TOKYO -- If global design magazines offer any guide, there is a widespread international view that Japanese people live in homes with monochromatic color palettes and little or no furniture.
Shorna-Kay Richards, the Jamaican ambassador to Japan, told me recently that before her posting she thought all Japanese homes would have a minimalistic look. In fact, she says, "That is not necessarily the case. There is such a variety and people's tastes are so rich and diverse."
