Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on December 2009

Photo by James Hadfield

Muji has assembled a small but pleasingly formed range of Christmas gifts for the festive season, of which this one caught our eye. Tokyo in a Bag recreates the capital as a load of minimal wooden blocks, complete with buildings, torii gates and even a few cars and buses. People who’ve visited the city might recognize Tokyo Tower, Senso-ji temple’s Kanarimon gate, and what we think is Tokyo International Forum—and hey, you can always spin elaborate fictions about what the other nondescript structures are supposed to represent. Not suitable for young children, or people whose shelves are already cluttered enough.

Tokyo in a Bag, ¥980. Available from branches of Muji.