Table of Contents
Day 1
- T-Site
- MoMA Design Store
- Diptyque Store
Day 2
- National Art Center
- 21_21 Design Site
Day 3
- Tokyo Disney Store
- Good Design Store
- Morioka Bookstore
Hello.
This is 'Progi' from UniqueGood Company's Design Solutions Team.
With the brief autumn passing and winter approaching, the days are getting noticeably colder.
Please dress warmly and take care not to catch a cold.
Oh, speaking of our neighboring country Japan, it seems COVID is making a comeback as more travelers visit since visa restrictions were lifted.
COVID tends to strike when you least expect it, so it would be wise to continue wearing masks for now. Haha
I suddenly mentioned Japan because today's post is about sharing some thoughts from our insight trip to Tokyo with UniqueGood Company members!
Since I'm a designer, I should mention upfront that my perspective on the places we visited might be somewhat biased toward a designer's viewpoint.
(If you check my previous posts, you'll notice the tone is quite different.)
Day 1.
After arriving in Japan, we went for a meal before dropping off our luggage at the accommodation.
The atmosphere was similar to a traditional market in Korea, and despite it being daytime, many people were sitting in restaurants enjoying meals or drinks. I had a karaage set meal, and the rice went down so smoothly - it was absolutely delicious. Haha
Oh! Did you know that smoking is still allowed in restaurants in Japan?
This could be tough for those who don't like cigarette smoke! (Though who really likes the smell of cigarettes..)
We mainly used the subway during our trip!
We had unlimited subway passes for the entire duration, and they were incredibly convenient and useful.
The ticket design was clean with black and white typography!
As someone who loves black, I really wanted to keep it! (I carefully brought it home and have it displayed. Haha)
T-Site Tsutaya Bookstore
Daikanyama T-Site
Address: 16-15 Sarugakucho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0033, Japan
5-minute walk from Daikanyama Station
Business hours: 9:00-22:00
A complex facility with a 'library in the forest' theme that combines bookstore + cafe + stationery + music + gallery and various other content
The first place we visited was 'T-Site Tsutaya Bookstore'.
We went in the evening, so the lighting illuminated the building, which had a more linear, urban architectural form rather than flowing curves.
But the interior was different. Unlike the exterior, the inside was filled with analog scents of books, wood, and coffee, with warm and soft lighting in tungsten tones and wood-centered interior design that created a charming space.
Let me briefly summarize the pros and cons.
<Pros>
1. Not only the building but also the surrounding environment harmonizes well with nature, allowing visitors to experience healing through reading and coffee.
2. The interior space is special. Books fill even the unreachable places, and the interior accessories are mainly made of wood, giving an eco-friendly feel.
<Cons>
1. While the interior space is beautiful, it's not particularly unique compared to independent bookstores you can find domestically. The scale is larger, perhaps...??
2. There was a space for experiences (fountain pen testing), but there seemed to be no staff or guidance for that area, suggesting poor management. Books and fountain pens are a great match and could be used as a marketing element, but it's disappointing that this wasn't utilized.
MoMA Design Store
Address: GYRE 3F, 5-10-1 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001
Near Meiji-jingumae Station
Business hours: 11:00-20:00
A store selling various design industrial products, publications, etc.
As the name suggests, it's a 'design' store, so as a designer, I had no reason not to visit.
However, while you can find various creative and ingenious products in the store, I was somewhat disappointed that it focused more on functional products rather than visually diverse ones. Let me organize the pros and cons.
<Pros>
1. There's a section with various merchandise created by MoMA's design team.
They're primarily typography-based rather than image-based, and interestingly feature vivid colors that make you question whether MoMA's tone and manner is actually vivid. The products range from clothing and bags to stationery.
2. Besides functionality-focused product design, there were kits, printed materials, and publications that would work well for Realworld original games.
3. The functionality-focused product designs are all made with ingenious ideas for real-life products that spark the desire to purchase.
<Cons>
1. The space is literally just a 'store,' so it has no photo zone function whatsoever.
2. The space doesn't have visually designated sections by purpose, which could make it appear somewhat cluttered.
Diptyque Store
Address: GYRE 3F, 5-10-1 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001
Near Meiji-jingumae Station
Business hours: 11:00-20:00
After exploring the MoMA Design Store on the upper floor, while heading back down to the first floor, I discovered a Diptyque store decorated lavishly with Christmas themes and was drawn in as if enchanted.
Since we were planning to decorate Realworld Seongsu with a Christmas atmosphere for the upcoming holiday, I thought this would be good reference material! Instead of the red associated with Santa Claus that comes to mind with Christmas, it was primarily decorated in deep green colors, giving the space an elegant feel.
It seems that Christmas trees account for more than half of the Christmas atmosphere.
Also, the products created as Christmas editions seemed like they would be good references for Christmas content.
Typography centered around the logo and a feast of golden light. It was a glamorous package befitting a Christmas edition.
However, since it's a brand store, aside from the illustrations and Christmas props in the store, there were limitations to the insights that could be applied to Realworld Seongsu or Realworld from a planning perspective.
We also went to a ramen shop for dinner!
We heard there was a famous ramen place, so we headed there, but the wait was long, so we went to a branch of that ramen shop instead.
What more can I say about ramen!
I had karaage ramen with hot meat-based broth, chewy noodles, and crispy fried toppings.
I devoured it in no time... Haha (I want to eat it again_2)
Day 2 began with our legs swollen from walking about 20,000 steps!
Where did the design team go???
To be continued...