One day, I came to know that there was the company which designed Maharajya, the number one in the disco business in Japan at that time, in Tokyo, and then I moved to Tokyo and I became its pupil. I think I was able to acquire the skills for gdesigningh rather than gdesignh through many kinds of projects even though I faced the bubble economy burst a year after I joined the company. Then, I became independent after 11 years of training.

When I became independent in 2001, I was able to open the first popular shop that had impact by utilizing my experiences as well as designer's restaurant boom at that time.
Of course, it was not easy to succeed, but now I feel that thanks to the past, I can be who I am now.
When I think back, I feel that having a goal and thinking that gI want to do thish were extremely important. I felt so because of my school daysf play.


@


"Mr. Suzuki, you are designing many kinds of commercial facilities, especially restaurants, but what do you think about changes and flows of its business?"
Well, for example, if we look at restaurants, clients now and in 10 years ago are different.
Ten years ago, if itfs a good restaurant, it was likely that the second and third ones open. Along with that, the design offices gain more profits. However, thatfs rare nowadays isnft it? Restaurant business was used to be said ga profitable business,h but now it is said to be a difficult business.
In addition, when building complexes with popular restaurants increase, the bad ones are dumped and the good ones remain. If I only look at the number of restaurants, I assume that the number of restaurants will decrease little by little.
Besides, if I look overseas, I think more and more companies have come to place an order to Japanese firms.
I think Japanese people are very good at controlling money. I guess designers can control money strategically. They design, while considering money movements and how to spend money after estimating prices meticulously, without sticking to superficial aspects such as the shape of a thing, popularity and cool designs.
Then, the design fee is paid to them. I think that kind of thoughts themselves will be globalized from now on.


@


"When I look at shops Mr. Suzuki designed, I feel that there are so many kinds of essence in them. Where are your ideas come from?"
Well, I guess itfs because Ifm always thinking about stories or something.
Seriously, Ifm interested in so many kinds of things. I could say I am avaricious. I always keep an eye on clothes that someone wears, CD jackets and cars, not only space designs.
Of course, there are designers I respect. I like those who regard and does store designing as one of academics or culture without being showy. I think their works are profound and great. Their works are produced based on perfectly calculated human movements.

Fantastic Design Works
ADDRESS : 3-10-6, Uehara, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
URL : http://www.f-fantastic.com/

After graduating from college, I joined ginterior design office nob,h and became the chief of the Tokyo office. At that time, I had no plan to start my own business. That time was the heyday of the bubble, and after the bubble collapsed, we talked about closing the Tokyo office. This motivated me to start my own business.
I worked as the chief of the Tokyo office from the first year of my employment, where I experienced a responsible position. At that time, I never thought about moving to another office. Instead, I always mulled over how to improve my own office. In this light, there are no great differences between before and after the start of my own business. The site and staff of the office were simply transferred without any change.

Around the time when I started my own business, interior designers were becoming involved in architecture. My superiors at the office and I had interests in architecture, and thought a link between architecture and interior design to be natural, so I obtained qualifications and registered my office as an architectural office.
However, my core business is interior design, so I was often entrusted with interior design tasks, and I realized that there are slight differences between the way projects progress in interior design and construction. I had no experience of dealing with a full-scale construction project, so I had some difficulties in dealing with that kind of project.
The current trend is such that a design office and a construction office will cooperate and work together as a team.
During the early days, after I started my own business, there were several difficulties, but I could gain some hints for the next job by dealing with each task diligently. Recently, I get tasks through recommendations. I deeply appreciate my superiors at the design office I worked for before. Their methods of work influenced me to a great degree. There have been few chances to meet with them since I started my own business, but I will always respect them greatly.


@


"It has been some twenty years since you started working in the interior design field in 1984. What has changed over these twenty years?"
First is the recognition of designers.
Before, designers were like writers, and they recognized designs as works that expressed their own sense of values, and it seems that they did not think about business people or consumers. At present, it seems important to consider how to embody the business model or business image a business firm has.
Before, most restaurants were private stores, and it was difficult for them to raise funds for interior design, but since companies entered the restaurant industry, commercial design has become quite common, and more people recognize interior design. I think this influence has been large.

"How do you feel about Japanese and foreign designs?"
I strongly feel that my DNA is Japanese.
Every design has an aim. The Japanese taste is not always consistent with that aim. So, I donft go out of my way to attempt to reflect the Japanese taste in my work just because thatfs where my roots are, but when I add Japanese taste to my work, I feel gthe Japaneseh appears naturally.
In addition, not only in design, I think the Japanese way of using space and atmosphere is excellent. I think such excellence exists in paintings and calligraphy as well as architecture. I think this is produced by the unique Japanese culture and values that emphasize others, differing from foreign cultures that emphasize self.

"What is important for designers?"
Owners tend to put their attentions to the improvement of their own stores, so designers must take a step back to view things objectively, and consider how to make their stores fit in with the street and transform them to comfortable components of the streetscape.
Unless a designer reads atmosphere and creates a good design for everyone, including the owner, consumers, and other surrounding people, even if the store is outstanding in the architectural sense, the excellence of the architecture will not be conveyed to people, and then the excellence of the store will not be conveyed to people.
Any owner who plans to open a store has strong ideals and a sense of value. But in actuality these are sometimes not visible to consumers. That being said, if we are overly concerned with the sensibilities of consumers, we canft produce profits.
Therefore, we must not only take into account the arguments and opinions of owners, but we must also have an unbiased viewpoint and add a pinch balance to develop something beneficial for all.

"Lastly, could you talk about your future goals?"
Over the past ten or twenty years, the design field has changed dramatically, and designers have changed their viewpoint from that of a writer to a commercial one. Through such changes, everything, including architecture and graphic design, is crossing industry borders and making every field borderless. I cannot cope with all of these things. I hope that experts in each field will cooperate in a single project. I actively cooperate with sculptors and graphic designers, and discuss interior design for brand development, working with various people in response to needs. I would like to strengthen this team further, and always offer ideal designs.




spinoff
ADDRESS : Kyoden Building 6F, 2-8-2 Ebisu-Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
URL : http://spinoff.cc/

gEMBODY DESIGN ASSOCIATIONfs representative designer, Katsuya Iwamoto describes design in the following manner. The first special edition of gFeature Designerh features Mr. Iwamoto, active not only in commercial facility design, but also in a variety of other fields and explores his thoughts on design.h

Profile
1988.3@Graduated Osaka University of Arts, Design department, Interior design major
1988.4@Entered company known as Tanseisha Co., Ltd.
1992.4@Established EMBODY DESIGN ASSOCIATION
Awards
E JCD commercial design prize f97
E INAX SHOP design awardf97
E JCD commercial design prize f00
E Display industry prize f01
E JCD commercial design prize f03
Other prizes: JCD, DDA, SDA etcc

gIt has been 14 years since you went out on your own, how did you develop the style that represents the designer Katsuya Iwamoto today?h
When I was about 17 or 18 years old, the economy was booming and the clubs and stores I used to visit were good, but there were rarely any that I thought were really impressive. Back then it struck me that I would do things differently. With that in mind I studied the basics of design at university, was inspired by a variety of designers and designs, and really started to get in to how fascinating design can be.
When I first entered company known as Tanseisha Co., Ltd., I was originally promised a position in the commercial space department however was placed in museum design, and although for many years I felt disappointed, the experience I gained there has given me the solid foundation I have today.
This is how it was. "All sorts of people, from many walks of life, age, gender and nationality visit museums. Museums are there for visitors to grasp an understanding of the exhibits and to enjoy and be intrigued by the slightly complex topics of history, civilization and science. For this reason I believe that the essential conceptual and technical knowledge are linked together in all fields of design." It was there that I felt deep within myself my mission in life to look at things differently and from the perspective of others and create only what is needed by society.
I started to look at things from a variety of perspectives. For instance, in the example of commercial space, this meant considering from the respective viewpoints of the clientele, staff working in the store, and management, what conditions have been placed upon them and whether these actually work as conditions. It also meant thinking about what you would make your objectives, whether you focused on management style, positioning, satisfying the needs of the time, or establishing unchanging values and knowing how to achieve these objectives.
To me, design has always been more than simply giving something form. I see it as giving concrete form to the objectives of the design.






gHow do you think about the project in foreign countries, and the difference of design between foreign countries and Japan? h
Of course I am also interested in work overseas. The idea of giving concrete form to the objectives of the design in consideration of what can be built in the local area and local values is the same overseas. It is first necessary to understand the objectives of the project.
When people from all over the world look at me, the designer, it could be said that race is one personality trait, and that I am defined by my inherent primitive nature and sense of balance. If that were me and I were to work overseas, I would not want to design something that is superficial and iconic of Japan, but something that through me is sublime and incorporated aesthetics that breathed the cultural of Japan in things that cannot be seen such as decorum, language and lifestyles.





gWhat is EMBODY DESIGN ? h
EMBODY, meaning to give concrete form to an idea, is a term representing the foundational concept of my designs and the name we have chosen for our office. I believe that this idea will create an opportunity for happiness and what we design to bind people to people, people to happenings and bond together individuals and society and individuals to their inner-self. For this reason there is no meaning in merely creating a beautiful surface.
Through construction and design that combines a variety of existing aspects with ideal future designs, I believe we can bring people together, generate communication and create a space that people can admire and in which time is appreciated. This is what I have always aimed for and what I will continue to aspire to.





EMBODY DESIGN ASSOCIATION
ADDRESS :
TOKYO/AzabuChuoBldg, 10F, 2-9-8, Azabujyuban, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
OSAKA/Label Bldg, 2F, 1-1-11, Nishitenma, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan
URL : http://www.embodydesign.com/

In Japanese, wind-chime made of glass is called Fu-rin. It exactly means wind bells.
During summer, people set the wind-chime at the top of windows, and let wind them chink.
Wind-chime is one of seasonal tradition of summer, it is very old custom in Japan.
People listen to the sounds of wind-chime and they can feel a little coolness.

Wind-chime has a long history. It seems to begin in China, but Chinese used wind-chime by a different way. They used it for fortune-telling and expel, because they believe wind tells destiny. Also, the bell sounds secure people from evil. Later, wind-chime comes to Japan with Buddhism. So there are wind-chimes at temples in Japan and the areas around the temple which people can hear the bell ringing are secured.

Here is how to make a wind-chime made of glass which is the most popular type.
First, there is a fire pot melt glass inside is put in a furnace.
Take a little amount of melting glass by a long glass stick.

Blow up the glass until it shapes round, and make a tiny hole on the top as thread can through it.

Let the glass cool down, then cut out the part connecting to the stick.
Draw picture on it, put a thread and a strip of paper.

Nowadays, many kinds of wind-chimes are sold, so you can find your favorite one.
Letfs set Fu-rin at the window, and feel the coolness which wind-chime produces.

gFeature Designsh introduces Japanese commercial designs, traditional artworks, and culture.
And today's theme is fireworks.
Fireworks are called feature of summer in Japan. It is seasonal tradition of summer.
The event which tons of fireworks are launched is called "fireworks displays" in Japan.
There are many exhibitions of fireworks during summer not only in a big city as Tokyo but in a small town in a country side.
Still now, fireworks are loved by people.
Various passions and technologies are put together for the moment of only a few seconds that fireworks shine.
In fact, Japanese culture of fireworks that is known as the most wonderful technology in the world.

Most people do not know how fireworks appear.
To tell the truth, the root of fireworks is not Japan.
In ancient China, signal fire was used for emergency sign in third century B.C. and it was the origin of fireworks.
After that, gunpowder was spread to Rome through the Silk Road.
Then Ornamental fireworks have started from Florence in Italy.
Later fireworks come to Japan, and they were developed rapidly.
Various chemicals are introduced, and it developed in the distinctive style of Japan like changing color.
Especially the technology of changing colors several times can be seen in only Japan.
Because Japanese are dexterity, a variety of fireworks such as huge fireworks and toy fireworks, are produced.
Then fireworks made in Japan have been exported.
And, fireworks of Japan have grown up to the best fireworks in the world.

Here, we introduce how a master makes a firework.
First, he put gunpowder called gstarh into the globe called gballh which is made of paper.
Next, he lights a fuse and launches the ball.
When the gballh reaches at a point that the fuse burns out and gunpowder begins to burn.
Then gballh bursts and gstarh flies asunder.
There are various types like the one burns while pulling the trail of light, the one explodes while falling and changes the color at that time.
However, the detail of the technology is secret.

Nowadays, a variety of kinds of fireworks, from big fireworks to toy fireworks like Japanese sparkler, has been made.
There are hundreds of kinds for each type of fireworks.
Here are some examples of famous fireworks.

Japanese soul and passion are put in the moment that fireworks shine in the sky.
They make one firework for only the several seconds.
You should see the fireworks and feel the eternal passion.

SHOPS

RESIDENCE

The world-renowned architect Tadao Ando designed the complex, to realize an ideal conception of urban living. The design is almost severe in its simplicity, with contrasting concrete and glass with pebble floors. The use of natural hues and organic curves blends the man-made elements of the design into the soon-to-be leafy surroundings. The concrete modules form a gracefully lit grid, and the exterior - at first glance somewhat stark - will radiate vitality once the trees grow and the essential human element is added: people, enjoying the space and living their daily lives.

go to OMOTESANDO HILLS Official web site

wDesigner Japanx

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