In 2015, a young media artist named Akinori Goto created a fascinating device called toki, meaning “time” in Japanese. Goto explained that it was “a media installation born from a combination of modern technologies:” the age-old zoetrope meets 3D printing technology.
Each year people are consuming more and more sushi. And it’s clear that’s not going to change. But according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, plastic waste will outnumber fish by the year 2050. So, clearly something has to change. And that’s exactly what Yavez Anthonio is trying to do. For his graduation project, the advertising student created Umi Hashi: chopsticks made entirely out of plastic collected from the ocean.
from the collection of “Things” Ryu Itadani likes
“I only draw things that I like,” says painter Ryu Itadani. It’s a simple statement but also one that cuts through to the essence of the painter’s work. Sometimes it’s the shape, sometimes it’s the color. But it’s always something simple; something that anyone can easily find – a bottle of detergent, a jar of mustard, a magic marker – that catches the eye of Itadani and becomes the subject of a painting. “It’s sort of like a self-portrait,” he explains.
View 97 – Omoide Yokocho
Three years ago the illustrator Shinji Tsuchimochi (previously) embarked on an ambitious project. Following in the footsteps of ukiyo-e artist Hiroshige who, 160 years ago, created One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, Tsuchimochi began illustrating 100 views of Tokyo. Today, he completed his 100th view, effectively bringing closure to his project.
a detailed cross-section of Shinjuku Station. At 748,000 daily users, it’s the world’s busiest train station
In addition to being an architect, Tomoyuki Tanaka is also a master draftsman. Every project he’s done – from renovations and residential homes to urban planning – has been accompanied by detailed sketches, cross-sections and diagrams, all painstakingly produced by hand. In an age of CAD and computer-generated renderings, Tanaka’s architectural studies stand out as adding a human element to often cold, mechanical renderings of urban architecture.
Japanese certainly isn’t an easy language to master. It requires a lot of dedication and memorization. One proven method is immersion: surrounding yourself in the language so that your mind has no other choice but to begin picking up words. Now, one place you can start is with your Instagram stream.
Sono Sion is a man of many talents. At age 17, poet. At age 23, filmmaker. At age 32, author. But most prolific were his films, which helped him establish a cult following. So singular was he as a director that “even in a country known for eccentric filmmakers, he stands out as a genre practically unto himself,” wrote a film critic in the WSJ.
Kyoto’s Shimogamo Shrine is one of Japan’s oldest shrines, dating back over 1200 years. The shrine and its surrounding primeval forest Tadasu no Mori (literally “Forest of Correction”) was thought to have protected Kyoto from malign influences
The sacred grounds of the UNESCO-designated world heritage site typically close at 5:00 pm. This summer, however, visitors will be encouraged to arrive after-hours, on the rare occasion that the grounds are opened up at night and the shrine and forest brought to life by a spectacular light festival.
Contemporary artist Takashi Murakami is one of Japan’s most commercially successful artists. He’s also the proprietor of his own gallery and bar, where’s he’s free to exercise some of his other interests. The artist is now merging two art forms, sake distillery and his own contemporary art, to create a unique line of Japanese sake that will be sold at his bar, as well as other stores throughout Japan.
Noriko Ambe’s Man and the Sea, cut on a book of the same name and completed in 2016
Noriko Ambe is a longtime Japanese transplant in the New York creative scene, who hand-slices thousands of paper sheets into remarkable sculptures. Ambe is exhibiting a new body of work at her solo show “Continuous Cutting Altered Daily” at the newly established Maho Kubota Gallery in Tokyo’s Shibuya district.
OrySnack: The Bar Where Bartenders Work From Home
Winners of Japan’s 2027 Packaging Design Awards
Japanese Aquarium Drops 2026 Version of Flowchart Illustrating Their Penguin Relationships. This Year There’s an English Version.
Tokyo is Gearing Up for an Art-Filled Fall. And the Entire City is Here for It
Japanese Craftsmanship Meets Pokemon at Kanazawa’s National Crafts Museum
