In the organizer's words:

With an introduction by Prof. Masayo AVE, designer

Exhibition until February 28, 2026

The traveling exhibition from the Japan Foundation provides a comprehensive overview of the diversity and quality of contemporary design in Japan with around 100 outstanding objects. In addition to some groundbreaking masterpieces from earlier times, it mainly presents works that came onto the market after the year 2000.

Japanese Design Today 100 was first published in 2004 and was further developed in a second version in 2013. Due to its great success, renowned experts have now conceived the third edition, which once again presents outstanding examples of Japanese design from today's perspective. It was sent on a world tour at the end of 2023 and can now be seen for the first and only time in Germany.

The exhibition is divided into 13 sections: (1) deals with the origins of contemporary Japanese design; (2) presents furniture characterized by functionality and tactile sophistication; (3) shows examples from electronics that impress with their user-friendliness and quality; (4) is dedicated to the design of tableware and cooking utensils; (5) uses clothing and accessories to show the fascination with materials and shapes; (6) illustrates the functionality and quality of stationery; (7) asks how objects with unique designs have found their way into everyday life; (8) illustrates that design also plays a role in medical care; (9) looks at design in safety and disaster response equipment; (10) looks back at the history of technological and design advances in the mobility sector; (11) focuses on architecture and the environment; (12) presents design in the field of communication; (13) explores the concept of "synthesis", as design is often seen as a combination of science and art.

The exhibition was curated by Kashiwagi Hiroshi (design critic), Fukagawa Masafumi (independent curator and critic), Satoh Taku (graphic designer) and Hashimoto Yûko (design historian).

The Japanese designer Professor Masayo Ave is the founder of the design studio MasayoAve creation and the SXD.Lab, Sensory Experience Design Laboratory in Berlin. Active in Europe for over three decades, she is not only a creator of sensory, innovative design works, but is also involved in the field of design education.

With her sensory and imaginative approach to fundamental design principles, focus on material research and experimental design development, she has gained wide recognition and received numerous international design awards. Prof. Ave has been a jury member at prestigious international design competitions, including the Red Dot Design Awards in Germany.