Aesop opens a new store at Kansai Airport

Inspired by "Paper Walls" and Noguchi lamps, Aesop has opened a store at Kansai Airport.

Complementing this, is its exceptional book list, which offers thought-provoking, beautifully written narratives, and a curated travel music list. Also on offer is a special sense-of-place gift: a tote bag adorned with a Kansai-inspired quote, accompanied by a packet of local Kansai tea, serving as a tangible memento of travelers’ unique experience with us.

In a recent press release, the team sets the scene:

In Gifu, on the banks of Japan’s Nagara River, many onlookers have seen the light—quite literally. It is here, at the water’s edge, that an ancient ritual unfolds: as dusk falls, cormorant fishermen steer their wooden boats by the glow of incandescent lanterns, while their birds dive deep in pursuit of prey. The flickering flames are softened by their Washi coverings—traditional Japanese paper crafted from mulberry bark. In stories that survive through the centuries, it is this fleeting image that endures. A diffuse, gentle, almost stellar light.

For obvious safety reasons, it is impossible to recreate such a ceremony—and its exact glowing fires—within the bounds of an international airport such as Kansai. But one might be surprised to learn what can be achieved with a 90-meter-long LED strip and 50 large pieces of paper—provided, of course, that one uses precisely the right grammage. To that end, Aesop selected locally produced Washi paper, whose distinctive fibers create a play of shadows, drawing shapes on the surface of the light.

As the store’s lifetime is limited, a structure was needed that could be easily dismantled—and hopefully reassembled elsewhere. Aesop collaborated with Molo Studio to create a foldable, lightweight shell. The paper-like walls produced by the Canadian designers can be compressed and removed in no time. Somehow though, the light they emit feels as though it has always been there. It took just three weeks and a shipment from Taiwan to realize this enduring vision. Yet in six months, the store will go dark. But the light will remain—visible still on the banks of the Nagara.

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