Films — Edits

Featuring our fast-paced annual Transport Survey, our latest issue is out now. From pioneering high-speed-rail connections to open-plan airports, kooky new cars and cute ways to commute, we round up the most innovative ways to traverse the globe, plus our usual perfectly formed edit of culture, design, business and global affairs.

From spicing up your lettercraft to adding class to your condiment cupboard, plus timeless additions to your kitchen, wardrobe and workspace, here are this month’s most covetable commodities from issue 81 of Monocle.

As their cutesy, cartoon profiles – and fanbases – continue to soar, Japan's cuddly collection of corporate mascots has come to inhabit a central part of the nation's identity. We meet these celebrated creations and the people who bring them to life.

Look past the dominance of the big chains in Tokyo and you will find a world of fiercely independent coffee shops. Monocle's Fiona Wilson pays tribute.

Globes, spoons and weaving: Monocle films drops in on three makers helping to reinvigorate the British capital’s artisanal heartbeat.

Monocle is hosting its first ever conference. This intimate gathering will be hosted by the magazine’s editors, correspondents and key thinkers, with the topics discussed ranging from architecture and city planning to independent retail and national branding. [Register your interest on conference.monocle.com](http://conference.monocle.com)

Tyler Brûlé and team got Christmas off to a merry start at Midori House with the third annual Monocle Christmas Market last weekend. Some of our most loved brands shared a mulled wine with stallholders representing our favourite nations – and met a few friendly reindeers, too.

For this Christmas-shopping special, Monocle films drops anchor in the portside city of Antwerp. From hand-crafted mitts to traditional treats, head to local landmarks and hidden treasures with Monocle to get Christmas all wrapped up.

With forward-thinking commentary, long-form articles and fresh ideas from the Monocle editorial team, *The Forecast* is a new annual packed with key insights into the year ahead. Correspondents, business minds, historians, urbanists and diplomats offer their views on everything from balance-shifting defence systems to fresh benchmarks in city planning across this essential companion for 2015. [Buy...

The Mokotow district in Warsaw has recently turned into a magnet for the capital's creative community. Monocle explores how a shared spirit is at the heart of the area's vibrant neighbourhood.

Tallinn’s Kalamaja neighbourhood boasts a vibrant community of young professionals; Monocle films visits to find out what it’s like to live and work in the Estonian capital.

We travel to Helsinki to visit Vanha Kauppahalli – the city’s oldest waterside food market in order to meet the merchants serving up the very best in Nordic cuisine.

The Monocle Guide to Good Business is a book for would-be business leaders, start-ups and established companies that feel it is time for some new ideas. Monocle films goes behind the scenes to talk to the editors of the book and to take a look inside the covers. [Available to order now at The Monocle Shop.](/shop/books-and-music/books/the-monocle-guide-to-good-business/)

With a rainforest that’s nearly the same size as Austria and more than 20 different indigenous ethnic groups, Sarawak is not only Malaysia’s largest state but also one of its most intriguing. Monocle visits Sarawak to enjoy the region’s natural beauty and to look at where the state’s future lies.

In an ode to summertime, Monocle films hits the road to sample artisanal ice-cream makers with a difference. In Denmark, Japan and Canada we meet the innovators challenging taste buds one scoop at a time.

The Monocle Guide to Good Business is an informative 300-page book written for anyone who is starting their own business or who would like to. We’ve surveyed entrepreneurs, business leaders and creatives from across the globe to compile the ultimate reference for inspirational ways to improve your livelihood – [available to order now at The Monocle Shop.](https://monocle.com/shop/books-and-music/b...

As cities fill up with more and more people, urban farming is becoming a crucial element of sustainable living. Monocle visits food entrepreneurs in Cape Town, London and Singapore who are exploring new ways of cultivating organic produce in their downtown homesteads.

Monocle 24 despatched an ace radio team to Italy's idyllic alpine province. From peak to valley, Tyler Brûlé and his team explored everything from entrepreneurship to jazz, sampling local brews and vintages along the way. You can listen to The Briefing’s South Tyrol specials by visiting the radio section on monocle, via iTunes or on SoundCloud.

From award-winning vineyards to the finest hotels, restaurants and mountain retreats, we've surveyed the best this alpine Italian province has to offer.

Who has come out on top in our annual Quality of Life Survey? Which cities have made it into our top 25 for the first time? Who has sneaked into the top five – and who has disappeared off the list altogether? The answers to these questions (and much more besides, of course) can be found in our July/August issue.

Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market might be a must-see for tourists but the Japanese capital’s flower market is also that rare thing – a place of beauty and big business.

A new generation of stationery entrepreneurs is preserving and reviving the art of writing. Monocle Films travels to Prague, Vancouver and London to visit three shops that share a love of paper.

We're celebrating Monocle's seventh birthday this month. Since we launched in 2007 we’ve delivered fresh coverage of global affairs, business, culture and design – online, in print and on air. With five bureaux (plus more to come), five shops, two cafés, a radio station and a worldwide network of 34 correspondents, we’ve been busy keeping an eye and an ear on the world.

Monocle seeks out the makers who have the details sorted, from textile producers to shoelace specialists, and brings you the shops to head to and the brands to wear.

It’s been a year in the making but now our first book is arriving at the best bookstores around the world. *The Monocle Guide to Better Living* is produced by Germany’s premier publisher Gestalten and our new film tells the story of how we teamed up and also why we think the time is right for this modest manifesto about improving everything from cities to the food on our tables. *Available to buy...