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Already known for its colorful designs -- as well as interesting choice of product categories, going from purses and portable ashtrays all the way to fly fishing equipment -- ABITAX has recently added a new collection of phone straps that certainly fits right in with their growing line of accessories. Available in 12 colors (pictured here are "Cobalt Blue" and "Coral"), they're made of genuine leather and come with either a smooth or nubuck surface. Simple and elegant, just the way we like it.
+ ABITAX
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 Since we've got Salone del Mobile 2006 fever here at MoCo Tokyo HQ, let us finish off today's postings with another Japanese participant, this time the launch of a new speaker for Modal by Osaka-based designer Kunihiro Tsuji (through his company, Kunihiro Tsuji Scientific). Also happening off-site (at the San Paolo Converso), the speakers will be presented as part of an interactive installation that should make of an interesting use of the space -- a former convent church. The speakers themselves will be available in Japan from November of this year.
+ Salone Internazionale del Mobile Milano
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We're big fans of the works of Kyouei, or rather Kouichi Okamoto, and we're quite saddened by the fact that we couldn't make it to Shizuoka for his "Two Days & Four Products" exhibition at the Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art earlier this month. As the images will attest (after the jump), it was a beautiful display of all of his light-related creations, and we can only wish that he'll be able to bring the show to Tokyo sometime in the near future.
+ Kyouei
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Rock, Paper, Scissors is a game known to all, and there's something quite playful about the products from the Japanese design unit of the same name. Take the Pack Lamp for instance, produced by IDEA International, that uses the light bulb's own packaging as its lampshade, or even the Still Green, a vase that is shaped like a regular vase, but only as an outline. It's a fresh and fun take on everyday household items, to help bring a bit of creativity and lightness to your surroundings.
+ Rocks, Paper, Scissors
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Fresh from her recent showing at the Canadian Style event, Tokyo-based Canadian multi-disciplinary designer Sonia Chow is on the move. Comfortable as much in the realms of textiles as that of graphics (be it on paper or wood, as her "Two Bits" block print shows), she also impresses with her Uni Light. Deceptively simple with its plumbing hose and cable ties, it received an honorable mention in I.D. (International Design) magazine, and deservedly so. A wound-up spiral that creates an unexpected bright "pod" that immediately becomes the centerpiece of any room, it also just so happens that you can sit on it, which certainly adds to the product's functionality. Catch her in next month's issue of AXIS (120), in the "Creators' Works" section.
+ Sonia Chow Studio
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 Up until know we haven't really featured many toys (if any) here at MoCo Tokyo. It's now time to break this trend, and we do so with the Snapazoo. An old product from the eighties designed by a university professor (Ross Miller), it was re-discovered last year through eBay by vinyl-figure maker Roughtoyz, who then decided to use it as a lead-off release for their new line of kid-friendly toys, Laughtoys. Although aimed at children, it doesn't take long to realize that pretty much anyone can get addicted to this shape-making wonder, and you'll soon find yourself not only trying to create the suggested animals, but also putting your own spin on some new shapes. On top of the three regular color combinations (orange/purple, pink/brown, blue/green), a special blue/yellow version was created for last year's edition of Swedish Style (part of Tokyo Design Week). Snapazoos can be purchased at Cafe Pause in Ikebukuro, as well as the Laughtoys site. Sweden-based design unit Next Century Modern will also be selling it on their soon-to-be-launched online store (you can already contact them for purchases though).
Full disclosure: this editor participated in the design (with Next Century Modern) of the packaging for the product, and also in its inclusion as mascot of the 2005 edition of Swedish Style. The Swedish Style edition can also be purchased from this editor's personal site.
+ Laughtoys
+ Roughtoyz
+ Next Century Modern
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As they state on their site, "ubushina means a birthplace in old Japanese terminology," and with that in mind, Ubushina is also a network where today's Japanese designers can be put in contact with craftsmen working in traditional Japanese techniques (from lacquerware to metal work to paper lanterns) to create contemporary items inspired by Japan's past. Their results are gaining some deserved attention (they get a mention in the latest issue of WALLPAPER*), and it's already looking like we can expect some great things from this new form of creative partnership.
+ Ubushina
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Even though Christmas isn't really celebrated in Japan, it hasn't stopped retailers from pushing the holiday as something to be thankful for, and of course, to help encourage sales. The once great utilitarian Muji, more and more expanding into pretty much anything a human being would need (including a home), has now joined in the fun with its own special Xmas campaign that includes not only gifts ideas from the regular array of Muji goods, but also a new series of products that have been inspired from countries around the world and then reproduced/repackaged under the Muji brand. It's certainly a nice collection, from toys made of tin and wood to Teddy Bear cushions and even a limited-edition black version of the their famous Naoto Fukasawa-designed Wall-Mounted CD Player (and it even comes with a Muji-compiled Christmas CD). Try to get your hands on the beautiful catalogue also, which is published in four languages (Japanese, English, French, and Chinese).
LINK: Muji Xmas
LINK: Muji
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 Why go hunting for hard-to-find (and more-than-likely expensive) sixties-era Japanese furniture and accessories when 60 Vision is around. A new brand launched by D&Department (itself an offshoot of the design company Drawing and Manual), its mission is to relaunch and repackage sixties Japanese designs. They've done it by getting in touch with the original makers and then asking them to start producing those classic works, sometimes as they were, other times in new colors. The manufacturers have also gotten into the spirit of things by branding their collection appropriately (for instance, Ace becomes A60). Not limited to the D&Department stores (they have shops in Tokyo and Osaka), you can now find 60 Vision-branded products in select stores throughout the city.
LINK: 60 Vision
LINK: D&Department
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Following a visit to their booth at the recent 100% Design Tokyo event, part of this year's Tokyo Design Week, the collection of products from & Design has been on my mind. The unit is comprised of four designers (Tetsu Miyazawa, Shigenori Ichimura, Keiichi Minamide, and Maho Kusano) who have pooled their multi-disciplinary talents together -- everything from GUI design and graphics to products and environmental spaces -- to form something that seems to be pushing the boundaries of playfulness and utility in product design, or as they call it, "Characterized Design." Iconic designs turn ubiquitous items into things of beauty, like the Trash-box that looks like it popped out of the Mac OS, or the Icon Watch (pictured above) which does the same, the Dry-cell Light that looks like an over-sized battery, and even the Nekko vase, giving a graphic presence to a flower's roots. Unfortunately, none of their designs have yet been produced for retail, but hopefully it's just a matter of time.
LINK: & Design
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 A while back we had featured the Takumi Shimamura designed Monacca Bag (with a link to the Arenot store), and now the Monacca brand -- "a brand name for products made of thinned Japanese cedar in Umaji Village, Kochi Prefecture" -- has its own official site (in Japanese and English) where you can order their various products (furniture, bags, accessories) directly. The calculator, set to come out next month, is looking very tempting! Pictured in this post is the Zabuton, also by Shimamura.
LINK: Monacca
LINK: Takumi Shimamura
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 Framed by a temporary exhibition/shop at Aoyama's Spiral, the Resort Travel Agency (RTA) is just the thing to make any future travels that much more stylish. The imaginary travel agency gets a bit of help from its "travels directors" (artists), and some goods are to be sold at the event (until May 18).
LINK: Resort Travel Agency
LINK: Spiral
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 Kyouei, based in Shizuoka City, create very interesting and out-of-the-ordinary products. When it comes to lighting, you can start by taking a look at Balloonlamp, which uses an LED and a normal blow-up balloon to create a lantern-like object. Follow that with Color Light, a DVD that lets you use your TV as a colored light source. Then, you can experiment with the randomness of sounds with the appropriately titled "Random" CD. It plays 99 tracks, representing 99 scales, in a random order to form new melodies on every play. All these products can be ordered through their website, and are available at the Zero First Design shop.
LINK: Kyouei
LINK: Zero First Design
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The 
The creations of Toshihiko Sakai (
The Takumi Shimamura designed 
The 
What at first seems like a simple block of wood ends up being an LED clock after you plug it in. The TO:CA clock doesn't sport any screen, yet numbers appear telling you the time, as if floating on the wood grain itself. Created by Takumi, it can be ordered online from 