Tag Archives: Japan

Toyota Constructs Japan’s First Sustainable City of The Future

Occupying at least 70 hectares of land at the foot of Mount Fuji, is Japanese carmaker, Toyota’s latest technological endeavor. Announcing its detailed plan of building a sustainable ‘city of the future’ at the 2020 CES technology show in Las Vegas on 7th January, – Toyota has named its project, the Woven City.

Toyota Constructs Japan’s First Sustainable City of The Future

Powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the prototype city is expected to be an environmentally sustainable space, facilitating the use of renewable energy whilst increasing overall power efficiency. Through utilizing these hydrogen fuel cells, which are also known as, Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) cells, water, electricity and heat energy are the derived byproducts of using hydrogen gas and oxygen as fuel.

Designed by Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels, who is revered for his housing complexes in Ørestad, Denmark – the Woven City will serve as a functioning laboratory for autonomous cars, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and other technologies – accommodating up to 2,000 people including Toyota employees, retirees and their families, the city will feature the necessary emergency amenities such as a police force, fire and ambulance services, and schools.

Aiming to create a safer, cleaner and tremendously more fun environment with a minimal carbon footprint, the city’s buildings will be predominantly constructed from natural materials such as wood with roofs covered in photovoltaic panels to generate additional solar power. Prioritizing a drastic cut in carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and buildings, Toyota intends to significantly incorporate internet technology in every aspect of every day ‘Woven City’ life.

Though only recently announced, plans for Toyota’s Woven City have been in the works for over a year, with construction expected to begin by early 2021. The company has also expressed interest in future collaborations to expand its knowledge and research abroad.

By Julia Roxan

 

TENCHA – Savouring Luxe Cha

For tea aficionados, TENCHA will be a brand to look out for in the coming months. Launched by OxytocinGroup, it will be an exclusive window into the world of drinking ultra-luxe “cha” (Chinese for tea) and indulging in some spa sessions centred on tea-based products.

The bright green hue of TENCHA

The Singapore-based OxytocinGroup, a portfolio of brands built around the ethos of reimagining the status quo, has launched a new pan-Asian luxury wellness brand – TENCHA. The brand has tea experts to cull the very best in matcha tea to those who have a fine palate. TENCHA will introduce an avant-garde experience around organic ultra-luxe Cha grown on volcanic terroirs of Kagoshima, Japan. Its inaugural range of Chaman ceremonial matcha is uniquely granite-ground in Germany, to express a new dimension of quality. It redefines the luxe end of the matcha spectrum with rich umami sweetness, intense konbu notes and charred undertones. Fertilised naturally by volcanic ash from Sakurajima, it is exceptional in taste and dimension as Cha can be.

Using a chasen to stir the matcha drink

Manufacturing, purity and radiation tests from Germany create a perfect unison with the Japanese art and science of growing intensely flavourful shaded teas. TENCHA sources exclusively from the very first tea garden to meet EU-organic certification in 1995, making it a pioneer in its field. This visionary foresight enables the creation of 100 per cent pure teas that could surpass the very best conventional makes in taste and phytochemical properties.

Philipp Kristian Diekhöner, Founder, Tencha

“As someone who travels 250+ days a year, I believe wellbeing is the greatest of all luxuries. TENCHA organic matcha is an exceptional, all-natural journey to our best self: mentally and physically, inside and out.” – Philipp Kristian Diekhöner

TENCHA sources exclusively from the very first tea garden to meet EU-organic certification in 1995, making it a pioneer in its field. This visionary foresight enables the creation of 100 per cent pure teas that could surpass the very best conventional makes in taste and phytochemical properties.

TENCHA reaches beyond Cha itself, creating an ultra-luxe world of Cha and Spa. Natural skincare aficionados and conscious beauty seekers can soon enjoy an all-natural edible matcha spa line hand manufactured in Bali. Designed around the purpose of enabling lasting everyday wellness, TENCHA is focused on beautiful, guilt-free rituals nurtured by the wonder of nature.

TENCHA can be combined with tipples

TENCHA will make its first appearance in Singapore and Stockholm this August, collaborating with Dapper Coffee at Amoy Street to bring a new dimension of matcha to local palates. TENCHA is accepting individual pre-orders now via its digital flagship store (www.tencha.life) for Asia and via We B Tea (www.webtea.co) for Europe. Follow TENCHA @tenchalife and @tenchamatcha.

Philipp Kristian is also author of The Trust Economy, read about his story here.

By Joe Lim

 

Rimowa’s first Japanese flagship store

Rimowa has just celebrated the opening of its first ever Japan flagship store, located at the luxury shopping district Ginza 7-Chrome and this new space is one of the few Rimowa space worldwide that offers personalisation service for its patrons.

And for the grand opening, Rimowa hosted an exclusive party that saw a few collaborations including a personalisation service featuring Japanese luxury streetwear label Ambush.

 

 

To highlight the exclusive in-store personalisation service, Rimowa worked with Ambush to create a special fluorescent orange-coloured luggage handle and luggage tag that is exclusively available at the Ginza store.

The Ambush accessories is created as part of the Rimowa personalisation range for the Rimowa Classic Range where patrons can choose their preferred colours for the handle, wheels and tags.

Verbal and Yoon of Ambush

Rimowa also invited Japanese calligrapher MAMI, who is known for her dynamic works that fuse traditional Japanese calligraphy with contemporary culture to work on a special installation within the space, along with a special appearance of celebrated Japanese artist Takashi Murakami who came with a Rimowa suitcase filled with his iconic smiling flowers plush and a miniature of himself.

Japanese calligrapher MAMI

 

Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami

 

Swipe the gallery for a tour inside Rimowa Ginza 7-Chrome store:

This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.

Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017 Names Two New 3-Star Restaurants

Photo credit: TripAdvisor

The land of seafood, sushi and scenery gains another gastronomical advantage. After a five-year hiatus, Michelin inspectors returned to the second largest island of Japan in search of new dining destinations worthy of being admitted into the exclusive starred club. The result? Two new three Michelin-starred restaurants from the island of Hokkaido.

Michelin published a one-off guide for the island in 2012. Overall, the 2017 edition of the guide features 22 new Michelin-starred restaurants. Amongst these include Hanakoji Sawada, which serves a seasonal Japanese menu. The restaurant was promoted from its two-star standing to three stars. The 36-seat restaurant is located in the city of Sapporo.

Sushi Miyakawa now also boasts a triple-starred ranking. Three Michelin stars denote “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey,” while two stars represent “excellent cooking, worth a detour.” A single star denotes “a very good restaurant in its category. Other notable new entries include Tempura araki, which received two stars, and Koyon Yamahisa, which unlocked its first star.

The Hokkaido Michelin guide 2017 launches officially on May 19.