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We have a feeling that if an enterprising boutique owner or three from The States trekked out to Japan they'd easily find a multitude of cool, quirky clothing lines no one else around carries. Considering how quickly small Belgian and Brazilian and British lines are discovered and brought to the US it's a wonder why we don't see much in the way of Japanese designers other than Yohji, Rei, Issey and friends. Toga is a Japanese label we ran into by way of Dover Street Market. Now in its 9th season, the line has a sort deconstructed girliness to it we find intriguing. We can think of at least half a dozen shops in the US this line could fit right into (hint hint).

The design company Salvor is best known for its line of fauna pillows and T-shirts. But we're enamored with their latest project. Salvor Kiosk opened late last year as a space in New York and an online destination. The concept of the shop is this: every few months, the store concentrates on one country, importing interesting objects that are unique to the country. The current country in residence is Sweden. If you've ever wondered what freezer bags look like in Sweden (we know we have!) Salvor Kiosk is the place to go, but they also find unique artful items such as birch bird houses.

Every month or so, Tortoise has the habit of introducing us to a new area of Japanese design we had no knowledge of previously. Around last Christmas, it was the Mari Ball. This time around they introduce us to "tenugui" or hand-dyed Japanese cloths. To quote:

tenugui, a hand dyed cotton cloth, has always been an essential tool for the Japanese. not only was it used as a wiping tool such as a towel or a handkerchief, it was also used as a bandage or a headwear in the old days . . . today people have found even more ways to use it, from table napkin to tapestry for decorating their homes.

If you hate words, then Zakka is the bookstore for you. Graphic design is the shop's focus and they approach the subject from a unique perspective. With a field office in Tokyo and an emphasis on subculture, the store is a fun, fascinating look at the myriad ways graphic designers are making their mark.

Like in video games.

Or on skateboards.

And for those of us that can't tell Helvetica apart from Arial (gasp!) there are Godzilla toys straight from Japan and some T-shirts with (what else) nice graphics.

Every couple weeks or so, we like to check on Tortoise's site to see if they've added anything interesting. We're hardly ever disappointed.