all photos by spoon & tamago | taken with an iphone 6
This summer team spoon & tamago ventured north to escape Tokyo’s notorious heat and humidity. We spent a week in Hokkaido, eating, seeing and chasing around some of our favorite artists, designers and architects. Hokkaido is lush, green, beautiful and large. We barely scratched the surface but we thought we would share some of our favorite spots.
MimeticMaps that make meat mimic maps. It’s not just a tongue-twister. It’s an art-book created by Tomoyuki Koseko that visualizes the unexpected similarities between meats and maps. Finland becomes a sirloin steak, Taiwan becomes a fillet and Cuba becomes sliced pork chops.
Back in May, Nissin, the maker of Japan’s iconic Cup Noodle, posted an image to their Facebook page of paper bag with a kettle printed on it. When carried, it created the illusion of a hand pouring hot water into instant ramen. The image was created mostly as a joke – a lighthearted gesture meant to generate a few chuckles. But it did a lot more than that.
Okura is a village nestled deep in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture. It’s the birthplace of 76-year old artist Tatsuo Horiuchi, who creates Japanese seasonal landscapes entirely in Microsoft® Excel. The software, typically reserved for financial analysis and bookkeeping, is turned into a fantastic creative tool.
“The great tree of the deep mountains, it enters the village, and becomes a deity.” That’s the ritual prayer that was sung several months ago as a large tree was cut and toppled to the ground with a thunderous boom. Every 7 years a 200-year old fir tree, one that stands straight as if reaching up to the heavens, becomes the centerpiece for one of Japan’s oldest, grandest and most dangerous festivals: the Onbashira Festival.
Technology is increasingly replacing the need for hand-written letters. And it’s also making the tiny stars in the sky harder to see as cities get brighter. But there’s still a way to light up the night sky, and show someone you care, all with one poetic envelope.
the cover of a brochure released by the Japanese government, showing exemplary public toilets
It’s no secret that Japan has been a leader in the toilet industry, introducing cutting-edge designs and technology: everything from heated seats and rear-cleansing/drying washlets to deodorization. And this type of toilet devotion extends to public toilets too. In fact, the Japanese government even awards a highly coveted Toilet of the Year Award to spaces deemed worthy. After all, the government estimates that in our lifetime we spend up to 11 months in a bathroom. So why shouldn’t they be spaces that are clean, soothing and relaxing?
So, officials created a pamphlet (PDF) of public toilets they deemed exemplary, and distributed it earlier this year in hopes of elevating the entire public toilet industry. Here are a selection of government-approved public toilets.
With just about 10 months to go before the 2017 Yokohama Triennale begins, organizers have announced the concept and key visuals to the show. 2017 will mark the 150th anniversary of Taisei Hokan, the formal restoration of political authority to the Emperor, and signaled the end of Japan’s isolationist policy, which eventually led to Yokohama being the first port to open up to the west. With that historical backdrop, the theme for next year’s show will be “Islands, Constellations and Galapagos.”
Plastic bottles are ubiquitous in our day-to-day lives. So instead of throwing them out, why not extend their lives by transforming them into beautiful vases? Kami no tsubo (literally, paper vase) is a flat-pack sheet with narrow slits, allowing it to bulge into a 3-dimensional shape. And, oddly enough, its unique form was inspired by squid sashimi.
Futagami is brass foundry located in Toyama Prefecture that dates back to 1897. With help from designer Oji Masanori, several years ago they revamped their product lineup to create graceful, tactile home objects that emphasize the qualities of brass, and how it develops a rich patina over time due to the oxidization process.
OrySnack: The Bar Where Bartenders Work From Home
Winners of Japan’s 2027 Packaging Design Awards
Tokyo is Gearing Up for an Art-Filled Fall. And the Entire City is Here for It
Japanese Aquarium Drops 2026 Version of Flowchart Illustrating Their Penguin Relationships. This Year There’s an English Version.
Kirie Artist Carves Playful Narratives Into Tree Leaves
