In my first dispatch, I mentioned some negative comments about 100% Design Tokyo I had overheard in conversations, but I didn’t want to say too much until I had a chance to visit the event myself. My verdict? Certainly no worse than last year, and there are quite a few improvements that help make it a more enjoyable experience.

Now, I’m not going to comment on the business side of things — past years have seen independent designers complain about the high price associated with contracting a booth when compared to the effective return they felt they got from their involvement. And I still think that if you’re not in the industry, this is not necessarily the event for you, since the rest of TDW aims for more of a general audience. DesignTide tends to be more artistic, Tokyo Designer’s Week “Container” and “Student” exhibitions are more conceptual, and Swedish Style covers everything from graphics to fashion. 100% Design Tokyo is a commercial fair, and it does a good job as a commercial fair. Creating a dedicated space for all lighting companies (in a darkened corner of the grounds) was certainly a positive move, offering a better showcase for those products. And the Designboom-sponsored Mart and graphic art exhibitions made for a nice diversion from all the product pimping.

This year’s “Container” exhibition, always a popular attraction at the Jingu Gaien location, felt quite different — with the majority of containers playing host to collaborations between companies and Japanese design schools. This resulted in something that played out more like an extension to the “Student” exhibition (which was also presented in the same area). But in general, we didn’t get the slickness (or exercise in branding) of recent years, which is both good and bad. The Good: most installations had a pleasant organic vibe to them. The Bad: not everyone enjoys seeing what can sometimes amount to a glorified “school project.”

As in past years, a good amount of events gets spread throughout the city’s cafes, shops and galleries — mostly in Shibuya, Aoyama, and Harajuku. Although this makes TDW feel like it transforms the entire city for a week, I wonder how much of these smaller events get experienced. It would be interesting to see some figures on all “extension” exhibitions to find out if those spaces really do give the participating creator’s work the attention they hope to get.

And with that, exhausted beyond belief, we sign off on TDW 2007 (although Swedish Style-related events continue until November 8).

Design has taken over the city, with Tokyo Designer’s Week, 100% Design Tokyo, DesignTide, and Swedish Style all staking claim to everyone’s event calendar until November 4 (the Swedes will continue their celebrations up to November 8). After attending Tuesday’s preview of DesignTide, it looks like things are off to a decent start. The Olympic stadium gymnasium is a perfect location, giving all of this year’s installations — and us attendees — a bit more breathing room. Multidisciplinary firm Assistant continues to transform the city’s cultural landscape, this time with outdoor signage and a massive installation that greets you as you enter the main site. Once inside, you either take a tour of the main Tide Exhibition, or head to the Tide Mart, where designers are eagerly waiting to sell their works. The DesignTide merch area is also worth a stop to pick up one of the ALPHABET Project black-on-white t-shirts — each letter designed by a different creator. I’ve got my eye on “S” by Satō Kashiwa.

It’s still too early to tell how this year’s Tokyo Design Week will compare to what we’ve seen in previous years, but it’s certainly off to a promising start. There are already some grumblings about 100% Design Tokyo — from participants about the treatment by organizers and from attendees about venue size — but for now I’ll reserve judgment and wait to see how the next few days pan out.

Here’s how my relationship with Pecha Kucha Night goes. I started going regularly around two years ago. After a few months of this, I started writing about it for various publications. Then, during last year’s Tokyo Design Week, I finally ended up doing a presentation myself, in order to promote a Swedish Style-related event I was producing (with my partner, Swedish graphic designer and event producer Jesper Larsson). The thing is, after that night of presenting, I never again made it to another one. It was if my yearlong love affair with the innovative event couldn’t withstand the eventual consummation — as the best (and worst) of scripted TV romances have proven again and again.

But Thursday, November 1, was to be the biggest Pecha Kucha Night in Tokyo ever, presented in collaboration with DesignTide. This edition of PKN traded the familiar underground surroundings of SuperDeluxe for a side section of Japan’s National Stadium (not far from the DesignTide main site), which offered an outdoor experience. (The covering thankfully never became necessary despite afternoon rains). Proud parents — Klein Dytham Architecture‘s Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein — were understandably beaming with joy, sharing news of the event’s epidemic-like growth (now in over 80 cities), as well as the release this week of a book commemorating the “movement” (sold at the appropriate price of 2020 yen.) As is the norm, chaos was a constant companion — Jesper, who produces a PKN in his home city of Gothenburg, Sweden — was suddenly paired a few days ago for a brand new “ping pong presentation” with the organizer of the San Francisco edition, who seemed to be completely absent until the very moment the names were called…

I don’t have any exact numbers, but guessing from the crowd that gathered — the place was packed even before Dytham and Klein hit the stage — I wouldn’t be surprised if it was indeed the biggest ever PKN, just as advertised.

Update: Photos available here from photographer Jeremy Lanig.