Spoon & Tamago

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Chaotic Photographs of Electric Cables Suspended Over Japanese Streets

all photos by Ikue Mio courtesy Sankei

When visitors first come to Japan one of the things that surprises them the most is the abundance of overhead electrical cables. Maybe it’s not evident at first, but as soon as you point your viewfinder to the sky you’ll surely notice the many electrical wires, transmission lines, TV cables, fiber optic lines and every other carrier of modern-day technology. There’s been a concerted effort to go subterranean, especially with the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but the costly operation is taking time.

Mikiya Kobayashi Gives Kutani Porcelain a Modern Twist

June 23, 2015 / Johnny / Comments Off

Photoｓ by Yosuke Owashi courtesy Mikiya Kobayashi | click to enlarge

Kutani porcelain dates back to the mid-1600s and is one of the backbones of Japanese pottery. The style is known for its wealth of colors— greens, blues, yellows, purples, and reds—and bold designs. Putting a modern twist on this traditional craft is industrial designer Mikiya Kobayashi.

A New Preschool in Japan Designed to Accumulate Large Puddles When it Rains

June 23, 2015 / Johnny / 22 Comments

dai-ichi preschool in kumamoto by hibino sekkei

the courtyard of the new Dai-Ichi Preschool in Kumamoto | photos Ryuji Inoue courtesy Hibino Sekkei

What is it about puddles of water that makes kids want to jump right into them with all their might? It’s no doubt that outdoor play, whatever the weather, is a necessity of childhood. So if there’s any place where kids should be allowed to be kids, without being subject to the cringes and shouts of adults who are overly concerned about wet shoes, socks and pants (don’t even mention the mud), that place is preschool.

Now Open: The New Oita Prefectural Art Museum Designed by Shigeru Ban

June 22, 2015 / Johnny / Comments Off

all photos by Hiroyuki Hirai | click to enlarge

“It is meaningless to build an art museum if you are going to imitate others,” says Ryu Niimi, director of the new Oita Prefectural Art Museum. “If you are not determined to build something unique, and like nothing else, to exist only in Oita, then it is meaningless.” With that bold mission statement, the OPAM (as it is abbreviated), the ‘Museum of Five Senses,’ (as it is being proclaimed) opened to visitors in April of 2015.

Chappie: the human shaped graphic design system is now an app

June 18, 2015 / Johnny / 2 Comments

the chappie app allows you to configure your chappie avatar

What is graphic design? We often think of it in the form of advertisements, books or magazines. But AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) defines it as “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content.” Rethinking our connotations, the Japanese design studio groovisions, in 1994, created a “human-shaped graphic design system” and called it Chappie.

Undulating Toothpick Holder Mimics the Waves of the Sea

June 17, 2015 / Johnny / Comments Off

It isn’t often that the words ‘gorgeous’ and ‘toothpick holder’ appear in the same sentence, but this is the most gorgeous toothpick holder we’ve ever seen. It’s unique base is carved so that when the holder is loaded, the toothpicks create a soothing, wave-like undulation. When was the last time so much thought went into such a modest household object?

Designing Early Education: The Architectural Work of Youji no Shiro

June 16, 2015 / Johnny / Comments Off

some recent examples of early education facilities designed by Youji no Shiro | click to enlarge

If you wanted great sushi you wouldn’t go to a diner, right? You would go to a sushi shop. And if you wanted Italian food you wouldn’t ask your sushi chef to boil pasta. The same thinking, says Taku Hibino, should hold true for architecture. Hibino is one chief architects at Hibinosekkei+Youji no Shiro, an architecture firm and brand in Japan specializing in the design and construction of learning facilities for early education.

Magnetic Japanese Wooden Pottery Hooks

June 15, 2015 / Johnny / Comments Off

How adorable are these pottery hooks?If you’re like me and at one point in your life fell in love with a potter’s wheel, or Japanese pottery, these hooks will make your day!

A Suspended Bonsai Installed Inside an Abandoned Power Plant

June 14, 2015 / Johnny / 2 Comments

In the city of Charleroi just north of Brussels in Belgium sits an abandoned power station. Originally built in 1921, the coal-burning Power Plant IM remained operational for almost 90 years until it came under scrutiny for its massive carbon footprint and was decommissioned in 2007.

But its magnificent cooling tower still looms, offering urban explorers and photographers stunning, dystopian views. Now, Azuma Makoto, the Japanese botanical artist, has created a surreal installation within the tower’s moss-covered innards.

Moon House: a home designed around circular margins of undefined space

June 11, 2015 / Johnny / Comments Off

photos by kenta hasegawa courtesy Fumiaso Architecture & Associates

Fumi Aso was recently named best young architect by the Architectural Institute of Japan’s Kansai chapter, for her Moon House. And, while Aso scored highly in areas like aesthetics, style and functionality, it was her “margins,” expounded the judges, which eventually led them to nominate her.