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satoru aoyama
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After starting his career as a reporter for the BBC, Tyler Brûlé went on to contribute for media such as The Guardian , The Sunday Times and Vanity Fair . In 1996 he launched his own print magazine Wallpaper* and he started his own branding and design agency two years later. In 2007 Brûlé launched Monocle , a groundbreaking publication dedicated to current affairs, business, fashion culture and design. Known for his globetrotting lifestyle, you will most likely find Brûlé in Japan once a month. Being an entrepreneur, Brûlé looks at Japan and its people from both a business and creative perspective.
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The reason we have worked in Japan for so long and have been committed to the market is because there is a commitment to quality and thoroughness that you don’t see anywhere else. When a client commits to a project they will see it through to the end, whereas in other countries halfway through a project there could be a cut on packaging, the website or the photography. So we are always appreciative of working in Japan because there is that acceptance, willingness and commitment to really go to the finish line and hopefully go above and beyond. That is the client side, but I think it is also reflective of the culture in Japan. I think this runs very deep and goes for relationships too and also for the way one interacts with consumer culture in Japan. It’s what brings us back to Japan time and time again. Another difference between Japanese studios and the rest of the world is quite surprising. Often at times the creative spaces are actually not that creative or exciting. People around the world may have a vision of Japanese design and studios as alike, but I have visited many creative spaces in Japan and due to cost and other constraints, they are often very small, sparse and trimmed back. In Japan you also have all of these networks of people that are independently employed. A PR company works with a graphic designer, or a web designer works with a photo director, and everyone has their own company and their own card, all working together independently. Creative agencies internationally are upscale with over 30-60 people. That is where I find the biggest differences, where beautiful design studios overseas have been designed to accommodate big teams, in Japan you have strong brands who are often working in quite small and albeit nice spaces. I think one of the biggest challenges for Japanese creative agencies is spontaneity. It is something which is endemic within the Japanese corporate culture following protocol, which of course is important, but I would say it is more important in corporate life than it is within a creative agency. So I think one of the problems is that there is always a fallback on a traditional system of playing by the codes, and I don’t think that creative agencies can always do that. Creative agencies need to be flexible and need to be able to move timelines with a degree of agility if they aim to respond internationally, which is something that is lacking in the market. At times when people speak to us they would say things are too rigid and inflexible, both in Japan and the people alike. What are the positives? Discipline, on the other hand, does become the positive. In one way the curses of Japan are the positives in an international marketplace.
mariko R T I S T
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T Born in Tokyo in 1967, artist Mariko Mori balances her time between London and New York. Originally studying fashion in Japan, she moved to London in 1989 to attend the prestigious Chelsea College of Art and Design. Her body of work, spanning over 20 years, explores universal questions at the intersection of life, death, reality and technology. She first came to prominence with her large-scale photographic selfportraits but has since used different media including video, installations, sculpture and performance.
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Did you always want to be an artist? MARIKO MORI: I went to London to study fashion at the age of 21, but it happened that by mistake I enrolled for a fine art course instead. When did you move to New York? In 1992, and then in 2013 I moved to London. Now London is where I create, and New York is where my office is located and where my work is managed. You have a space in Tokyo as well. What do you do there? Tokyo is my temporary living space when I go to Japan. There is also a tea house there that I designed. It’s where I meditate and think about my work.
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What do those cities offer you? New York is inspiring, it is a city of competitiveness and I am encouraged by its sheer energy. There are endless possibilities which make me think I can realise any project. I like the positive atmosphere of New York. The weather
Why did you create a tea house in Tokyo? I made it in 2000. I started practicing the art of tea rituals in 1997 because I wanted to learn about Japanese aesthetics. The tea house is a place where people become one through tea ceremony. I see the tea ritual as an act of purifying one’s spirit and sharing feelings of consolation with others. I realised the sensitivity of Japanese culture after I moved outside of Japan. When I am in Japan, everything is Japanese, so everything is diluted and you don’t find eminence in Japan. When I moved to other countries, I noticed how distinctive the Japanese mentality is.
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You could be in Tokyo and still work internationally. Why did you decide to have your base outside of Japan? Support towards an artist’s work is stronger in the United States and in Europe. Both my staff and production team in the United States have a deep understanding of art which makes the creating process easier for me. When I install my work in Japan, I can’t realise my project without the help of a Japanese purveyor and builders. Japanese people are very conscious and don’t like to take risks or do unprecedented things, but art often requires technology or craft which has not been applied in a certain way. In Japan, although there are master craftsmen, they are not so experimental in applying their skill to new things. While in the West, craftsmen are willing to take the challenge positively, trying new things. I think in general, the West has an appreciation for art and a willingness to offer support both financially and mentally. I am immensely grateful to these people.
I sense a spiritual aspect in your work. What do you intend to express through your creation? Each work is different, but since 1999 I have been trying to explore how I can show the essence of the never-ending cycle of life and death which lies in Buddhism. It is not that I create from ego; rather I feel some invisible force is calling me to create things that can be shared and become a gift to human beings.
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How does an ordinary day for you begin? When I am in London my day starts around 7.00, walking around the park with my dog for about an hour. Somewhere along the path, I stop for meditation. I normally arrive at my atelier at 10.00 and work until around 18.00. I will often go for dinner afterward, and then I will hold a meeting with my staff at the New York office over Skype.
here is also moderate which enlivens me mentally, while in London the weather is depressive. However, London is a mature city. For me, London is a place to research and develop ideas, while New York is a place to realise them.
opposite The tea room in Mori’s Tokyo apartment. She got into doing tea ceremony later in life.
‘I’d never been to a tea ceremony before. Mori gave me a quick introduction which made me appreciate the deep rituals in Japan’ PAUL BARBERA
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above Her Tokyo space is all white. Mori uses it for thinking about her work and meditation.
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opposite A collection of tea-whisks, called chasen. They are carved from a single piece of bamboo and are an essential part of the tea ceremony. top Mori uses a tea scoop, called chashaku, to get the right amount of green tea powder. bottom Closer examination of the glass-like discs, that are laid on the tatami mat in tea room, reveals them to be soft gel pads that are meant to be knelt or sat on during the tea ceremony.
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kuma Kengo Kuma was born in 1954 in Yokohama, in Tokyo’s Kanagawa Prefecture. The esteemed architect is recognised for creating organic forms in his designs, both in their structure and materials used, including his ongoing design characteristics utilising wood, bamboo and natural light. After graduating with a master’s from the Graduate School of Engineering at The University of Tokyo, Kuma established his architectural firm, Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990, which now holds over 150 employees in Tokyo and Paris. His signature approach is to integrate architecture into its respective, surrounding environment.
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Your office is divided over three buildings, does that make it difficult for you to oversee things? KENGO KUMA: Our office used to be near Omotesando, but we moved to this current space in Aoyama a few years ago. From the terrace on the second floor, we can see forests in the heart of Tokyo. The three buildings are within a few minutes walking distance of each other. I am the one who walks around the buildings to have meetings with the teams in charge of the different projects, so it isn’t really an inconvenience for the other staff. I find it rather good to get a bit of exercise and have some time to think while walking.
Your days are almost occupied with work, how do you find inspiration? Travelling as well as my own projects inspire me. Each project and its setting is completely unique. A method from one project can be further developed and adapted to another project in the future. There is something to learn from every project. So you don’t persist on your style. I don’t even persist on my personal gadgets. I use a pen from the hotel where I recently stayed, because if I get too adamant about which pen or gadget to use and then I lose it, I get upset and can’t work. That would be missing the point. kkaa.co.jp
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Usage of wood also makes your work seem Japanese. For the past ten years or so, I intentionally chose wood as structural material. Wood is a marvellous material, whilst being abundant in nature it is also surprisingly strong and supports the balance of carbon dioxide. However, in the 20th century, wood was relegated in exchange for concrete and metal. Wooden structures of pillars and beams actually constitute an amazingly well-thought-out structure. It allows the air to flow and provides natural air conditioning. I often incorporate eaves and rafter structures into the ceiling. These are common in Japanese architecture – even in temples and shrines. When one wooden pillar, eaves or rafter gets rotten or decays, it can easily be replaced without the rest of the structure being
Now you work internationally. Is there anything you always treasure in your mind? I try to take the opportunity to dine or drink with the local builders or craftsmen where my project is ongoing. I think ideal architecture can only be realised when good communication between the people involved is established. Dining and drinking is the best way to get to know each other. That is why I try to arrange dinners out with my staff too, because in the office it is difficult to grasp what more than 100 employees are thinking about. I also try not to create any hierarchy among staff.
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Your works are often regarded as very Japanese. Do you agree? I always try to blend architecture with the local surrounding nature. Whether it is my design for the new National Stadium or my design for the Portland Japanese Garden in the United States. Historically, traditional Japanese temples and residences had loose partitioning between architecture and nature – something that can be seen in my current approach to architecture.
Your work was quite different before the 1990s. What instigated the change? When I started working as an architect in the 1980s, the Japanese economy was in a state of what we called ‘the bubble’. Sumptuous, lavish architecture was in high demand. However, after the bubble economy burst, there was a halt in architectural projects and that proved to be a very challenging time for me. I had no work in Tokyo, so I spent time in local areas accepting smallscale projects. This experience was enlightening for me. Local builders have no idea of what is fashionable. People haven’t changed the methods of architecture for many years and they taught me traditional ways of using wood, soil, and bamboo. As I was not inundated with commissioned work, those ten years working in the local regions was a time for me to train myself.
KENGO KUMA
How do you start your day? I spend roughly half of my time in Japan and half abroad. When in Japan, I work in the metropolitan area two days out of three. My day at the office usually starts with a staff meeting. When I go to the office, I drive my BMW Mini convertible from my house, which is about 15 minutes away. Even in the winter I open the top of the car. This allows me to feel how the city is changing and be fully immersed in the scenery.
affected. This cannot be done with a concrete wall structure. Wooden buildings can remain a thousand years by replacement of parts.
‘Kuma invited me to sit down for a coffee. I told him that to help me with the project, I started to read about Shinto. He expressed that it is a very difficult concept to grasp’ PAUL BARBERA
previous spread The meeting room of Kengo Kuma & Associates in Aoyama, Tokyo, is surrounded by a beautiful roof terrace. opposite bottom The office consists of three separate buildings in close proximity to each other. Kuma walks between them along the road seen from this window.
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opposite Kuma loves to be surrounded by green and always wants to keep some plants around him in the office. bottom The graveyard of the Baiso-in temple – which is designed by Kengo Kuma – is located next to the office. The gravesite of the Kuma family is placed here.
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Born in 1977, artist Takahashi Hiroko studied fashion design in Saitama and now lives and works in Tokyo. She founded her first company Hirocoledge in 2006, while still working on her PhD at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Crafts. Since 2013, Hiroko works under her label Takahashi Hiroko, visually recognisable for her strict use of circles and lines in the designs she creates. Her studio is a converted warehouse that was designed by Schemata Architects, and features an event space, shop and gallery on the ground floor, a kimono showroom on the first and an office space and greenhouse on the second.
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bottom Schemata Architects renovated the old factory building in 2014.
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Do you regard yourself as an artist or a designer? HIROKO TAKAHASHI: I don’t feel like confining myself simply to design. In the case of design, there is already a client asking for a solution and then the designer offers their plan for the client. In my case, I use circles and lines as the two singular characters with an endless possibility, to make people think how much these two simple elements can express. I want to show others that there can be different ways of looking at things. Is there a particular reason why you work on designs for kimono wares? I guess it is my own search for what the kimono means to Japanese, and what place a kimono has in Japanese contemporary society. I started to think about these issues after I studied fashion in Paris. When I finished my master’s course at the Tokyo University of the Arts, I started working in the fashion industry in Japan with an aspiration of becoming a fashion designer of Western clothes. Then I got a chance to study in Paris, where French people taught me the preciousness and uniqueness of kimono culture. The French inspired me to revalue its uniqueness, eventually bringing me back to Japan, in pursuit of a doctor’s degree in dyeing and weaving at the university. What did you find that makes kimono unique? Maybe it is the restriction of a kimono, and the ways to express freedom within that restriction, which makes the kimono very much Japanese. Looking back, the form and silhouette of a kimono hasn’t changed at all for thousands of years. The textile’s width is completely identical and sewn in the same way. However, the motifs on a kimono created by weaving are essentially made-to-order depending on the client’s taste and are more or less unique. So in this way, the Japanese have been expressing individual identity through original patterns of decoration within the restriction of the identical form of a kimono, and trying to find joy within the given environment that is inherent in the Japanese way of acting or living. So is that what you are doing in your own work as well? Maybe. I use identical patterns of the kimono with circles and straight lines and explore how infinite ways of expression can be achieved even with these limited elements. To eliminate association with any other images, I only use black and white. It is all about the composition – with these endless compositions, I make patterns
for textile, paper, candle holders, sake packaging and many other products.
Do you find your work particularly characteristic in Japanese? It is funny, as I don’t intentionally create Japanese characteristics. But even Enzo Mari mentioned to me once that my work is too Japanese, when I made a cushion in black and white, and with circles and lines for Mr. Mari’s wooden furniture. From a Japanese perspective, my work appears to be more similar to Scandinavian design. It is funny how people have different viewpoints. Does your minimal, almost strict approach to creation come from your environment of working here? I moved to this place a few years ago. This building was used as a warehouse before. Oshiage is an area where many small workshops and manufacturers create packaging boxes for famous chocolate brands, or business cards for luxury fashion brands. It is unlike Omotesando, Shibuya or Daikanyama, which are aligned with fashion retail stores, where many creative agencies have their offices and there is a certain character and identity to the area. The area of Oshiage has no colour of its own to me and this makes me very comfortable. As an artist, I try not be affected or influenced by other identities, which makes living here an ideal place for me. Do you like to be surrounded by plants? Initially I didn’t, but after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 my mindset changed. Just like many other Japanese, I became more conscious about where the food I eat comes from. When that inquisitiveness reached an extreme, I became almost obsessed that I needed to make all my food by myself. Starting to grow vegetables was as natural as watching the whole process of manufacturing kimono textiles or Japanese paper. Do you actually draw in your showroom? No, this happens inside the small hut built within the greenhouse on the second floor. The first floor is all in tatami where clients can try on a kimono without getting the hemline dirty. I had to make people take off their shoes coming up from the ground floor for pragmatic reasons only; it was not about incorporating a Japanese lifestyle. takahashihiroko.com
opposite Her personal space is located on the second floor and also houses a greenhouse.
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‘Plants are one of my favourite subjects ̵ I had never seen so much green in one space’
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opposite The cabinets upstairs are made from a special type of wood that is both insect repellent and mould resistant without needing any treatment. Furnished with tatami flooring, this space is used for kimono fittings and other activities.
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Born in 1970, Takashi Kumagai moved to Paris in 1994, where he started working as a fashion stylist at a time when styling was more synonymous with fashion design in Europe. He extended his talent to photography, shooting editorials as well as advertising and now designs for his own Tokyo-based fashion label, Naissance. If he has any down time, he can be spotted in the design book section at the Daikanyama Tsutaya bookstore.
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What made you want to work as a stylist? TAKASHI KUMAGAI: Initially I wanted to become a fashion stylist and designer. That’s why I moved to Paris to study in my early 20s. I got to know people who worked as stylists for photo shoots and that strongly interested me. From then on, it was an organic process to extend my work as photographer. While I was styling for magazines, I felt I could shoot differently to the photographer I was working with. As a stylist, part of your role is knowing how to present fashion in an attractive way, and I know what makes a garment look beautiful. Being a stylist and photographer, I know what to focus my viewfinder on. You went on to start a fashion brand yourself. How did that happen? Even now, I want to do everything that I am interested in. Life is short, so naturally I need to wear many hats. How do you manage all your roles? From styling for photoshoots and shooting to designing and sewing clothes, everything is done at the desk in my office in the Nakameguro area in Tokyo. This area is very vibrant at the moment. How does your day usually start? I live in Hayama, a town by the seaside in Kanagawa, about an hour from central Tokyo. Tokyo is an exciting place to work, but in terms of living, naturally I got tired of the nightlife in the city. Besides, surfing and nature is a deeply inherent part of my life. Hayama is the place to be for me. I wake up between 5.00 and 6.00 in the morning and spend time in my house taking care of the plants until around 10.00. Then I head to my office in Tokyo, where my work starts normally in the afternoon. Whether I work as a stylist or photographer changes depending on the day. Have you ever thought about working overseas? I did. I don’t particularly stick to one base, but I think Tokyo is where things are moving in terms of fashion. Fashion doesn’t exist in itself, but involves more of a holistic lifestyle offering. I guess my work will also be related to styling of lifestyles, in which case Hayama is a nice place to work as well. takashikumagai.com
opposite On this book shelf he keeps his favourite reads such as DUTCH the magazine and i-D.
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‘On the surface, the space seems cluttered, but once you look carefully, you realise that everything is perfectly curated’ PAUL BARBERA
previous spread Sometimes Kumagai DJs at an event or a friend’s party. opposite top Plants that are not able to survive outside live in his atelier. opposite bottom Imitation guns serve as interior decoration. top and bottom The deer head is a souvenir from a trip to Bali, just like the elephant statue. Shipping it to Japan cost much more than the actual statue.
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opposite His favourite surf spot, Chojagasaki in Hayama, is only a five-minute drive from his home. Mount Fuji can be seen in the background.
top Kumagai has been collecting sunglasses since he was young. He also collaborated with Stussy, Illesteva and Oliver Peoples on several sunglasses. bottom Bought at beach towns all over the world, a few dozen surfboards are lined up in this dedicated room. TAK ASHI K UMAG AI
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WHERE THEY CREATE JAPAN Creative Studios shot by Paul Barbera Publisher Frame Publishers
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Photographer Paul Barbera Author Kanae Hasegawa Copy editing Joanna Kawecki, Queenie Monica Chan and Sarah de Boer Production Sarah de Boer
Trade distribution USA and Canada Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, LLC. 34 Thirteenth Avenue NE, Suite 101, Minneapolis, MN 55413-1007 United States T +1 612 746 2600 T +1 800 283 3572 (orders) F +1 612 746 2606 Trade distribution Benelux Frame Publishers Laan der Hesperiden 68 1076 DX Amsterdam The Netherlands distribution@frameweb.com frameweb.com
Prepress Edward de Nijs
Trade distribution rest of world Thames & Hudson Ltd 181A High Holborn London WC1V 7QX United Kingdom T +44 20 7845 5000 F +44 20 7845 5050
Research Queenie Monica Chan
ISBN 978-94-92311-02-3 © 2016 Frame Publishers, Amsterdam, 2016
Contributions by Tyler Brûlé, Nicola Formichetti, Hidetoshi Nakata, Roger Pulvers and Mineaki Saito
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy or any storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Graphic design Barbara Iwanicka
Special thanks from Paul to Alexandra Onderwater, Chiharu Hayashi, Eri Narita, Jason Coates, Jenny Nguyen, Joanna Kawecki, Jonathon Ngo, Joni Waka, Kanae Hasegawa, Kaoru Tsukamoto, Luis Mendo, Matthew Waldman, Michael Nicolaci, Michael Sharp, Queenie Monica Chan, Satoru Fukuoka, Stefan Pietsch, Vellejo Gantner, Yoshinori Hasuoka, all at Frame (especially Sarah de Boer, Barbara Iwanicka and Marlous van Rossum-Willems) and Mum.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Frame Publishers does not under any circumstances accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Any mistakes or inaccuracies will be corrected in case of subsequent editions upon notification to the publisher. Printed on acid-free paper produced from chlorine-free pulp. TCF ∞ Printed in Slovenia 987654321
This second volume of Where They Create – the book form of photographer Paul Barbera’s successful blog – is focused entirely on Japan: a country with a culture forever concerned with traditionalism while pushing the boundaries of technology and creativity. Barbera documented the studios of 32 architects, artists, fashion designers and other creatives while Kanae Hasegawa interviewed the head designers and owners of the studios. Together they uncovered their vision of Japanese heritage, their way of working and how the space in which they create influences their work. Where They Create Japan offers a look behind the scenes of Japanese creativity, stepping inside the workspaces of Tadao Ando, Kenya Hara, Toyo Ito, White Mountaineering, Wonderwall and others.