■ About the Publication

Magazine B is an ad-free monthly publication that dedicates each issue to one well-balanced brand unearthed from around the globe. The magazine introduces the brand’s hidden stories, as well as its sensibility and culture, and is an easy but also serious read for anyone with an interest in brands.

■ About the Publisher

JOH & Company is a creative company founded in April 2011 by Suyong Joh, former Director of Creative Marketing & Design at NHN. He oversaw and directed the construction of NHN Green Factory, which is the headquarters of NHN, the company that has earned domestic and international reputation as “Google of Korea.” He also created a sensation in the publishing world when he compiled the construction process in a publication, Green Factory. Currently, he leads JOH & Company, a group of creative directors that he has brought together from various fields, and he is conducting complex projects encompassing architectural design, brand consultation, interior, food & beverage service, and product design, based on his own experience. The first fruit of such endeavor is magazine B.

■ About the Issue

Welcome to the 37th issue of B. The brand we are introducing in this issue is Tsutaya, a renowned Japanese bookstore chain. Tsutaya offers a chance to reenvision what an offline bookstore should be in an era of online shopping and free, same-day delivery. Tsutaya does not think of itself as just a bookstore. It is a future-oriented enterprise producing profits by planning and presenting lifestyles in all areas of the cultural space and actively using a customer database. Tsutaya insists that its lifestyle suggestions preserve the cultural industry of Japan. This mission is similar to something a governmental organization might do using taxes or something a large corporation might do as part of a social responsibility project, but Tsutaya carries it out while still making a profit. Covering Tsutaya, I became even more convinced that the spaces we live in and the lifestyle suggested by the things we fill those spaces with possess a meaning extending across ages. In his interview with us, Tsutaya’s CEO, Muneaki Masuda, used the expression “customer-oriented” several times. This might sound cliche, but I think it is a genuine product of deep reflection on the life he wants to live. I would like to encourage you to visit the Daikanyama T-site. This place, which combines book and music shops, cafes, and convenience stores, might remind you of other places in foreign countries. Nevertheless, you will be sure to think that it is the sort of place you would go every day if it were in your neighborhood. The pleasure of being surrounded by books and music, with drinks, food, and occasional shared glances with strangers in a fine cafe―experiences like this are worth driving long distances or purchasing a flight to enjoy. Today, I happily indulge in the fantasy of being enveloped by such a place.