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Pattern : When travelling, I don't photograph scenery or travel companions. Some people find this disconcerting, but it makes sense to me, because I'm looking for the details of texture, shape and colour that distinguish one place from another. -
Tokyo Lily : Our first stop was our friend Lily Strauss, who runs the Subject Matter (subjectmatterart.com) photography gallery, and promotes SA art and design. Lily showed us the sights, gave us some essential Japanese vocabulary, and made us feel right at home. -
Food : The food was a revelation to us, as before visiting, the only Japanese food I had encountered was sushi and miso soup. But the simple, clean flavours and beautiful presentation was captivating. This photo was taken in a tofu restaurant in Kyoto. -
Courtesy : We walked past this every day. The way the hedge accommodates the sign in such a tidy, well-considered way is like so much of Japanese life: the importance of good form, manners, presentation, all create an atmosphere of friendly courtesy. -
Colour : I loved the way lots of shops and businesses had chairs and plants outside their premises, bringing the inside out in a way that struck me as generous and sociable. -
Signage : Tokyo is densely occupied, and there are lots of shops, hairdressers, cafes in every street, and consequently a lot of fab signage. Because I own my own shop, I'm interested in signage as an important part of presentation. Loved this neon flamingo. -
Hara Juka : Before our visit, my image of Tokyo was based on Lost in Translation, where the streets are dazzlingly lit and thronging with people. However, although roads can be tiny and space tight, there was spaciousness and ease in this city of 13 million people. -
Zigzags : When there is just so much to see, sometimes it's useful to limit things, training your eye to notice specific colours or details. I was looking for zigzags on this Tokyo trip, and found some treasures in shadows and stairways. -
Bikes : Paul is crazy about bicycles, and there's a massive bicycle culture in Tokyo, with a lot of focus on customisation. We loved the little mini velo bikes in gorgeous colours and were sorely tempted to bring one back home with us.
In September Heather Moore of Skinny laMinx took a long-anticipated two-week trip to Tokyo with her husband, artist Paul Edmunds. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated with Japan, and this year we finally got to visit,” she beams.
Based on her visit, Heather produced a series of three prints, a set of which is up for grabs in our new Summer VISI 69. However, she also shared a few of her personal design-inspiration holiday snaps. Have a browse through the pics above and read Heather’s captions, which give an uncanny peek inside her creative grey matter. If you enjoyed this, check out Heather’s pics from her Paris trip last year.
Fall head over heals with the new Summer VISI 69, featuring dreamy holiday havens, entertaining essays and 34 reasons to love design, decor and architecture.
