It was announced last month that this year's recipient of the architecture world's prestigious Royal Gold Medal is Toyo Ito. Even if this recognition honors Ito's international prominence from a lifetime's worth of acclaimed works, why not help celebrate the selection by taking in a few of his notable Tokyo (or near Tokyo) landmarks, like his "Kaze no Tamago" (also referred to as "Egg of Winds," in Chuo) and "Tower of Winds" (in Yokohama), the Shinonome Canal Court Center Zone (which also made this year's Good Design Award top fifteen), or even simpler fare, as the residential "T House in Yutenji." Of course, the easiest option is to simply drop by Omotesando for a look at his now famous Tod's flagship store.

And while we're on the topic of architecture, this Atelier Bow-Wow (Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima) fan would be remiss if he didn't mention the video tour of one of the unit's latest works, Ako House (located in the Sendagaya ward), that is available online for your viewing pleasure courtesy of the 10+1 site (see the data section for link). Another example of how Tokyo living can be a very attractive proposition.

Last week saw the annual Good Design Award - brought to you by the sufficiently descriptive Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) - announce its prize winners, and a look at their top fifteen certainly reveals an interesting and attractive group of selections. Covering a vast array of fields - from product and communication design to a forward-thinking "new frontier" category (represented by Toyota's "Future Society of Mobility" exhibition at this year's Aichi Expo) - it gives a good idea of what the current design trends are, and where they seem to be heading.

Some items/locations that have previously been featured in this column make an appearance: Plusminuszero's stylish Humidifier (surely the only brand that gives something as boring as a humidifier a level of sexiness that translates into extreme desire of ownership), Yamaha's Electric Commuter EC-O2, and the SANAA-designed 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa. It's also nice to see the inclusion of another Apple product, this time the iPod shuffle. Previous years have seen everything from iPods to Powerbooks, with even the Apple Store Ginza getting a mention.

Ubiquitous items also make the list; Kokuyo's Campus Notebook doesn't really give off that "fresh design" vibe at first glance, but it's a testament to the JIDPO selection committee that "good design" is affected by more than just pretty looks and stylishness. A product's value and usefulness truly trumps everything else.

If you want to catch the award ceremony, keep checking the official Good Design Award website. They've announced a date (October 25), but no word yet on location and time.

Tokyo Design Week is but a few short weeks away, and some scheduling info is finally starting to make its way out. Swedish Style made its schedule public at a press conference late last week, and it can be viewed from the organization's official site. The various exhibitions are taking place throughout the city, with Aoyama, Harajuku, and Daikanyama - as well as the Embassy of Sweden itself - hosting the vast majority of events. It's a lot to take in, so your best bet is to get your hands on the print catalogue as it becomes available (at participating venues) - which should include a map - and then attack one area at a time.

Design Tide one-ups Swedish Style by not only including all the event info on its website, but also offering downloadable PDF maps for each area that will be hosting events. As of this writing, there is still no exhibitor info available for the Tokyo Designer's Week collection of showcases (including 100% Design Tokyo).

As was mentioned last month, yours truly is participating in this year's edition of Swedish Style, and we are proud to be bringing the festival to Ikebukuro for the very first time. Cafe Pause, a bright spot in an otherwise unremarkable part of town (when it comes to stylish cafe options), will host the 10-day-long "Mamma Gun sager: Ta en PAUS," which sees the space turned into a Swedish cafe, including a special menu of drinks and food items, with an installation by Swedish design unit Next Century Modern (NCM), and the fashions of Emma & Malena on hand (both girls will also be "hanging out" at the cafe, creating new items for all to see). November 5 will see a traditional (sort of) Swedish birthday party, with happy hour prices all night, and some cake and sweets (and even Swedish magazines) on the house. Hope to see you there!

Tokyo Designer's Week (including 100% Design Tokyo) and Tokyo Tide will take place November 2-6, and Swedish Style events will run November 2-12.

Through our participation, we've also helped make Roughtoyz' Snapazoo the official Swedish Style mascot. Roughtoyz, whose offices and showcase are located at Cafe Pause, is a Japanese vinyl toy company - they've released items created by the likes of 9brand (King Hoo, Hariko), Shu-Thang Grafix (Captain Porno), Mountain Mountain (Kamebito), HIMAA (Module), and Seiji Fujishiro (Kobito) - with the Snapazoo being the first release from their children-oriented Laughtoys line. Scheduled to go on sale by the middle of next month, it's an oddly shaped piece of cloth that you snap together to form all sorts of animal-like creations. Don't let the child-like monicker fool you - grabbing one, you'll quickly find out how addicting and fun this little toy can be. Priced at 1600 yen, it comes in a variety of colors (green/blue, orange/purple, brown/pink), with a limited-edition Swedish Style version - blue/yellow - created specifically for the event.