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INTERIORS ARCHIVE: 529: Trend spotting Trina O'Hara takes us on a tour of international furniture fairs to find the top Japanese designers at work today. 521: Child's play Trina O'Hara checks out the design celebrities hatching playful furniture and accessories for kids. 517: Personal Effects In celebration of the centennial of his birth, Trina O'Hara looks at the life and enduring legacy of Japanese-American designer Isamu Noguchi. 513: Seeing the light Trina O'Hara ponders the latest interior design trend and finds the answer is clear. 505: Lights of fancy Trina O'Hara checks out the contemporary chandeliers and whimsical lighting sculptures fast becoming fine art across the city. 501: Natural causes 493: Living rooms Inspired by the diverse lifestyles of this teeming metropolis, design experts Kyoko Asakura and Jaume J. Nasple-Baulenas have compiled an intriguing look inside the city's private homes. Tama Miyake Lung talks to the authors of Tokyo Houses. 489: Living in the past Art editor John McGee reveals three Tokyo stores that specialize in finding the best of what's old in Japanese antiques. 485: Monochrome marvels Black and white are back in fashion and making their mark in the interior design scene. Martin Webb reports on how to get the look for less. 481: Cut and paste Scrapbooking has swept America, where it's big business, and now it's catching on in Japan. Chris Betros attends a "cropalong." 477: Moss cause A sprinkling of moss can transform any windowsill into a miniature Zen temple. Hanna Kite offers some tips for bringing a little tranquility home. 469: Ikebana for idiots With a plethora of rules and schools, Ikebana can be intimidating, not to mention time-consuming. But who says busy people have to miss out on this ancient art form? Georgia Jacobs gives you the basics on no-fuss flower-arrangement. 466: A dyeing breed Winning fans from New York to Tokyo, designer Akiyoshi Yaezawa is putting a traditional stamp on modern accessories using a 17th-century hand-dyeing and painting process. Krista Wilson reports. 457: Party of five Matt Wilce lays out five luscious looks for New Year. 449: Thought out Designers create spaces but they also like to inhabit them. SuperDeluxe offers a place to drink and think for the design community—and of course their friends 445: Design on Tokyo A trio of interior design events is on its way to bring style into our Tokyo living rooms 439: Setting pretty Matt Wilce lays the table with styles for summer. 435: Tropical haven Asian furnishings are finding their way to flats across the city 431: Wed white and blue Treasures of traditional Japanese design, blue and white are the perfect foil for Tokyo's sweltering summers 427: Have a ball Who says you need tickets to catch a piece of World Cup action? 423: Collection point Nishi-Ogikubo's 65 pre-loved furniture stores make up Tokyo's great antique oasis 419: Flower power Bring your gloomy flat back to life with seasonal flowers. 415: On the mend Tokyo's fix-it men can have your furniture back in form 411: Phone home Panasonic unveils the e-lifestyle of the near future 407: Launch Pad Sputnik Pad lands in Jingumae 399: Interiors Retrospective  395: Interiors Kitchenware flare 391: Interiors Ideé is one of Tokyo’s most established interiors stores 387: Inner sanctum The days of sitting on the tatami floor are over 383: Life in style Tokyo's embraces ultra-modern design 367: Wealthy workplaces Put feng shui to work at work 364: Healthy homes The ancient Chinese art of feng shui

Living in the past

Art editor John McGee reveals three Tokyo stores that specialize in finding the best of what's old in Japanese antiques.

Kurofune has a range of antiques stacked to the rafters

If you sleep on tatami floors for aesthetic rather than economic reasons, you probably have a weakness for things Japanese. You've visited Oriental Bazaar, Fuji-Torii and the shops in the basement of the Hanae Mori building (all in Harajuku). You've exhausted the sellers at the Togo Shrine flea market (Harajuku) and wandered through the little shops on Kotto-dori (Aoyama's antique street) and around Nishi-Ogikubo.

So you know your wabi-sabi from your wasabi. Now what?

It's time to see a specialist. The English-speaking proprietors at these Japanese antique shops can help salve even the most acute collecting afflictions.

An easy place to start is in Kurofune, a three-story house of antiques crouched behind a cherry tree on a Roppongi backstreet. Owner John Adair, a gregarious Chicago native who opened his shop 25 years ago, calls it "the broadest-ranging collection of any shop in Tokyo." With over 50 tansu (chest) on hand, it's also one of the largest.

Adair specializes in only the highest quality unrestored and unrefinished Japanese antiques. "I look for unusual things, not necessarily expensive things, in their original condition," he says. These include old maps, signed ikebana baskets, porcelain hibachi, and indigo-dyed futon covers.

Still, you can expect to pay up to ¥7.5 million for the lustrous patina that the wood on some of the most desirable items-tansu, kitchen chests, sea chests and other well-loved furniture-have developed over decades of use. Adair says the main reason for such high prices is the declining numbers of quality items. Since the bubble, the antique market has become increasingly tight. "We had a much, much larger and broader selection of top quality pieces 10-15 years ago," he says.

Adair's advice to shoppers is to buy what you like, preferably in original condition, and to always buy the best you can afford. For those visiting flea markets, he adds, "Caveat emptor… a lot of stuff is rebuilt or refinished. You're fresh meat at a flea market, but then so am I."

Looks good on paper
Though it's hard to squeeze a tansu into roku-jo (a six-mat room), even the smallest space can fit a host of cross-eyed Kabuki stars, swashbuckling samurai, and moon-gazing bijin, provided they come to life in Japanese hanga or wood-block prints. American David Caplan founded Mita Arts Gallery in Jimbocho in 1963. According to his son Ken, of the seven or eight Japanese wood-block print specialists in Tokyo, Mita is the only one run by non-Japanese. Father and son work side-by-side, catering to a wide range of museums and collectors both local and international (the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood bought a Hiroshige rain scene on a recent visit).

Drawers full of woodblock prints await perusal at Mita Arts Gallery

Though they sell high-end originals by famous artists like Hokusai, the younger Caplan says that you don't have to be a rock star to afford hanga. "Ninety percent of the prints we sell are under $3,000… Even if [your] budget is only ¥5,000-¥10,000, we have something for [you]." And it's still possible to find value. "The beauty of Japanese prints is that they are still relatively underpriced, especially when you get away from the most famous artists."

Shoppers should consider that because prints were not made in numbered editions, their quality-and therefore price-is usually dictated by age (earlier prints have deeper impressions) and condition, notes Caplan. He also emphasizes quality over quantity. "Rather than buying ten prints for a hundred dollars each, it's better to buy one for $1,000," he says. "You will enjoy the quality more in the long run." It's also more likely to appreciate in value. And, he adds, be sure to get a certificate of authenticity.

Works on paper tend to degrade with exposure to light, but don't fear showing off your prints. Caplan says that if prints are mounted behind UV-proof acrylic or glass, there's little chance of the colors fading. As for what to buy, he advises, "It's very subjective; there are so many different kinds of genres. Discuss your taste, budget and purpose with your dealer. A good one will help guide [you]."

Live by the sword
This expanding collection is going to need some protection. Enter Japan Sword, central Tokyo's samurai outfitter of choice since the Meiji Era. Actually, fourth-generation owner Kenichi Inami says most of the items they sell never saw any action and served only decorative purposes. "During the Edo Period there were no big wars so everything is fancy and elegant," he says. Though much comes from the Edo, their three floors of swords, lacquered scabbards, carved metal sword guards, helmets, masks and armor range in age from the Kamakura to Meiji eras.

Japan Sword is on the cutting edge of military style

Before visiting his shop, Inami recommends a stop by the Sword Museum in Sangubashi to see some high-quality swords and fittings. Prospective buyers should also educate themselves with a ¥2,500 English-language sword guidebook (available at Japan Sword) before slicing ¥200,000 or more off their paycheck for a polished piece of tempered steel.

But what do you do with a sword? "Some people display them on walls or in glass cases, others put them in a warehouse to enjoy by themselves on weekends," says Inami. "Sword collectors buy them because they really want them."

Whatever you really want, the recurring refrain of these dealers is to learn as much as possible then spend a lot of time looking at what's available before making any decisions. And though shops may lack a flea market's air of mystery and opportunity, all of the dealers are convinced that the chances of a really good find are as razor-thin as a katana's blade. They should know. After all, they're collectors too.

Kurofune
7-7-4 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3479-1552. Through Aug open Thu, Fri, Sat 10am-6pm; from Sep open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm. Nearest stn: Roppongi.

Mita Arts Gallery
4F Ivy Bldg, 1-10-1 Jimbocho Kanda, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 03-3294-4554. Open Tue-Sat 10:30am-6pm. Nearest stn: Jimbocho. www.mita-arts.com

Japan Sword
3-8-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3434-4321. Open Mon-Fri 9:30am-6pm, Sat 9:30-5pm. Nearest stn: Toranomon. www.japansword.co.jp

Sword Museum
4-25-10 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3379-1386. Open Tue-Sun 10am-4:30pm, closed Mon. Nearest stn: Odakyu line, Sangubashi stn.

Photo credit: John McGee