From 18 to 20 June, the Interior Lifestyle, the main international event in Japan dedicated to home furnishings and accessories, took place in Tokyo. It is a must-attend event for importers of medium-high-end products. Around 500 exhibitors from 85 foreign countries took part in the 2025 edition, and Italy was present with its own pavilion. Italian design is highly appreciated in Japan for its ability to combine quality, beauty and respect for the environment, and the quality of Italian workmanship in the field of furniture is not only appreciated by end consumers but also by local designers and contractors.
The Land of the Rising Sun has long been a key partner in this sector, recalled the Italian Ambassador to Tokyo, Gianluigi Benedetti, pointing out that in 2024 Italian exports of furniture and furnishing products to Japan reached 122 million euros, an increase of 3% over the previous year. “Italian and Japanese design have a special relationship. In both countries, in fact, design is the result of a unique balance between creative vision, the search for functional beauty (kinoubi in Japanese), and technological innovation. These unique characteristics stem from our long cultural traditions, a firm commitment to quality, a passion for beautiful things, and a forward-looking mentality that takes care of the physical and emotional needs of people in modern society’.
Attention to sustainability and ergonomics is also an essential competitive factor in this market. As is also the case at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the Japanese showrooms offer a complete furnishing experience: furniture, accessories and household items integrated into a coherent ‘lifestyle’. To this end, the Italian Pavilion presented a careful selection of products considered expressions of the Italian art of living: from dining room accessories (plates, cutlery) to sofas, wallpaper and outdoor furniture.
During the event, as part of the work to promote Italian design and creativity around the world carried out by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the conference ‘Design for a Better Life: synergies between Italy and Japan’ was held by world-famous architects Setsu and Shinobu Ito, whose work has been published in numerous books and magazines in the sector. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Inequalities. Design for a better life’
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