Japan & East Asia Archives

YOU LEAVE YOUR MARK. THE KETTLE COMES LATER

A glowing iron kettle at the Koizumi family workshop gives the experience immediate force

By Ren Nakamura · Tokyo — Cool Objects and Craftsmanship hunter “The Luxury of Leaving Your Mark – Before It’s Made.” “Early adopters may be design-minded travelers who have seen…

THE HOTEL THAT DOESN’T KNOW WHERE PRIVATE ENDS

“A hotel room can become private. Or intimate. Or a party. Or a cinema. Or a gathering. The architecture doesn’t decide the answer quite so rigidly.” Take Away &Here SHINJUKU…

From Scroll to Stay: How TikTok Go Helps Hotels Shine

What Is It? In August 2025, TikTok launched its new affiliate program called TikTok Go in partnership with Booking.com. The idea is simple but powerful: creators with at least 1,000…

Would You Go on a Coffee Date with a Robot?

What Is It? At the heart of Suzukagawa’s shopping complex, the LOVOT Café offers a rare hospitality concept where your companion might not be human. Located in LAZONA Kawasaki Plaza…

Stay Fermented: The Next Big Thing in Wellness Travel

Perched on a lush hill in Kitanakagusuku Village, Okinawa, the EM Wellness Kurashinohakko Lifestyle Resort isn’t just a wellness hotel; it’s an experiment in living with fermentation. Its philosophy uses…

Self-Parking Slippers at ProPILOT Park Ryokan: Where Tradition Meets Automation

What Is It? At the ProPILOT Park Ryokan in Hakone, Japan, Nissan transformed traditional hospitality with a touch of automation. Guests encounter not only tatami mats and sliding doors but…

Restaurant of Mistaken Orders

What is the problem? Dementia is an illness wildly misunderstood. People tend to believe those who have dementia can not do much by themselves, and the condition often leaves them…

Person sitting at the table with VR glasses on, looking around in awe

SEEING, THROUGH TECHNOLOGY, IS BELIEVING!

It is in our DNA to be suspicious of brands, the origin of our food, and even other people. These days we use techniques like transparency, track and trace, branding, and reviews…

RUI-KATSU: CRYING THERAPY

WHAT IT IS? The ‘Rui-katsu’ crying therapies (Tokyo, Japan) — ‘Rui-Katsu’ means “to seek tears” — emerged in 2013 to offer Japanese people a means of escape that would allow them to express their emotions.…

ROBOTS: SLOWLY INCREASING THEIR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

WHAT IT IS? Robots in the hospitality industry? Now, at the rapid pace at which technology is changing, this is becoming a reality. Hotels across the globe have started experimenting with…