Designs That Will Change Your Life! GOOD DESIGN STORE TOKYO

This service includes sponsored advertisements.

Winners of the Good Design Award are determined by a comprehensive design rating system conducted by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion. It is at GOOD DESIGN STORE TOKYO where you can directly purchase past winners of the Good Design Award.

Written by

miho

東京

Born in Taiwan. Currently living in Tokyo. Currently editor in chief of MATCHA's Taiwanese website. In the past, I worked as an editor for a Japanese fashion magazine, as a Japanese language teacher at a private high school in Taipei, as an interpreter for Shiseido and other Japanese and Taiwanese companies. I've also had experience as an inbound tourism copywriter. My Facebook page 'Tokyo beyond studying abroad' 東京、不只是留學（留学だけじゃなくて）boasts 120,000 followers. Blogger with readers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan, of which 70% are female readers. I have covered over 300 locations and stores in my articles. Writing about the latest trends, places off the beaten path, and traditional culture. Published six books on Japan in Taiwan and Asia. Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/filmmiho/ Instagram → @mihowang47

The winner of the 2014 award, the Snowflake Pasta. This pasta is made into its snowflake shape using a special noodle-making machine with hatsuga genmai (*1), akagome genmai (*2), and sobako (*3) produced in Yamagata as its ingredients. Please imagine the beautiful snow-covered mountains of Yamagata while you are having your meal.

*1 Hatsuga Genmai: Brown rice (rice before it has been milled) that has been germinated. It is said to have higher nutrition than white rice.
*2 Akagome Genmai: A variety of rice that is a reddish-brown color.
*3 Sobako: Buckwheat (soba) seeds that are milled into flour.

A Cold Brew Tea Pot Shaped Like a Sake Bottle

The winner of the 2013 award was a cold brew tea pot that can make tea from water, the Filter-in Bottle. It is designed to look like a sake bottle and made with the concept that, while eating, you can drink tea in the same way you enjoy your sake.

Tea can be easily made by putting tea leaves and water into the pot. The pot has been made with a mesh-design so that when pouring, there are no chances of tea leaves falling into the cup.

A Convenient and Refillable Detergent Container

The winner of the 2016 award is the eco-friendly dish-washing detergent and its container, the Yashinomi Detergent Premium Power. Previous problems with typical refillable bottles include “It’s difficult to use all of it” and “It ends up spilling out while (I’m) refilling it.”

With this product, the refillable detergent is used as a separate part of the container and eliminates such problems. Additionally, it has a simple design that is very easy to use.

Products Recommended by Employees

A Memorial Box for Childhood Memories!

In Japan, there was once a custom where, when one’s baby teeth fell out, bottom teeth would be thrown away towards the sky and upper teeth to the ground. However, in present times, while the custom has died out due to sanitary problems, there is instead an increase of families who preserve those teeth instead.

The Oshibanashi Box, a wooden memorial box that won the 2016 award, is a product that was made for those who wish to preserve their umbilical cord and baby teeth as memories of their childhood.

An Unbreakable Flower Vase

The winner of the 2003 award, D-BROS. The vase was designed in a way that makes it easy to decorate with and will not break when dropped. It is available in several colors and will change colors after being filled with water due to light reflection.

Good Design Long Life Award

Products are required to have been sold and manufactured for many years to be eligible for this special award. This requirement was added due to the main aspect of this award; that, even if the times have changed, the product continues to assume a key role in the daily lives of society.

Beauty Soap is a Cow brand product that is often seen in Japanese drugstores. Care has been put into what components are used in this product so that there is little to no damage to the skin, meaning that it will leave your skin completely smooth. The product began being sold in 1928 and is at a reasonable price of 80 yen before tax with classic packaging that has also been handed down to the present.

Tsubame Shinko Industrial Co., Ltd is a company that was established in 1919 and produces cutlery products such as spoons and forks. It has become part of the world’s top-class corporations for its high-quality designs; their products are even sold in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In Conclusion

There may be those who have the impression that the word “design” is something that is separate from livelihood. If you visit the Good Design Award store and find a product that fits you, your definition of “design” may change into something that is even closer to your daily life.