unless otherwise noted, all photos by Takeshi Shinto
This summer, a unique store opened in Tokyo. Located just a few steps away from Tokyo Sky Tree is “Guruguru Shakashaka,” a salt specialty store that lets you explore 600 varieties of salt and then blend your own. Equally unique is the name, which is based on the Japanese onomatopoeia for mixing and shaking.
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Tokyo-based artist Ogino Yuna creates semi-abstract paintings using motifs of living things that are familiar to her, such as flowers and people. But for her latest exhibition, which just opened in Tokyo, the artist has pointed her brush at one of the most basic yet intimate human connections: the embrace.
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“TRYST” (2021) by Masahiko Minami. Charcoal and mixed-media on wood panel
Masahiko Minami works with charcoal and graphite to create minimalist landscapes in dramatic contrast. At once both familiar and foreign, the landscapes present a tension between absence and depth, reflection and contemplation.
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rendering of the Takara-yu sento in Tokyo
Japanese illustrator Enya Honami uses a style of architectural rendering known as isometric drawings to faithfully recreate cross-sections of Japanese public bathhouses, or sento. Honami is a skilled draughtswoman by trade, having obtained an MFA in architecture and working at a well-known Japanese architecture firm. But the grueling hours and workload eventually weighed on her physical and mental state and she fell ill, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
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“To the promised land” (2024) | installation view at YukikoMizutani
Tomohiro Inaba is an artist who creates sculptures that engage the viewer through their own imagination. Depending on your point of view, Inaba’s works look like they’re either disintegrating into mid-air, or being assembled into a whole as the wires continually thin out until only “blanks” remain.
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Osaka Station just got a little more bizzare. Manga artist Hirohiko Araki, known best for his epic saga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, has installed his first-ever public art piece at Osaka Station’s West Gate. Titled “Fountain Boy,” the circular, back-lit sculpture pays homage to the history and tradition of Osaka Station by taking inspiration from a statue of the same name, displayed in Osaka Station for 103 years that is now preserved at the Kyoto Railway Museum.
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a rendering of Manga Apartment VUY, for which occupancy will begin in March 2025
For many years, a model has existed in Japan in which subsidized housing supports manga artists who are early in their career and have not yet established an audience. One of the earliest was the Tokiwa-so Apartments in Tokyo which, from the 1950s into the 80s, was home to such luminary figures as Osamu Tezuka and Fujiko Fujio. And as manga translations find new audiences outside Japan, there seems to be a renewed interest in supporting the next up-and-coming manga artist.
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photos by Osamu Nakamura
In Niigata prefecture’s Murono Village, a surreal scene has unfolded…or should I say, inflated? From the rear of an abandoned townhouse a colossal, semi-transparent bubble has emerged, immediately transforming the quiet village into what could easily be mistaken for one of Willy Wonka’s inventions gone awry. This is, in fact, the latest creation by Ma Yansong, the visionary behind the architectural firm MAD Architects and a new addition to the local Echigo-Tsumari Art Festival.
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Senko hanabi, literally meaning ‘incense fireworks,’ are small and subtle sparklers that are packed with about 10 seconds of delicate pyrotechnics. Typically sold alongside other handheld fireworks, the unspoken rule is that senko hanabi are reserved for the grand finale. However, their ethereal and subtle nature always leave us wanting more.
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Photos by Daici Ano and Tomoyuki Kusunose, courtesy Torafu Architects
Tamiya, perhaps the most recognized brand name in the modeling industry, recently opened a new flagship facility in the Shimbashi Toranomon area of Tokyo. Dubbed the Tamiya Plamodel Factory, the shiny new store, which just opened in late May, replaces the previous store just across the street, and had served model makers since 2008.
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Japanese Aquarium Drops 2026 Version of Flowchart Illustrating Their Penguin Relationships. This Year There’s an English Version.
Shizuoka Aims to Reclaim Top Tea Status With New Branding Project
Kirie Artist Carves Playful Narratives Into Tree Leaves
Keisuke Aiso’s Ubume Sculpture that was Missappropriated as the Face of the Momo Hoax
Yoko Tada Began Painting in her 80s. At 100 She’s Publishing Her First Book
