When I got wind that there were free rice balls to be had at Felissimo last night, I promptly scooted over there. As a packed crowd of editors, buyers and other interested parties milled around under the giant collaged ball of Japanese innovation (worth a visit in its own right), highfalutin conversation about product design flowed as freely as the delicious appetizers.

Before my design ignorance was exposed, however, we were ushered upstairs for a talk about the thoughtful genesis of Japanese design. Too often products are viewed as just something shiny and pretty to be consumed, said journalist Julie Taraska and hauteGREEN co-producer/Design Within Reach PR manager Kimberly Oliver—the event’s organizers. The lack of discussion regarding the inspirations, intent, and design process was quickly amended as the five designers (Masmichi Udagawa, a co-founder of Antenna Design and 2008 National Design Award winner; Eric Chan, principal of ECCO Design; furniture designer Jeff Miller; textile artists Atsuyo et Akiko; and multidisciplinary designer Hideaki Matsui.) took the stage.

Our professors—the five designers who were either Japanese themselves or had worked extensively with Japanese companies—all spoke eloquently about the intellectual rigor it takes to come up with a product that is functional, useful and in some cases, benevolent.

Masmichi Udagawa, designer of the omnipresent MTA ticket kiosks, began by walking the audience through his thought process. He spoke of a desire to incorporate the realities of human behavior into his work and not just “guide people to do what we want them to do.” To illustrate his point he took the enthusiastic audience through a list of past examples he tried to model his design around: an ATM machine (scratched when he found out only 50 percent of New Yorkers have bank accounts); a soda machine (tossed because of the universal worry that no soda will appear after inserting your last dollar); a store (the winner because the experience allows you to survey the merchandise, check the price and then make a purchase.)

Engaging talks followed and culminated when the last speaker, Hideaki Matsui, showed the audience that design could do some good while still looking good. His interest and concern in the continued existence of landmines littering the landscapes of countries around the world prompted collaboration with the UN to create a bar of soap called Cleanup. Fashioned in the shape of a landmine, Matsui’s product creates a constant and powerful reminder about an important issue and made me really think for the first time about the power of design.

On my home, I paused by a table of portable ashtrays that are featured in Japan C’s exhibit. Before the evening’s talk, I merely snickered at the accompanying brochure that asked, “Smokers! Are you Carring your “Manner”?” But after my design education, I realized that these products, like everything featured in the Japan C exhibit, are the result of a thoughtful effort to help people solve everyday problems. The Japanese have so much to offer New Yorkers, I thought to myself.

And that’s not just the rice balls talking.

For photos of the Product Placement event, click here.