Photograph of the Japan House São Paulo exhibition space with the ‘Packaging: Contemporary Designs of Japan’ exhibit. (2021-01-19/2021-06-13) by Japan House São PauloJAPAN HOUSE São Paulo
An essential item in contemporary life, packaging is fundamentally important in the Japanese culture as well,
as evidenced by the term ‘tsutsumu,’ a Japanese word that means “to wrap,” “to pack,” the ideogram of which symbolizes the image of a child inside its mother’s womb, reminiscent of the idea of protecting something that is precious.
The great importance of Japanese wrapping
From this perspective, the exhibition ‘Packaging: Contemporary Designs of Japan,’ held in partnership with the Japanese Package Design Association (JPDA), the company responsible for the Japan Package Design Awards*
*– which since 1985 has celebrated designers who create packaging with a focus on creativity, aesthetics, usability, value, and market potential –, features items that reveal much of the consumer’s behavior, traditions, and customs present in the Japanese daily life.
The unity between packaging and content
Attractive packaging reveals, for example, the importance of gift giving as part of a complex code of etiquette in Japan, in addition to the extent to which Japanese users value practical and sustainable packaging in their daily lives,
such as, for example, the ‘drinks to go’ format, which convey the idea of a life that is always in motion.
The exhibit, which encourages an exchange of ideas between Brazil and Japan, brings design, sustainability, and lifestyle solutions currently present on the Japanese market to the Brazilian audience.
Photograph of the Japan House São Paulo exhibition space with the ‘Packaging: Contemporary Designs of Japan’ exhibit. (2021-01-19/2021-06-13) by Japan House São PauloJAPAN HOUSE São Paulo
Directly from Japanese shelves
A selection of award-winning and finalist items make up an overview of the different types of packaging present on today’s Japanese market.
“These are objects that say a lot about the Japanese culture, that draw attention for their aesthetics and the importance given to every detail, but that also allow an overview of consumption habits in the country today. We also hope to inspire Brazilian designers and companies looking for this combination of product, design, and sustainability as a way to deliver a complete consumer experience.
Packaging refinement adds even more value to the product that is inside it, which also merits the same development care, something that is clear in this exhibition,” says Japan House São Paulo Cultural Director and exhibition curator Natasha Barzaghi Geenen.
Omotenashi in the most minute of details
The exhibition also seeks to show why Japan is admired worldwide for its wrapping culture, which places both container and content on the same level of importance, with wrapper quality being a sign of respect for the person who will receive the object.
The concept of Omotenashi, of hospitality and of treating others well, in this case, involves the importance of design made to anticipate consumer needs, respecting user and nature.
An essential part of the object, a well thought out design adds value to the best of each product and can start from more traditional and millenarian techniques, such as Furoshiki – an ancient Japanese technique that uses square pieces of fabric to wrap, pack, and protect the most varied types of objects using tying –,
even the most complex and technological, such as a bottle of lotion produced at the highest level of industry specifications in terms of its super recycled glass use rate – 90% or more.
In Japan, every detail matters, and must be considered with the utmost attention, showing that the Japanese search for perfection and the sense of beauty can be perceived even in a simple, everyday object such as packaging.
Photograph of a few of the packages on display, such as ‘Nissin Traveling Ethnic,’ ‘History of Wajima Rice from the Nōtō Peninsula,’ and ‘Yasai Seikatsu 100 Smoothie.’ (2021-01-19/2021-06-13) by Japan House São PauloJAPAN HOUSE São Paulo
About Japan Package Design Awards
The award, held every two years in Japan, has established itself as an important recognition for designers in the country and, for example, had celebrated designer Kenya Hara and one of the creators of the global Japan House project as one of the prominent names who have already been awarded.
About the Japan Package Design Association (JPDA)
It is an organization for designers and companies involved in packaging design. Established in 1960, JPDA is the only packaging design organization in Japan. It has organized the Japan Package Design Awards every two years since 1985. This is a competition that is an opportunity for packaging designers to have their work evaluated based on criteria such as design and creativity.
Japan House São Paulo
Paulista Avenue, 52
Bela Vista – São Paulo/SP
Phone: +55 11 3090-8900
