#capsule-hotel

#capsule-hotel

I almost didn't believe it existed until I went to see it in person. I still remember the exact moment I found out - I was so happy I literally screamed in the bathroom.

TeamLab Planets quickly made a name for itself after opening its doors in 2018. It holds the Guinness World Record for the most-visited museum dedicated to a single group or artist, bringing in more than 2.5 million visitors from April 2023 to March 2024.

Monologue A Walker in Time's Soliloquy originates from a speculative narrative imagining that the Earth has undergone a reset. The project begins with a simple question: if an ancient civilization once existed before this reset, and a monastery had been built within that forgotten world, what architectural form might it have taken?

Osaka, Japan's third largest city after Tokyo and Yokohama, has a youthful energy to it. Locals love it for tabearuki, which literally means walking and eating at the many shotengai-covered arcades, lined with stalls and tempting street food.

The Mysa 200, built by Utah-based Irontown Modular, goes the other direction entirely, delivering a compact, single-level dwelling that trades clever gimmicks for genuine livability. Named after the Swedish word for "cozy," the Mysa 200 reads more like a small cabin than a typical tiny house.

And while the convenience and amenities of a hotel stay may be tempting, renting an Airbnb just off the beaten path is an even better way to experience the city like a local. The bustling capital encompasses a dynamic mix of cultural sights, impressive culinary experiences, and globally-renowned shopping landmarks-from the vibrant Harajuku district to the Edo-era Senso-ji Temple-that make it one of the most bucket-listed travel destinations in the world.

For the traveler who finds romance in a curved wall, chases good lighting, and believes a space should quietly seduce, a good design-led vacation rental is the destination as much as the location around it. These are homes chosen for how they look, feel, and linger in our memory-where architecture, interiors, and setting shape the experience of travel itself. Across the sun-washed corners of Italy, Spain, Portugal, and beyond, today's most compelling rentals are as

On a recent two-week trip to Japan with my fiancé - six cities, six hotels - every stay was gorgeous and perfectly appointed. We wanted for nothing. Except, in most cases, a proper bathroom door. Instead, we spent the better part of two weeks making accidental eye contact through frosted glass and translucent panels while one of us was otherwise occupied. A design choice, apparently. A test of intimacy, definitely.

That is one of several conclusions you're likely to draw after reading an article by Sheila Yasmin Marikar recently published in Air Mail. Marikar takes the reader into the world of small boutique hotels, the sort of establishment that attracts travelers looking for properties with an independent streak and a unique approach to doing business. The challenge here, though, is figuring out where that line exists, as some iconoclastic companies have acquired massive corporate parents over the years.

Nothing worked. The room felt cluttered no matter what we did, and we were both exhausted from hauling that massive sectional around. "Maybe I need a smaller couch," she sighed, collapsing onto it dramatically. But as I looked around her place, something clicked. The problem wasn't just the size of her furniture-it was how high everything sat. Her couch, bed frame, coffee table, even her bookshelf, all towered at standard Western heights, making the space feel boxed in.

Emily Lilburn, 21, says colour-changing lightbulbs and battery operated candles helped her make three bland and bare uni rooms colourful and cosy. "I never have the big light on," she says. "Instead I use lamps with 5 colour-changing light bulbs. I go for deep orange or warm red and it looks so much cosier." Emily says patterned bedding is a must.

Several times throughout our visit, Lauren mentioned that decluttering her home also helped to free up space in her mind, making her home a "little pocket of peace" in the city. "I also got rid of a lot of stuff, which was extremely liberating," Lauren explains. "I now live a very minimalist lifestyle." That same day, Lauren was leaving our photoshoot to board a flight to Rome for the long weekend.

Sometimes the best architecture knows when to turn away. UK studio Denizen Works just completed their first project in Japan, and it does exactly that. The House in Onomichi presents an almost entirely blank facade to the street, creating what founder Murray Kerr calls an "enigmatic quality." But this isn't architecture being rude. It's architecture understanding that privacy can be the ultimate luxury.

I grew up visiting this house. It originally belonged to my grandfather's older sister, and whenever I traveled down from Iwate, the northern prefecture in Japan where I grew up, this was where the family gathered. Later, I worked as a rehabilitation consultant at hospitals in Osaka and Yokohama. I moved, but this place was always in the back of my mind.

Residence AV is a courtyard house located in a dense residential neighborhood in Bruges, Belgium. Designed by YAMA architects, the project responds to a paradoxical brief: a strong desire for connection to the surrounding context combined with an equally strong need for privacy. The client, living alone, was attracted to the social presence and perceived safety of the neighborhood, yet sought a dwelling that could withdraw from direct views and support a more introspective way of living.

Workplaces serve as centers to support business transactions, often with cues from traditional corporate styling but little else. For its new office in Tokyo, the staff at KOKUYO, a leading manufacturer of office furniture, stationery, and supplies, envisioned a combination work and learning hub that sparks child-like imagination. The 5,317-square-foot space, completed by DDAA in collaboration with KOKUYO's own design team, centers on the theme of learning.

This project is an architect's home and office located in a densely populated residential area of Tokyo. As there were other houses adjacent to the boundary of the site on all sides except for the north side, where the road is located, it was decided to install a large window facing the road, but the challenge was how to create a bright garden view through the north-facing window.