It’s fair to say that Sabae City in Fukui has plenty of spectacle: despite a modest population of around 68,000, the town produces a somewhat unbelievable 96 percent of all eyeglass frames sold in Japan and around a fifth of the world’s total output. The manufacturing process is built on a complex division of labour among the city’s roughly 500 small factories, with each one specialising in one or two of the more than 200 steps – including the crafting of tiny screws, adjustment and polishing – that have to be taken in order to create a single pair of frames. This attention to detail explains how Sabae has managed to maintain its superb quality over the years. Combining this tradition with state-of-the-art technology, Sabae Paperglass spectacles are super-thin reading glasses that can be folded down to a width of 2mm, fitting effortlessly in even the smallest of pockets. These wonders of beauty and functionality are of course wildly popular, so you’ll have to wait for up to three months to get your hands on a pair.