Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009

This column doesn’t usually include events, but we’d be remiss not to point readers in the direction of the Good Design Expo, taking place at Tokyo Big Sight this weekend. Head to Odaiba for a chance to cop a feel of many of the entrants in this year’s Good Design Awards, an accolade bestowed each year by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO). Ambitiously described as “a system that aims to channel the eminent powers of distinctive designs to build prosperous lives and encourage sound industrial development,” the awards aren’t exactly what you’d call exclusive—of the 3,023 entries last year, a whopping 1,067 went on to win something. Still, some of those winners have been featured in these pages, so they can’t all be bad.
Aug 28-30, Tokyo Big Sight. See expo listings for details.