It was the kind of invitation that makes you reorganise your calendar and start packing immediately – a design tour of Japan with Lexus and multi-award winner Brahman Perera. As well as being an ambassador for Lexus and the man behind the superb LANDMARK by Lexus pavilion for the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Brahman has won a number of Belle/Fanuli Interior Design Awards and is in demand for his original and bold work. Unbelievably, this was my first trip to Japan, and what an introduction!
Restraint and reverence at Tsujifusa. (Photography: Lukasz palka)
I arrived expecting elegance and precision – all grace and poise. What I didn’t expect was how wondrous and moving the experience would be. On tour in Japan with Lexus, Brahman and a group of like-minded design lovers, we were lucky to be totally immersed in, and surrounded by, beauty and design excellence at every stage of our faster-than-a-speeding-bullet trip!
(Photography: Lukasz palka)
From the moment we touched down in Tokyo, every detail was orchestrated with the polish of the Lexus experience – it was smooth, seamless and quietly luxurious. Our first stop was Hoshinoya Ginza (this page), an oasis of calm. This serene hotel is the perfect fusion of city hotel and traditional Japanese ryokan, with the most incredible onsen on the 17th floor. So good that I excused myself early from super hip Studio Mule, a wine and listening bar, to get back for one last soak in this superb bathing nirvana.
Prudence at teamLab. (Photography: Lukasz palka)
TeamLab Borderless, a world of artworks without frames, was an excellent exhibition to emphasise a world of infinite creativity, where science, tech and the natural world collide in a visual extravaganza. Lunch at the private MoonFlower Sagaya Ginza room, an eight-seat restaurant featuring its very own permanent digital art installation by teamLab, followed with a selection of seasonal dishes and an exclusive brand of wagyu called Saga Beef. In our non-stop exploration of Omotenashi (the Japanese spirit of hospitality), Oryori Tsuji Tokyo was our Michelin-star destination for a delicious dinner meticulously prepared by chef Yoshiaki Tsuji.
(Photography: Lukasz palka)
Intersect by Lexus is a design destination in itself – a sensorial experience fusing hospitality, art and ingenuity into a buzzy space with cafe, restaurant and private entertaining space as a sleek homage to Lexus design and history.
Meeting Hideki Yoshimoto, who won the inaugural Lexus Design Award in 2013 with his poetic ‘Inaho’ light (inspired by rice swaying in the breeze) was a highlight. Brahman interviewed Hideki in Kyoto for our intimate audience in a room at Banyan Tree Kyoto (where we were lucky to stay for one night) and his interest in beautiful craftsmanship and design as well as technology and space was compelling.
Restraint and reverence at Tsujifusa. (Photography: Lukasz palka)
It is a stereotype, but this trip underscored Japan’s historical and cultural dedication to discipline and perfection, which is overarching and evident in everything from hotel rooms to food, packaging, artisanal ceramics, fabrics and kimonos, and elegant lighting and furniture to everyday rituals and, of course, state-of-the-art transport from bullet trains to the Lexus assembly line.
Brahman alights from his Lexus. (Photography: Lukasz palka)
I never thought I’d say this about a manufacturing plant, but the home of Lexus is a creative’s dream – the most poetic factory I’ve ever seen and a fabulous example of Japanese devotion and the quiet tension between fragility and force. That tension – between delicacy and strength – seemed to pulse through every experience. In Japan, perfection isn’t about applause but integrity. Artisans perfect their work not for show, but to honour their craft. “They don’t create to be celebrated,” Brahman reflected. “They create to be better.” This is the true spirit of Takumi, or master craftsmanship.
Bamboo latticework and design icons in the Intersect by Lexus lounge area. (Photography: Lukasz palka)
One of the trip’s most joyful surprises came at a Kyoto textile workshop, where highly coveted kimonos are crafted. Expecting a solemn master, we met Nobumi Miyake, a man in gold chains and sneakers, laughing with his wife and son as he embroidered exquisite silks. “He had this hilarious fun vibe,” Brahman noted. “Not at all what I imagined.” It was a perfect reminder that mastery doesn’t mean losing your spark.
Kimono master Nobumi Miyake. (Photography: Lukasz palka)
Lexus wanted us to experience craft in the manner of Omotenashi and Takumi and we certainly were immersed in both. Four nights was an excellent preview, and I will definitely be a frequent visitor to Japan for ever more.
Writer
Tanya Buchanan
Editor-in-chief of Belle and Australian House & Garden
AloJapan.com