Depending on your taste and/or spirit of adventure or lack thereof, there will be things you love and others you will dislike among the 100 new products featured in Made in Japan (Merrell Publishers, September 2012) by Naomi Pollock with foreword by Reiko Sudo.

I doubt any of the designs will leave you indifferent.

3 things the book offers: 

• A selection of outstanding Japanese products of this century, from gadgets and furnishings to office supplies and decorative objects

• Features a comprehensive introduction to the history and traditions of Japanese product design

• With biographies of the leading designers working in Japan today, including Naoto Fukasawa, Tokujin Yoshioka and Toyo Ito

Some of my personal favorites:

Reconstruction Chandelier (number 065) by Kouichi Okamoto, a 12 lamp fixture dipped in 14-carat gold, offers a taste of luxury.

The utilitarian 'Wasara' (number 095) by Shinichiro Ogata, disposable and biodegradable dishes mass produced from blend of 'bamboo, reed fibres and bagasse (a waste product from sugar-cane processing).'

'Skip' (number 075) by Takanori Hayakawa illustrates the whimsical side of design as applied to workplace, think of it as a desk that allows you to whizz around the office and let your inner child express itself.

Practical and playful, 'Splash' umbrella stand (page 079) by Yasuhiro Asano 'mimics a raindrop hitting the pavement'.

It will be up to you to discover the 96 other designs offered in Made in Japan...

A rainbow of design flavors for Tokyo Thursdays # 242

Previously: Spiky Cucumbers, Popular in Japan, Photographed at Asian Stall in Marche Couvert of Albi

(* Illustrations from 'Made in Japan' by Naomi Pollock with foreword by Reiko Sudo- Merrell Publishers, September 2012- reproduced with permission, all rights reserved)