Expert Advice: A Design Guide to Japan with Asako Ueno of Anzu New York - Remodelista
Where are the best off-the-beaten-path teahouses, design shops, restaurants, confectionaries, and places to stay in Japan?
Tokyo
One of Ueno’s picks is the new home-goods and vintage shop Casica.
“Yumiko Iihoshi is one of the popular ceramic designers in Japan. Anzu New York carries her ceramics,” Ueno says.
The locations in Tokyo and Osaka (shown) “sell not only Iihoshi’s products but also her favorite things for everyday use at home.”
Ueno’s pick for traditional tea in Tokyo: Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience.
Next on the list: Food for Thought, which Ueno describes as “so tiny!” The shop sells ceramics and French vintage in a pop-up style.
Ueno’s Tokyo restaurant recommendation: Higashi-Yama. And Daikanyama Tsutaya Books is a massive architect-designed bookshop that’s noted among the most beautiful bookstores in the world.
For lodging, Ueno recommends Beniya Mukayu.
Beyond Tokyo
The otherworldly Toraya Kobo, a factory for Japanese confections (wagashi) in Gotemba, can’t be missed, Ueno says.
“Minä Perhonen Kanazawa is textile designer Akira Minagawa’s flagship shop in Kanazawa,” Ueno says.
For another day trip from Tokyo, Ueno recommends Evam Eva Yamanashi, a shop, restaurant, and gallery in Yamanashi.