Japanese Packaging Design #3: Gifted With Beauty

31 Aug 2007 Category: Arts & Crafts, Features, Japan, Products

Japanese Packaging Design #3: Gifted With Beauty

Japanese packaging design demonstrates how far you can push the concept of 'complex simpleness': perfected in detail, Origami-like package of Mizu-Yokan sweets by Kogetsu in Kyoto.

It’s a bit of an ambiguous subject in Japan: On the one hand, the country is adored for its sophisticated and highly crafted packaging design. On the other, these many excess layers account for an enormous waste of material resources. For now, let’s indulge in its beauty: In an ongoing series, PingMag deals with the functions and meanings of commercial product packaging in Japan (and we will show you lots of beautiful images, of course, as we did before extensively). First, let’s take a look at intriguingly fancy gift packaging.

Written and photographed by Bianca Beuttel

You will be warmly welcomed for sure when you bring this charming, bright coloured paper bag containing Hato (dove) Sable cookies by Toshimaya – a famous souvenir from Kamakura, near Tokyo.

Kawaii! Five dove-shaped Hato Sable cookies.

The Act Of Unwrapping

The illustration of this cute bird won’t disappoint you: Inside there are five dove-shaped Hato Sable cookies which only desire to fly straight into your mouth… Each of those biscuits is sealed in a standardised bag package as an efficient way for food wrapping: Easily handled by packaging machines and perfect to keep the products’ aroma and taste as well as protecting them from germs, smell or humidity - nothing special in this common industrial technology. However, Japanese packaging designers have invented various modifications for you to not recognise the bag package as such anymore. The results are much more attractive than a plastic sachet:

Sophisticated gusseted package: small cake with sweet chestnut by the confectionary Morihachi in Kanazawa.

This first simple example explains the principle very well: The material used for the gusseted bag package is longer than average in order to fold the ends up to the back of the package and fix them there. What a warm handcrafted atmosphere! Additionally this is enhanced by the inwrought foil with fibres of washi, Japanese paper.

Imitating Nature’s Beauty

Tender romantic packaging! Designed like a Morning Glory flower, containing inside another sealed bag with Mizu-Yokan, a jelly-like sweet. By the confectionary Koujuken in Nara.

We don’t want to generalise, but Japanese tend to feel much delighted by nature’s beauty - and Japanese confectionary manufacturers keep on to this by providing sweets that allude to the seasons in outer appearance as well as in taste. For example, to celebrate the Morning Glory, a characteristic flower for July, the bag package’s foil is printed with matte and glossy paints in different colours and the unsealed end, tied with a leaf decorated fastener, unfurls into a flower.

The stages of unfolding - can be so exciting if done step by step! Small cake with sweet potato by the confectionary Tsuruyahachiman in Osaka.

The structure shown above is used quite often: The amply longer end of the bag is folded by placing a fastener between the layers. When tying the fastener towards the back, the shape of the whole package changes.

Delicately torn package - the small cake above, almost unwrapped.

Kaki fruit-shaped package: The structure is adapted by fasteners in the shape of leaves or petals, forming a Persimmon fruit (left) or an Iris flower (right). From the confectionary Seikan’in in Kyoto.

Business Trip Souvenirs

Origami sweets! Beautiful! Package of a Mizu-Yokan sweet by Kogetsu in Kyoto.

Actually, this Iris-shaped package depicted above is not a standardised bag. Its structure is of a frequent type similarly to the one before. When unfolded, the emerging pattern resembles traditional Origami techniques. Like with origami paper folding, the “bag” of the Mizu-Yokan sweet is folded from a square piece of foil.

The finally unwrapped sweet. Yes, it contains real gold leaf!

These little sweets above are just big enough for two yummy bites. Usually, they are placed in a nice box as a gift set. As is true outside of Japan, exchanging gifts maintains relationships and expresses courtesy – but in Japan people are especially well known for the value they assign to gifts: souvenirs from a journey or business trip, small presents to show appreciation for an invitation, the traditional gift-giving seasons o-chugen at midyear and o-seibo at the end of the year.

To assist in finding the appropriate present that conforms to etiquette and expectations, department stores, manufactures and souvenir shops provide a countless variety of gift sets. And since Japanese are very curious about food, sweets, and regional specialities are a pretty popular choice. Huge sections in the ‘depachika’ – vast food markets in the basements of big department stores like Tokyu, Isetan or Matsuya are dedicated to providing a mind-boggling array of gift choices.

Furoshiki Design Principles: Complex Simpleness

A cute little gift set of five cups of watermelon jelly in a bamboo basket by Seikan’in.

The gift set above is suggested for o-chugen - and simply perfect for this hot and sweaty period! When untying the cloth in this nice watermelon peel design, bright red colours appear. This is so mouth-watering! But let’s have a closer look at the wrapping cloth: It is done in Furoshiki manner, the traditional Japanese wrapping technique. This simple square piece of cloth offers the flexibility to wrap and carry items adapted to their size and shape. So clever! More examples here…

GK Design founder Kenji Ekuan and author of the acclaimed The Aesthetics of the Japanese Lunchbox compendium has coined the term furoshikibility to explain a Japanese design principle: Inventing various modifications of a simple tool or technique in order to adapt it for as many different forms of usage as possible - complexity created by simplicity or ‘complex simpleness.’

An Overall Concept

A simply but quite elegant package of six “Hitokuchi” (bite-size) sweets from Higashiya.

Package detail: the embossed Higashiya logo (left) and the way the ribbon is tied (right).

So, how about the modified bag packages shown above? Simplicity doesn’t have to be that obvious: Though a Furoshiki can have a simple shape, its design can be totally gorgeous - as we showed earlier in our Furoshiki Redesign Report.

Of course, this applies vice versa as well: Tokyo-based confectionary Higashiya provides sweets in a modern form, artfully designed – from recipes, to packaging to shop interior – by SIMPLICITY. Look closer on the picture above and you will sense a certain simplicity. The package’s muted colour is very decent and so is the subtly embossed logo. See its complexity: The unique way the ribbon is loosely tied or the surprising discovery of the colourful sweets inside as they appear even brighter in contrast to the muted colour of the box. Take the mouth-watering recipe of these delicacies: “Peach compote made with brown sugar spirits wrapped in vanilla flavoured white bean paste.” That motif is carried over to their shop interior in Nakameguro on a patterned wall. The white, inner trays of the packages are stored there and with every purchase the configuration changes. Get an idea of this sophisticated decor concept here.

Liveliness

To many Japanese it seems that Western packaging often appears ‘locked’, as if the contents couldn’t escape. In contrast, Japanese packages are frequently described as ‘animated’ or ‘alive’, with a ‘spirit’ inside. So, how to let the contents get out freely and create a dynamic:

Clever! Loosely wrapped tea package by Nakane-en, a teashop in Lida.

The unwrapping stages of the tea package.

The envelope of the tea above is folded from a rectangular sheet, but the overlapping parts are placed asymmetrically on the top side of the envelope and both parts are differently designed: On the left a small stripe of green colour, on the right a diagonal pattern with the label of the shop. Again, complexity is achieved in a simple way. Apart from that, see the tension created by asymmetry, diagonal lines and heterogeneous elements!

Gift set of rice crackers by Shikibunosato, Kyoto.

I suppose this dynamic effect causes the impression of liveliness: Other than symmetry where the eyes rest on a stable focus, diagonal lines and asymmetry keep the eyes moving. With this tea package pictured above, its asymmetrical cut guides your eyes along to the side and to the closure. And because of the cuttings you’ve already got a glimpse of the next layer. It asks for being unwrapped.

Inside said tea package: Three boxes containing small, bite-sized Arare rice crackers.

Unwrapping Pleasures In The Empire Of Sings

No doubt, Japanese packaging celebrates the process of opening. The transition from one mood into another - from attraction to anticipation to surprise to delight - is handled with attentive care.

A present from the Shiseido Parlour , unwrapped in six steps: 1. The branded paper bag… 2. …comes with this wrapped box. Look at the diagonal lines of the wrapping paper pattern! 3. The lines result from the item diagonally placed on the sheet. 4. Inside the cardboard-box you find a sealed tray with three little paper cups… 5. …which – SURPRISE! SURPRISE! – offer tiny cheese cakes.

In his essay “Empire of Signs,” French philosopher Roland Barthes analyses this kind of procedure: “By its very perfection, the envelope, often repeated – you can be unwrapping a package forever – postpones the discovery of the object it contains. The object itself is often insignificant, for it is precisely a specialty of the Japanese package that the triviality of the thing is disproportionate to the luxury of the envelope. […] It is as if, then, the box were the object of the gift, not what it contains”. With all the effort spent to make the unwrapping a pleasurable experience, you don’t just give some present: The whole act is part of the treat itself.

But those very moments of transition are not limited to traditional or luxurious items. Equally, you can discover it in, say, chocolates from the conbini around the corner.


Opening detail of a Meiji’s Fran package – chocolate coated biscuit sticks.

Opening instructions are often understood just as functional detail of a package. But taking the ‘joy of unwrapping’ in consideration, a detail like the perforation above can gain an additional quality. Even if you suffer from ‘chocolate craving’ and you can’t wait to rip the package open, the very act of ripping comes with suspense and excitement and a stimulation for your well-conditioned senses: A peculiar sound and rhythm of the torn open perforation which, if you often eat chocolate out of these perforated packages, will appeal to you as sweet as the chocolate content itself. You are a bit like Pavlov’s dog, only with chocolate.

And - that’s exactly why the Japanese chocolate manufacturer Meiji has chosen this opening moment as his corporate identity’s visual. You will notice it at the beginning of almost every one of Meiji’s commercials. Now, open this link and you will know…

We are sure you are now so enchanted of these lacy wrappings as we are. Wait for our next part of the Japanese packaging design series…

68 Comments

  1. Truly amazing. I love japanese packaging so much, so simple and so beautiful! You can see someone put a lot of thought into these packages.

    Posted by: Andrei Sarusi on August 31st, 2007 at 8:02 pm

  2. Beautiful! Táim stiugtha leis an ocras!

    Posted by: Alannah on August 31st, 2007 at 10:36 pm

  3. This is why I love Japan. The detail and delicateness in these common things is amazing.

    Posted by: Ragnheiður on August 31st, 2007 at 10:59 pm

  4. Alannah - we have had many languages on our comments before, but I think yours is the first in Irish! Go raibh míle maith agat!

    Posted by: Administrator on August 31st, 2007 at 11:37 pm

  5. This is Japanese packaging at its best! Thanks for posting this valuable collection - there is so much to learn from this!

    Posted by: Yael Miller on September 1st, 2007 at 1:00 am

  6. Amazing… this really surprised me and now I’m hungry lol

    Posted by: Akai on September 1st, 2007 at 1:01 am

  7. [...] Just when you thought you couldn’t love Milch any more than you already do… Japanese Packaging Design #3: Gifted With Beauty These examples (including business trip souvenirs) of Japanese packaging make you wonder (yet [...]

    Posted by: Photophores: August 31, 2007 « Kinetic Loop on September 1st, 2007 at 2:47 am

  8. Изумительно! Если бы у нас такой красоты побольше и поменьше уродов. Very beautiful!

    Posted by: Яя on September 1st, 2007 at 4:01 am

  9. Согласен полностью

    Posted by: Z on September 1st, 2007 at 5:02 am

  10. Awesome, undoubtedly. I always love Japanese packaging. Even in the remote areas peoples intensively make them still interesting. Sometimes I buy a small good just to enjoy its packaging or to collect its cover/bag :-). Thanks.

    Posted by: saniroy on September 1st, 2007 at 6:13 am

  11. I studied this in college, and this was so cool to see how the packing is so different in Japan.

    Posted by: glyph on September 1st, 2007 at 9:28 am

  12. I used to work as a sale assistant in a Japanese departmental store during my school days. I never understand why they need to train sale assistants on how to wrap gifts in a specific way (shown in the Shiseido Parlour photos).

    After years of doing design and exposed to the design field, I think Japanese packaging is brilliant! I love to shop their supermart! Can’t wait to visit Japan next year! =)

    Posted by: Christina L. on September 1st, 2007 at 10:27 am

  13. Their packaging is just way too cool ~!!!! >_<

    Posted by: evon on September 1st, 2007 at 2:17 pm

  14. Amazing! Nak pegi Jepun satu hari nanti.

    Posted by: razu on September 1st, 2007 at 4:20 pm

  15. In the 80s, McDonald’s (at least in America) released a sandwich called a McDLT , that came in a huge double styrofoam clam-shell case(you can see the old commercials on youtube). Environmentalist threw a fit, saying it was producing too much unnecessary waste, and it was off the market within a year or so. It seems that would never happen in Japan–the more packaging the better!

    Posted by: tokyostreet on September 2nd, 2007 at 12:51 am

  16. its really nice as others mentioned but after consuming the contents all the packaging just gets incinerated. the beauty of the packaging needs to be seen wholistically in the context of keeping the environment beautiful.

    Posted by: rickie on September 2nd, 2007 at 9:52 am

  17. Very attractive! Really makes people want to buy!
    …inspiring!

    Posted by: Ragna on September 2nd, 2007 at 4:24 pm

  18. [...] PingMag最新一篇精彩的文章，介绍日本的包装设计，Japanese Packaging Design #3: Gifted With Beauty，之前的1和2（分别讲草莓和点心包装上的卡通形象）。我们这篇文章的标题是直译，Gifted With Beauty应该有双关的意思吧。 [...]

    Posted by: 日本包装设计，天生之美 · [ i D | 公 社 ] on September 3rd, 2007 at 2:50 am

  19. The attention to detail is incredible, I think it makes it an occasion to open the product.

    Posted by: yani on September 3rd, 2007 at 1:35 pm

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  22. The Higashiya box is nothing short of classy.

    Posted by: Laynie on September 3rd, 2007 at 8:32 pm

  23. Ah, I love Japanese packaging like this. As someone above said, the added beauty that is inserted into “everyday” things is one of the reasons I love Japan!

    Posted by: Burn Suburbia on September 3rd, 2007 at 11:31 pm

  24. I’m always more shocked than inspired when I see Japanese packaging. I can’t believe they get away with using so much unnecessary plastic packaging! I hope they have good recycling over there.

    Posted by: Andrew on September 4th, 2007 at 6:45 pm

  25. Wonderfully, obsessively, insanely beautiful. Roland Barthes drew the comparison a long time ago between the French and the Japanese in the art of wrapping. One is instantly reminded of the scenes in Memoirs of a Geisha where the women spend hours wrapping fabric about themselves and painting their surfaces. Seems to be the same gesture.

    Lovely site,

    Matthew Rose / Paris, France

    Posted by: MATTHEW ROSE on September 5th, 2007 at 4:29 am

  26. 我喜欢……

    Posted by: wdan on September 7th, 2007 at 12:31 pm

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    Posted by: Il packaging design giapponese – Frizzifrizzi.it on September 7th, 2007 at 6:01 pm

  28. [...] 原文作者：Bianca Beuttel原文链接：Japanese Packaging Design #3: Gifted With Beauty译者：hubeenow [...]

    Posted by: 小叮当 » Blog Archive » 日本包装设计3：天赐美物 on September 7th, 2007 at 7:52 pm

  29. [...] Source: http://pingmag.jp [...]

    Posted by: E-sushi » Packaging japonais on September 7th, 2007 at 7:59 pm

  30. I like those packaging design. They look very amazing and catch allot of attention with very little graphics on the package it self. I like these kind of design, unlike packaging with too much graphics to get attention.

    Posted by: Chung Dha on September 7th, 2007 at 8:41 pm

  31. Super Lovely…. But I cant help thinking that its just a bit too much packaging….??

    Lets use a bit less and recycle more Japan!

    Posted by: Shantell Martin on September 8th, 2007 at 10:25 pm

  32. No one does the art of wrapping better than the Japanese! Though I agree it can be a little excess (or unnecessary) at times.

    Posted by: clara on September 11th, 2007 at 4:55 pm

  33. japon…. demasiado exquisito

    saludos de Chile

    Posted by: claudiasandia on September 14th, 2007 at 3:26 am

  34. HATO SABLES! I have big box of them right here.. yummy.. I love the cute metal box and the dove in it.
    Hato hato… doko desu ka..?

    Posted by: yaschan on September 18th, 2007 at 6:32 am

  35. wow. amazing.
    :-)

    Posted by: limonete on September 20th, 2007 at 6:30 pm

  36. WOW! Que maravilla, me fascino tu investigacion, sigue explorando Japon para iluminarnos mas!

    Posted by: Jorge Sanabria on September 26th, 2007 at 10:27 pm

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  39. como funde estos packs ! merci por regalaros tanto ;) oooh yeahh

    Posted by: hartom on October 17th, 2007 at 6:15 am

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  41. For those who worry about Japan’s recycling efforts, let me tell you that Japan is light years ahead of most countries. Don’t worry and enjoy the beautiful wrapping :-)

    Posted by: greener on October 25th, 2007 at 6:38 am

  42. [...] 来自PingMag [...]

    Posted by: Japanese Packaging Design - Gift | Leisure and Life+Style on December 14th, 2007 at 5:49 pm

  43. สวยดีค่ะ เอาความเป็นญี่ปุ่นมาใช้ได้ดี

    Posted by: amp on January 2nd, 2008 at 2:33 pm

  44. Well, what ever you say the Japanese have the Great knowledge and they can feel the beauty of what ever they design I like their aesthetic touch. you can see models of car, machines, cartoons, dragons,

    Now these covers , a new thing i discover about the japenese

    Nice Post……

    Posted by: Samuel / RED VEINS on January 31st, 2008 at 9:32 pm

  45. Awesome, i really love these works, congrats

    Posted by: Felix on February 7th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

  46. Sure the designs are beautiful, but does anybody here think that that’s just WAY too much uneccessary packaging? All products in JP are beautifully wrapped and the packages are trashed right after just imagine the amount of trash this create in just one day, consider that EVERY objects on the market are BEAUTIFULLY wrapped with multiple layers and layers and layers of wrapping paper and such.

    On the other hand, japanese people are deemed to be one of the most disiplined peeps on earth when it comes to recyling, in order to make up for the HUGE waste they produce everyday. But wouldn’t it be easier to NOT produce so much in the beginning? This gotta start from changing the whole JP marketing scheme.

    Posted by: Mariya Marie on February 20th, 2008 at 12:01 am

  47. i really like them . please contınue

    Posted by: kurye on February 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 am

  48. [...] PingMag has several different collections of Japanese packaging, including Cardboard Box Designs, Snack Characters, and Gifted with Beauty. [...]

    Posted by: Offline Sources for Design Inspiration | Vandelay Website Design on March 11th, 2008 at 9:38 am

  49. beauty
    kawai!!!
    simplicity
    loveable
    great works guys!

    Posted by: boemi on March 11th, 2008 at 1:37 pm

  50. so cute ^^

    Posted by: delzi_thailand on March 16th, 2008 at 3:55 am

  51. [...] PingMag has several different collections of Japanese packaging, including Cardboard Box Designs, Snack Characters, and Gifted with Beauty. [...]

    Posted by: Offline Sources for Design Inspiration on March 20th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

  52. i love the attention to detail. its amazing.

    Posted by: Anonymous on May 13th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

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  59. 美しいですね?

    Posted by: 雪 on July 8th, 2008 at 8:58 pm

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  65. THANKS VERY GOOD YOUR SİTE

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